The government recently issued Decree 364/2025, effective from 1/1/2026. This new decree replaces Decree 90/2023, which outlines the collection, payment, exemption, management, and use of road usage fees.

According to the Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety, 'automobiles' do not include four-wheeled motor vehicles for passengers or four-wheeled motor vehicles for goods. However, the newly issued Decree 364/2025 specifies that automobiles with vehicle registration certificates, license plates, and technical safety and environmental protection inspection certificates, as prescribed by law, are subject to road usage fees, except for those exempted under the decree's provisions.

Consequently, under the new regulations, four-wheeled motor vehicles for passengers and four-wheeled motor vehicles for goods will not be subject to these fees.

Decree 364 also revises regulations on cases where automobiles are exempt from road usage fees. These include: vehicles damaged beyond use; scrapped or lost vehicles for which the owner requests the revocation of registration certificates and license plates; confiscated vehicles; and vehicles temporarily impounded for 30 days or more.

Other exemptions apply to vehicles registered in Vietnam but operating abroad for 30 days or more, and stolen vehicles that have been missing for 30 days or longer.

Furthermore, the new decree broadly states that "vehicles temporarily ceasing traffic participation for 30 consecutive days or more" are exempt from road usage fees.

Commercial passenger vehicles with fewer than 10 seats will see road fees adjusted from 130,000 to 180,000 VND per month. *Photo: Giang Huy*

Previously, only vehicles belonging to transportation businesses and cooperatives that ceased operation for 30 days or more were exempt. The new regulation extends this general exemption to all vehicle owners who wish to temporarily stop using their vehicles for 30 days or longer.

The new decree also expands exemptions to include vehicles owned by "business households and individual businesses," in addition to corporate vehicles, that do not use the public road system and operate solely within internal areas such as: entertainment venues, recreational facilities, sports complexes, historical sites, hospitals, and schools. This expands upon previous regulations that only applied to vehicles operating within: driving test centers, train stations, ports, mineral exploitation zones, agricultural, forestry, and aquaculture cultivation, production, and processing areas, and construction sites.

Adjustments to road fees for commercial vehicles

While Decree 90/2023 stipulated a monthly fee of 130,000 VND for private passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats and 180,000 VND for corporate vehicles, the new decree differentiates fees based on whether the vehicle is used for commercial transportation.

Specifically, passenger vehicles with up to 8 seats (excluding the driver's seat) not used for commercial transport will incur a monthly fee of 130,000 VND, while those used for commercial transport will be charged 180,000 VND per month.

Fees for other vehicle types remain unchanged from previous regulations. The decree only updates vehicle definitions in accordance with the 2024 Law on Road Traffic Order and Safety. For example: "passenger vehicles with fewer than 10 seats" becomes "passenger vehicles with up to 8 seats (excluding the driver's seat)", "passenger vehicles with fewer than 25 seats" becomes "passenger vehicles with up to 24 seats (excluding the driver's seat)", and "passenger vehicles with fewer than 40 seats" becomes "passenger vehicles with up to 39 seats (excluding the driver's seat)".

Additionally, since automobile inspection cycles are now determined by vehicle type and manufacturing date, the 18-month inspection cycle is no longer applicable. Accordingly, the new decree eliminates the fee collection based on an 18-month inspection cycle.

Previously, Decree 90/2023 outlined fee calculation and payment methods, including payment by inspection cycle, calendar year, and monthly installments.

The new decree eliminates the monthly payment option, retaining only payment by inspection cycle and by calendar year.

Anh Duy