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Many parking lots are no longer accepting reservations due to the high demand during the Lunar New Year. Photo: Vân Trang. |
During the Lunar New Year, the demand for travel and visiting family increases significantly. This is also the time when many parking lots in Ho Chi Minh City provide parking services for the Lunar New Year season.
Parking lots fully booked from December 28th
According to Tri Thức – Znews, there are two popular types of motorcycle parking in downtown Ho Chi Minh City: indoor parking lots and open-air parking lots with roofs. When inquiring about indoor or underground parking lots, employees report that there are no available spaces from December 28th to the end of the lunar month.
According to an employee at a parking service in Tan Binh district, customers have already booked parking spaces for a 10-day package from February 7th to February 17th. Parking spaces for cars are fully booked and unable to accommodate additional vehicles, while the motorcycle parking area can only accommodate less than 10 motorcycles during the Lunar New Year.
“The car parking spaces have been fully booked until the end of the lunar month, so we cannot accept any more cars. The motorcycle parking area can still accommodate a few short-term parking spaces,” the employee added.
Mr. Hoang Bach (Ho Chi Minh City) stated that he had contacted a familiar parking lot since the beginning of February in order to make a reservation. Parking garages often reject more than 7-seater vehicles due to space limitations, and car owners must choose to park in open-air parking lots with roofs.
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Parking lots are almost fully booked during the Lunar New Year. Photo: Dan Thanh. |
“I plan to take time off for the Lunar New Year to visit my family in Hanoi, so I intended to reserve a parking space from the 27th of December. The familiar parking lot has been booked for years, allowing me to reserve a parking space in a fully covered area. Other parking lots will have cars parked outside, which is cheaper but I’m not comfortable with it,” Mr. Bach shared.
Another parking lot in District 3 (Ho Chi Minh City) also noted that they are fully booked from the beginning of February. Mr. Quoc Hung (Ho Chi Minh City), the owner of the parking lot, stated that there are no longer available spaces for cars with more than 7 seats and 16 seats. Although the motorcycle parking area is still available, it is expected to be full after February 7th as many customers have made reservations in advance.
“Currently, the parking lot has about 10 7-seater and 16-seater vehicles, and some other cars will be parked starting from the 28th of the lunar month. Therefore, the parking lot is expected to be unable to accept more car reservations. Workers will only have time off after the 25th of the lunar month, so currently, the motorcycle parking area is still empty. However, there have been numerous reservations, so the parking lot will adjust the schedule after balancing the number of vehicles inside the parking lot,” Mr. Hung added.
According to Mr. Hung, motorcycle parking lots often face overcrowding in order to save space and accommodate more vehicles. To avoid damage and scratches, customers should choose indoor parking lots with roofs or be assigned to the right parking spaces.
Car parking prices exceed 120,000 VND per day
Before Tet, parking prices at private parking lots range from 50,000 to 70,000 VND per day for cars with less than 16 seats. During Tet, parking fees at these lots increase by 20-30%, and in some places, nearly double compared to normal days.
According to the survey by Tri Thức – Znews, parking fees at open-air parking lots with roofs in downtown Ho Chi Minh City range from 100,000 to 120,000 VND per day for cars. Particularly, some parking lots have set service prices up to 150,000 VND per day.
Meanwhile, motorcycle parking fees at parking lots have also increased slightly to 15,000-20,000 VND per day. The parking fees for motorcycle parking lots inside buildings range from 20,000-25,000 VND per day, equivalent to a 30% increase compared to normal days.
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Car parking fees during Tet range from 100,000-120,000 VND per day. Photo: Dan Thanh. |
In an interview with Tri Thức – Znews, Mr. Duc Anh (Ho Chi Minh City), the owner of a private parking lot, stated that the price increases during Tet are unavoidable because it is the peak period with additional costs.
“During Tet, when everyone goes out and travels, employees at the parking lot have to work around the clock to guard dozens of motorcycles and cars. Consequently, the salaries and bonuses of employees increase. Additionally, parking lots have to invest in cooling systems, anti-theft systems, and continuous lighting to ensure the safety of vehicles. Therefore, the cost of parking increases during Tet,” added Mr. Duc Anh.
To support customers, many parking lots have also implemented promotional packages for long-term parking. According to Mr. Duc Anh, if customers have the need to travel far away from the city, they should choose reputable shuttle services that offer 5-day and 10-day combo packages to save costs.
“If customers choose the 10-day package, they will receive a discount of approximately 10% of the total bill for motorcycles and 15% for cars. This program is designed to support drivers and employees after a difficult financial year,” Mr. Duc Anh stated.
Driving their own cars during Tet to save parking costs
Due to the high cost of travel and expensive parking fees, many families choose to drive their own cars to visit their hometowns during Tet as a cost-saving solution.
Mr. Le Hung (Go Vap, Ho Chi Minh city) shared with Tri Thức – Znews his plan to drive his family to Tien Giang to celebrate Tet early with his in-laws, as the traveling and parking fees in the parking lot near his house are much higher than expected. According to Mr. Hung, his family has owned a Kia Sorento since 2019 for ride-hailing purposes, but they do not have parking spaces, so they have to pay about 1.5-2 million VND for parking fees each month at a parking lot near their home.
This year, during the Lunar New Year, Mr. Hung plans to drive his family to his wife’s hometown in Tien Giang to celebrate Tet early in order to save on parking costs instead of leaving the car at the parking lot.
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Many families choose to drive their own cars during Tet to save on airfare and parking fees at private parking lots. Photo: NVCC. |
“Normally, parking fees at the parking lot cost about 50,000-60,000 VND per day, but during Tet, the parking fees will double in price. If I park my car at the parking lot for about 2 weeks, I will lose nearly 2 million VND. This amount is too high compared to the current financial situation of my family. Moreover, my house is located deep inside an alley without parking spaces, so I decided to drive my family to celebrate Tet early in our hometown,” Mr. Hung added.
Similarly, Mr. Van Khanh (Ho Chi Minh City), another ride-hailing driver, also chose to drive his family to their hometown to celebrate Tet early instead of leaving the car at the parking lot. Mr. Khanh shared that on February 6th, his entire family will depart from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Yen to celebrate Tet with relatives.
“If I leave my car at the parking lot, it will cost about 1-2 million VND for 10 days. Round-trip airfare during Tet costs about 3 million VND per person. All these expenses are quite high compared to driving our own car to celebrate Tet with our relatives. Although the planned route is long and tiring because I am the only one with a driver’s license, being able to bring my wife and children home early for Tet still saves us a lot of money,” Mr. Van Khanh affirmed.
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