Vietnam Ministry of Construction clarifies e-wallet fees for traffic accounts

The Ministry of Construction has clarified that fees charged by e-wallets linked to electronic toll collection accounts are not account maintenance fees. This follows announcements from VETC and Viettel Money (ePass) regarding proposed monthly fees of 6,600 VND for individuals and 66,000 VND for organizations and businesses.

Following the announcement, the Ministry directed the Department of Roads of Vietnam to investigate the basis for these charges and the applicable subjects. Companies have been requested to temporarily suspend the implementation of these fees to review and research options that better align with customer usage frequency and ensure transparency.

A review of payment methods shows that VETC currently supports five options, including the VETC e-wallet and various credit/postpaid services from TPBank and BIDV. Meanwhile, VDTC supports 11 methods, including MoMo, Viettel Money, and several banks. While some methods are free, others charge fixed fees or transaction-based fees. The Ministry noted that users retain the right to cancel existing links and choose alternative payment methods.