Ho Chi Minh City Congestion Charge Pilot 2026: Vietnam Traffic News on Fees, Zones, and Driver Rules

From October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, Ho Chi Minh City’s congestion charge pilot runs Monday to Friday only; weekends and public holidays are excluded entirely. That means a weekday drive during Tet or Reunification Day will not trigger a fee, and neither will a Saturday entry at 08:00. The charge is the central piece of Vietnam traffic news for anyone driving into the center, and its boundaries matter for avoiding surprise entries.

Charges apply only during two weekday peak windows: 07:00–09:00 and 16:00–18:00. Enter at 10:30 a.m. on a Tuesday, or after 18:00, and you owe nothing. The system targets rush-hour congestion, so off-peak entries are free. If your schedule is flexible, shift a drive to just before 07:00 or after 09:00 to avoid the morning charge. The same applies to the evening peak: enter after 18:00 and no fee applies.

The pilot area is split into two zones. Zone 1 covers all of District 1, from the Saigon River waterfront to the district’s outer canal boundary. Zone 2 covers the northern section of District 3, bordered by Cach Mang Thang Tam Street. City authorities have not published a precise boundary map for Zone 2, so if your route runs near that street, treat it as inside the zone until an official map appears. Until the official map is released, navigation apps may not show the boundary correctly, so plan your route conservatively. A wrong turn could mean an unexpected 50,000 VND entry.

Entry fees are fixed per vehicle and per crossing. Under-9-seat cars pay 50,000 VND per entry during peak hours; entering the zone twice in one morning means two charges. Taxis and 9–16-seat vehicles pay 20,000 VND per entry. Electric vehicles are listed at 30,000 VND, but the exemption status is unconfirmed—don’t assume free passage. Motorbikes, public buses, and emergency vehicles are exempt from the charge. If you are still unsure, check VnExpress or Tuoi Tre for boundary updates before you drive.

From October 1, 2026, there are no cash booths at the District 1 and northern District 3 congestion charge entries. Payment is entirely cashless: drivers need either a VETC or ePass transponder mounted on the windshield, or a Vietnamese e-wallet linked to the vehicle’s plate. Cameras at zone boundaries read license plates automatically each time a car enters during the weekday peak hours of 07:00–09:00 and 16:00–18:00, and the fee is deducted from the linked account. Under the pilot rules, an unregistered vehicle that enters the zone is still photographed, but the driver faces a fine rather than a simple entry fee.

Self-drive renters in Ho Chi Minh City should confirm before pickup that the rental company has fitted a working transponder and get written confirmation of who pays the 50,000 VND entry charge for under-9-seat cars. Some rental agreements add the charge to the final bill; others require you to top up the linked e-wallet yourself. Taxis and 9–16-seat vehicles pay 20,000 VND per entry, collected the same cashless way. Many Vietnamese e-wallets require a local bank account or a linked card, so international visitors should check app compatibility with their foreign cards before relying on cashless payment.

For foreign-registered vehicles with Cambodia or Laos plates, the city has not yet confirmed whether the automatic plate-reading system will track them. Verify this with your rental agency or the transport department’s Vietnam traffic news pages before driving into the zone, because an unregistered foreign plate may still trigger a fine rather than a standard fee.

Since there is no cash option, even a single peak-hour entry requires the transponder or e-wallet to be active before the plate is read. Drivers who cross the boundary without a registered payment method should expect the camera to record the plate and the fine process to start automatically. For renters, this means checking the transponder is mounted and the account has enough balance before leaving the lot; a canceled or frozen e-wallet will not stop the charge from being logged.

Suoi Tien station, the eastern terminus of Metro Line 1, has parking lots outside District 1 and connects directly to Ben Thanh station in central District 1. During the Ho Chi Minh City congestion charge pilot—weekdays 07:00–09:00 and 16:00–18:00 from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027—leaving a car there or at another station outside the charged area removes the 50,000 VND entry fee for under-9-seat cars. You still pay the normal metro fare, but you don't cross the toll boundary in a private vehicle.

Taxis are simpler but not free. Each taxi or 9–16-seat vehicle entering the zone during peak hours carries a 20,000 VND congestion charge. Before you ride, ask the driver or operator whether that 20,000 VND is added to the meter or absorbed by the taxi company, because the pilot rules have not settled how the fee is passed on. Grab and other ride-hailing apps may show the surcharge separately, but don't assume it is included.

Public buses are fully exempt, so a city bus through District 1 during 07:00–09:00 or 16:00–18:00 costs no extra beyond the standard ticket. Motorbikes are also exempt, including rented scooters, so two-wheeled travel across the zone boundary adds nothing to your trip. One open point: it remains unclear whether motorbike taxi drivers carrying passengers are charged as a separate category. If you use a xe ôm during rush hours, confirm with the driver before starting the ride whether the fee applies to the trip.

