A host of independent bus companies operating long-distance routes from Hanoi to Quang Binh Province began unlawfully raising fares by 50-100 percent on February 3, ahead of the upcoming Tet (lunar New Year) holiday.

The Giap Bat Bus Station in Hanoi. Several independent bus companies have begun illegally increasing fares by 50-100 percent in the busy lead-up to Tet (Photo: Dat Viet Newspaper)

The An Phu Company has raised ticket prices by 100 percent for sleeper seats on the Hanoi-Quang Binh route to VND400,000, while a regular seat costs VND300,000.

Similarly, the Hung Long Company has hiked fares from Hanoi to Quang Binh by 80 percent and is now charging VND300,000 for a sleeper bunk and VND150,000 for a regular seat.

Despite the exorbitant price spikes, coach operators say they’re not worried about losing business as the number of passengers always skyrockets ahead of Tet.

Nguyen Manh Hung, chairman of the Vietnam Transport Association, said that to date none of the independent bus companies have registered with the association to apply additional fees as required by law.

Authorized organizations will suspend and penalize unscrupulous coach operators and order them to refund customers the extra fees, Mr. Hung said.

The same day, bus operators at the Da Nang City Bus Station began selling Tet tickets to northern and southern provinces.

The Da Nang City Department of Transport said that an average of 500-1,000 buses will begin departing from the station daily while Tet fares this year will increase by 40-60 percent over normal days.