Expected to collect tolls on state-invested highways in May 2025

According to the Vietnam Road Administration, the Road Law, which will take effect from January 1, 2025, allows toll collection on state-invested expressways. However, toll collection will only be implemented after the expressways have ensured infrastructure conditions and implementation resources.

To implement toll collection, the agency assigned to manage the expressway infrastructure assets must prepare a project to exploit the assets and submit it to the competent authority for approval. The time of toll collection and the list of expressway routes to implement toll collection will be specifically determined in the decision approving the project.

Along with the process of developing the toll collection decree, the Department of Roads is developing a project to exploit assets according to Decree No. 44/2024 to submit to the Ministry of Transport for approval.

According to regulations, there are currently 4 methods of exploiting transport infrastructure assets, including: Asset management agencies directly organize the exploitation of road transport infrastructure assets; transfer of toll collection rights; lease of the right to exploit road transport infrastructure assets (O&M); transfer of exploitation rights for a limited period; other methods (if any) according to the project approved by the Government.

Each method of exploiting transport infrastructure assets has different advantages and disadvantages.

The Vietnam Road Administration proposes a method of exploiting highway infrastructure assets in accordance with the Law on Asset Management and Use and under the authority of the Ministry of Transport to approve the Project. Specifically, the method is "the agency assigned to manage road infrastructure assets directly organizes the exploitation". The implementation time of the exploitation method is about 5 - 8 years (after completing 1 equipment exploitation cycle).

Thus, the Department of Roads is the agency assigned to manage assets and will directly organize the management, maintenance, and toll collection for expressway sections invested, owned, managed, and exploited by the State in accordance with the law.

Toll collection is applied in the form of service rental, the state will invest in infrastructure system, hire connecting units to operate. The automatic non-stop toll collection system nationwide has been put into operation, which is a favorable condition for choosing service providers.

The organization of highway toll collection will be through toll stations, applying the model of "free multi-lane ETC input (no barrier), single-lane ETC output (with barrier)", through the selection and bidding of toll collection service providers.

It is expected to start in May 2025, after the expressways have completed construction of essential works such as rest stops and ITS systems. The inspection, supervision and management of funds will be assigned to the road management areas.