The
HCM City Department of Finance has proposed new parking fees for motorbikes and
automobiles after reports that parking providers had violated fee regulations
set by the city.

Cars park on Le Loi Street, District 1, HCM City. The city’s Department of Finance has proposed new parking fees for motorbikes and automobiles. (Photo: VNS)

The new parking fees,
expected to be approved by city authorities, will be VND2,000 for motorbikes at
schools and hospitals; VND3,000 for markets, supermarkets, and low-to-middle-end
apartments; and VND4,000 for high-end apartments, entertainment places,
restaurants, hotels, discotheques, theatres, and for Ben Thanh, An Dong, Binh
Tay, Kim Bien markets as well as the three wholesale markets Binh Dien, Thu Duc,
Hoc Mon and other shopping centres.

The parking fees for
motorbikes at night will be higher than daytime prices, with parking fees for
scooters VND1,000 higher than non-automatic motorbikes.

The draft also
stipulates that fees will vary depending on the type of automobile and on
nighttime or daytime parking, among other factors.

The parking fees for
motorbikes and automobiles will differ in accordance with various areas.

Parking fees in
districts 1, 3 and 5 are higher than in other districts, from VND1,000 –
VND2,000 for motorbikes, and from VND5,000 – VND15,000 for automobiles.

The parking fees in
five sub-districts Can Gio, Hoc Mon, Binh Chanh, Thu Duc and Cu Chi are 50 per
cent lower than those in other central districts.

Under regulations set
by the HCM City People’s Committee in 2005, the fee for motorbike parking is
VND2,000.

But many parking
service providers in districts 1 and 3 have raised the fees of motorbike parking
three to five times, or even 10 times, according to the Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet
Nam (Viet Nam Economic Times) newspaper.

The situation is even
more critical during holiday seasons. During a trade fair held at Phu Tho Sport
Centre in District 11 on the occasion of the April 30 holiday, many parking
service providers raised the fees to VND5,000-VND10,000.

At many entertainment
places like Dam Sen, Ky Hoa, Suoi Tien and markets, restaurants, many providers
raised the fees three to 10 times compared to the price of VND2,000 set by the
city people’s committee.

Luu Trong Hoa, vice
chairman of District 1 People’s Committee, said people should report to ward
people’s committees or ward police if they are charged excessively high parking
fees.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News