The safest visitor move is to avoid a personal car in District 1 on weekdays during 07:00–09:00 and 16:00–18:00. Park outside, take Metro Line 1 to Ben Thanh, use a taxi with the 20,000 VND fee clearly agreed, or ride a bus or motorbike at no extra charge.

From October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, a self-drive renter entering Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 on a weekday between 07:00–09:00 or 16:00–18:00 pays 50,000 VND per entry for an under-9-seat petrol car. That charge is collected only by VETC or ePass transponder, or a linked Vietnamese e-wallet; there are no cash booths at the boundary. Before you sign the rental contract, check two exact items in writing: the car has a working transponder, and the agreement states who covers zone-entry fees. Some agencies add the 50,000 VND charge to the final bill after the trip; others expect you to top up the linked e-wallet yourself.

Electric cars sit in a separate column: the pilot lists a 30,000 VND entry fee, but the exemption status is not confirmed. Do not assume an EV drives free. If the rental counter calls your vehicle electric, ask whether it is charged at 30,000 VND per entry and get the answer on the contract or email. Taxi and ride-hailing operators face a 20,000 VND fee for each zone entry during those same peak hours. That fee may be added to the meter as a surcharge, folded into the app fare, or absorbed by the operator; there is no uniform rule yet. Confirm the final price inside the app or with the driver before the car crosses into District 1.

What you can verify before entering is limited but concrete. For rented self-drive cars, ask the agency to confirm the transponder is active on the day of pickup, not merely installed. For taxis or ride-hailing trips at rush hour, take a screenshot of the in-app price and ask the driver whether the 20,000 VND zone fee is included. Check VnExpress, Tuoi Tre, SGGP, and VNAT's visitor safety page for updates on fee pass-through, EV exemptions, and any boundary changes through the pilot's end on September 30, 2027.

As of early 2026, no official traffic notice confirms that cars with Cambodian or Lao plates entering Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 congestion charge zone will be tracked by the pilot's automatic plate-reading cameras. If you drive a foreign-registered vehicle into the zone during weekday peaks (07:00–09:00 and 16:00–18:00), assume you may be charged 50,000 VND per entry for under-9-seat cars; confirm with the rental agency or transport department before crossing the boundary. Separately, the District 3 northern sub-zone is described only as bordered by Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, with no official map published as of early 2026. Streets immediately adjacent to that road remain ambiguous, so treat routes running along it as inside the charge area until city authorities release a precise boundary.

Motorbike taxi rules remain unresolved. The pilot text exempts motorbikes and two-wheelers from the entry fee, but it does not specify whether xe ôm drivers transporting passengers to workplaces or hotels are treated differently and owe a charge. Vietnam traffic news sources have not clarified this passenger-carrying scenario. Electric vehicle owners face a similar gap: the published fee list assigns 30,000 VND per entry to electric cars, but the pilot summary notes a possible exemption that remains unconfirmed. Do not assume free entry for EVs without an official statement from the Department of Transport.

Cashless payment adds another verification point. The charge payment requires a VETC/ePass transponder or a Vietnamese e-wallet linked to the vehicle's plate. Many local e-wallets require a Vietnamese bank account or a locally issued card, so international visitors should check whether their existing foreign cards can top up the app before relying on it. VnExpress, Tuoi Tre, SGGP, and the VNAT visitor safety page are the practical places to watch for updates on these open questions before you drive or hire a vehicle in the zone.

From October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, a car under 9 seats entering District 1 on weekdays between 07:00–09:00 and 16:00–18:00 pays 50,000 VND per entry, and there is no cash booth at the zone boundary. Before your first drive, install a VETC or ePass transponder on the windshield or register a Vietnamese e-wallet linked to the vehicle's plate; cameras read plates automatically and deduct the fee from the linked account. Cash is not accepted anywhere in the pilot.

If you rent a self-drive car, don't assume the rental company has already set up payment. Confirm in writing that the transponder is active and ask for a monthly fee statement after the rental so you can match each 50,000 VND deduction to a specific date and entry time. Some agencies add zone fees to the final bill, while others require you to top up the e-wallet before driving; get that answer before you leave the lot.

Park outside the charged zone. Ben Thanh Market and most central lots are inside District 1, so parking there during peak hours does not avoid the charge. Instead, leave the car at a station outside the zone—Suoi Tien at the eastern end of Metro Line 1 is the practical choice for drivers coming from the east—and ride to Ben Thanh station in central District 1. Metro Line 1 crosses the zone without any congestion charge. Motorbike riders are exempt, so a two-wheeler is also a fee-free way to move through District 1 during rush hour.

If you use a taxi or a 9–16-seat vehicle, the fee is 20,000 VND per entry. Ask the driver or check the ride-hailing app whether that 20,000 VND is already included in the fare or added as a separate surcharge before you cross into the zone. Public holidays falling on weekdays are excluded from the pilot, so check the 2026 Vietnamese holiday calendar—days such as Reunification Day (April 30), International Labor Day (May 1), National Day (September 2), and Tet—before you drive; if the holiday is a weekday, there is no charge.