HÀ NỘI — Starting October 1, 2025, more than 4 million cars in Việt Nam will be blocked from using non-stop electronic toll collection (ETC) lanes if their owners have not switched to a new type of payment account known as a ‘traffic account.’
The change is required under Government Decree 119, which gives vehicle owners until the deadline to work with their toll payment service provider to convert their existing toll account into a traffic account and link it to a cashless payment method, such as a bank account, e-wallet or credit card.
Authorities say the switch will make toll payments more flexible and transparent. At present, toll accounts can only store prepaid funds for paying road tolls – they cannot be used for any other service, earn no interest and are not easily connected to other payment methods.
This has been a particular frustration for transport companies that have to keep large sums of money locked away in these accounts.
In contrast, traffic accounts can be linked to a range of cashless payment options and used to pay for other transport-related services, such as parking, vehicle inspections, fuel and electric vehicle charging.
The Government has given drivers a one-year transition period – from October 1, 2024 to October 1, 2025 – to make the change. But with the clock ticking, progress has been slow.
Out of Việt Nam’s 6.3 million vehicles registered for ETC, only about 30 per cent have converted so far, according to toll service providers. The main reason, they say, is that many drivers simply do not know about the requirement.
The conversion itself is straightforward, taking only five to ten minutes through provider apps such as MoMo or VETC.
From October 1 this year, if a vehicle’s traffic account is not linked to a payment method, or does not have enough funds, it will be treated as having no ETC registration and will be barred from using the dedicated lanes.
On expressways, that means drivers without sufficient funds will not be allowed through toll gates at all. On national highways, they will have to use mixed-toll lanes or pay by other methods on the spot. — VNS
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