Vietnam Tightens Rules for Contracted Vehicles: No Pickups on Streets or at Fixed Points

Beginning August 10, contracted passenger vehicles in Vietnam will face stricter regulations regarding pickup and drop-off locations. These vehicles will be permitted to serve clients only at the specific places agreed upon and documented in their contracts.

The new rules, stemming from Decree 218 of 2026 amending Decree 158 of 2024 on road transport operations, explicitly forbid contracted vehicles from accepting passengers at their main offices, branches, representative offices, fixed business locations, or along public streets.

Lawyer Le Van Hoan explained that the essence of this transport model is providing a complete package service based on a prior agreement. It prohibits selling individual tickets, collecting fares directly from each passenger, confirming individual bookings, or arbitrarily setting fixed schedules for multiple clients.

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The nature of this type of service is a complete package transport according to agreement, not allowed to sell individual tickets, collect money directly from each passenger, confirm bookings for each passenger, or arbitrarily set fixed schedules to serve different renters.

While contracted vehicles must adhere to the agreed-upon locations in their transport contracts, the regulations still permit them to use bus stations for pickups and drop-offs if these align with the terms of the full-trip contract. This applies to scenarios such as a company chartering a vehicle for employees or a group of families hiring a car for a weekend trip, provided no individual tickets are sold.

Drivers are required to carry the transport contract and a passenger list, authenticated by the transport provider, during operation. The regulations also stipulate that drivers and transport businesses must refuse passenger requests for pickups at fixed points on the street, even if initiated by the passenger, to ensure compliance with the law. These measures are intended to prevent contracted vehicles from morphing into fixed-route services or establishing unauthorized fixed pickup and drop-off points.

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Even if the passenger actively requests it, the driver and the business have a responsibility to refuse in order to comply with the law.