At the March 2025 regular meeting of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee held on April 2, Director of the Department of Transport and Public Works, Tran Quang Lam, addressed the issue of losses incurred in the city’s roadside car parking fee collection program.

According to Mr. Lam, the temporary use of city streets for paid car parking was piloted under a resolution from the municipal People’s Council and assigned to the Youth Volunteer Public Service Co., Ltd. (commonly known as the Youth Volunteer Company).

The parking fee collection - charged hourly for roadside parking - is fully digital and cashless. The pilot will continue until revenue covers operational expenses, after which a new implementation model will be considered.

Mr. Lam noted that revenue from hourly car parking fees in the city has shown a steady increase. However, recent reports of a VND 2.3 billion (approximately USD 90,000) shortfall were attributed to accounting issues within the Youth Volunteer Company.

“In the near future, the Department of Transport and Public Works will coordinate with the Department of Finance to meet with the Youth Volunteer Company to clarify the accounting details and determine the cause of the reported loss,” Mr. Lam stated.

Previously, according to a report by the Department of Transport and Public Works, the paid parking scheme was launched in August 2018 across 23 streets in Districts 1, 5, and 10. The parking fees ranged from VND 20,000 to 25,000 per hour (approximately USD 0.80–1.00), with rates increasing for extended hours.

Currently, 20 streets remain active in the program, offering 879 designated parking spaces. From December 2020 to October 2024, the program generated over VND 22 billion (around USD 880,000) in revenue. However, the total cost of implementation and operations exceeded VND 24.3 billion (around USD 970,000), resulting in a loss of VND 2.3 billion.

Anh Phuong