HÀ NỘI — Car rental services in Hà Nội are busy in the days leading up to Tết (Lunar New Year). However, the record increase in rental prices and the fear of being fined for traffic violations have caused many customers to switch to renting cars with a driver. 

Nearly a week before the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday, the demand for rentals increased suddenly in Hà Nội, causing prices to go up, from 40 per cent to double what they were previously, especially for popular car lines. Cars from many reputable car rental companies are fully booked, while the remaining cars are mostly old cars at high prices.

Minh Tuấn, residing in Hoàng Mai District of Hà Nội, told the Tin tức (News) Newspaper: "I'm too busy so I don't have time to rent a car early. Currently, the price has doubled, and there are only a few car options left. Reputable car rental companies all closed their car rental schedules from the beginning of last month." 

This year, most companies applied the form of a nine-day package rental for the Tết holiday instead of a daily rental, to reduce management work and rising risks. The price of a typical 4-5-seat car ranges from VNĐ10-13 million, a 7-seater from VNĐ15 - 18 million, SUVs and high-end cars from VNĐ25 - 30 million, a VinFast electric car from VNĐ14 - 17 million and own driver cars at Xanh SM Rentals range from VNĐ12 - 16 million.

In addition to high car rental prices, many customers who put down deposits at the beginning of December 2024, have abandoned the booking due to fears over new traffic penalties. Regulations under Decree 168/2024/ND-CP on sanctions for administrative violations of traffic orders and safety in the field of road traffic, effective from January 1, 2025, have seen fines increase for many violations, causing concern for those who do not drive very often.

Faced with worries about getting fined, many customers switched to renting cars with a driver, causing the price of this service to increase significantly, ranging from 30 to 40 per cent compared to last year. Car rental companies with drivers in Hà Nội are almost fully booked during the Tết period.

An owner of a car rental facility in Nguyễn Xiển Street said, "This year, many customers booked cars very early, but as Tết approached, many people left their deposits due to concerns about new traffic fine regulations. This increased the demand for car rentals with drivers." 

The price for renting a five-seat car with a driver costs from VNĐ1.2 million to 2 million, within 100 km of the inner city and from VNĐ1.3 million to VNĐ2.2 million, within 200 km of the suburbs, booked from 8am- 5pm.

Similarly, the rental on a seven-seat car with a driver ranges from VNĐ1.3 million to VNĐ2.2 million, limited to a range of 100 km within the inner city and from VNĐ1.4 million to VNĐ2.5 million, limited within 200 km of suburbs, from 8am until 5pm. — VNS