Vehicles queue up at Inspection Centre 29-06V in Hà Nội's Thanh Trì District, causing serious traffic congestion. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuấn Anh

HÀ NỘI — Many transport and travel businesses have found themselves in limbo, both operationally and financially, as they are struggling to have their vehicles inspected despite having queued up for weeks. 

The situation began when multiple vehicle inspection centres were investigated for corruption in December last year. 

Yên Bái Waterway Transport JSC has more than one hundred 45-seater buses running from Mỹ Đình Station in Hà Nội to Yên Bái and other provinces in the north. 

The company finds itself facing a multitude of challenges, from a lower number of customers after the pandemic, high petrol prices and bank interest rates, difficulties in access to credit sources, and now the seemingly infinite queues waiting for vehicle inspections. 

The company’s representative told Giáo dục & Thời đại (Education & Times): “Our vehicles wait for weeks and it is still not our turn. 

“On Friday last week, our drivers were in line from 4am until noon at the vehicle inspection centre in Sóc Sơn District to no avail, because of the kilometres-long queue.”

The situation has not only cost the business time and human resources but also caused significant financial damage. 

For each day a vehicle is unable to operate and generates zero revenue due to the expired registration, the company still has to pay approximately VNĐ2.5 million (US$106) for the driver’s salary and parking fees, on top of the bank interest.

The representative Yên Bái Waterway Transport JSC added: “If this situation continues for longer, transport businesses are sure to run at a loss this year, as the number of passengers is now less than 20 per cent of the total seats when the bus leaves the station. 

“We have also been competing against illegal coach services, and now we’re in this difficult vehicle registration process.”

Đỗ Văn Bằng, director of Minh Thành Phát Co Ltd also said that recently, with inspection centres in Hà Nội being overloaded, many companies have tried their luck at the neighbouring localities of Hải Dương, Phú Thọ, Hà Nam, Nam Định and Thái Bình. 

However, it is no less difficult as some of the facilities in these provinces are also under investigation.

Bằng added that in the past, it only took two hours for a vehicle to go through an inspection. Today, a vehicle has to queue for up to 12 days without knowing when it’s its turn. 

Bằng said: “The distance is long, while expenses for fuel, employees and waiting time are high. At this time, the more vehicles a business has, the more miserable it is.”

“We hope that the government can take measures to alleviate the problems in vehicle inspection, while also taking into account the situation of businesses because transport services must ensure their quality.”

Phạm Duy Nghĩa, Vietfoot Travel director said that the difficulties in vehicle inspection not only affect transport but also tourism companies. 

He said: “We have just received a group of foreign tourists for a three-day tour, and have to pay an additional VNĐ20 million ($850) for car rental, while our vehicles, unable to be inspected, remain in the parking lot.”

Nghĩa added that businesses are hoping to see a positive change in the next few days, so that their operations and contracts with partners can be deployed smoothly, without additional costs. 

Meanwhile, Hanoitourist director Lê Hồng Thái also told VTC News that if the situation persists when Chinese tourists enter Việt Nam this Wednesday, travel companies can easily get caught in a breach of contract and will have to pay compensation, or worse, lose their credibility with customers. 

Many car owners have turned to individuals who offered to queue in the lines for them, at the rate of VNĐ500,000 to two million ($21-85) per day. 

Nguyễn Đức Hòa, a car owner in Hà Nội’s Nam Từ Liêm District said: “Many drivers went to two or three inspection centres, and they could be in the queue for up to six days without successfully have their vehicle checked. 

“They have to pay a large sum if they hire someone else to queue up for them, not to mention the big risks they face [by letting another person handle their car].

“I think that is the reason why not many people go for this option. They would rather take days off work and camp out to get the job done.”

Talking to Vietnamnet, the managing partner of Chính Pháp Law Firm Đặng Văn Cường said that these services are unregulated with many potential risks, which include fraud, property damage, and accidents that the car owner has to bear the consequences. 

The Ministry of Transport has asked the Prime Minister for solutions to mitigate the ongoing problems in vehicle inspection and registration. 

One of the suggestions includes mobilising the inspection forces of the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Defence. 

It is also proposed that vehicles that are overdue for registration can stay travel to inspection centres within 15 days past the registration expiration date. However, they are not allowed to carry passengers, goods or provide transport services. — VNS