On January 1, 2026, the first vehicles passed through the non-stop toll collection system (ETC) on the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet expressway during the trial operation phase with a toll of 0 VND, before this expressway officially collected tolls.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Nguyen Khac Viet - Managing Director of Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet Expressway Project said that from the morning of January 1, the non-stop toll collection system on the route has been put into trial operation.
Vehicles passing through the station are identified and recorded by the system but are not deducted money in their accounts.
Recorded at the toll station at the exits of the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet expressway, the electronic board displays a notice "Stop the car in the cabin". The system operates stably, with fast transmission.
In parallel with non-stop toll collection, the automatic weight weighing system at access roads to the expressway has also been put into trial operation.
Although no official tolls have been collected, the devices still fully perform technical functions, including license plate recognition, load control, recording the time when vehicles enter and exit the route, and transmitting data to the monitoring center.
According to Mr. Nguyen Khac Viet, the 0 VND toll collection phase is an important step to assess the synchronous operation capacity of the entire system.
Providing more information about the next roadmap, Mr. Pham Quoc Huy - Deputy Director of Project Management Board 7 (Ministry of Construction) - said that the official fee collection will be decided by the Ministry of Construction, based on the evaluation results of the trial operation process.
During this time, technical errors (if any) will be reviewed and overcome to ensure the system operates smoothly when applying real toll collection.
The trial operation of the non-stop toll collection system, combined with traffic surveillance cameras and automatic weight stations, is expected to help improve the efficiency of management and control of vehicles on the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet expressway.
This is also an important preparation step to modernize traffic organization, limit load violations, reduce the risk of accidents and ensure safety for traffic participants on this vital highway.
