Vietnam ministry seeks approval for license plate number auction   The auction will be carried out online with the proceeds added to the state budget An automobile with a memorable license plate number travels on a street in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security has submitted to the prime minister a plan on the auction of license plate numbers, which is aimed at contributing to the national budget. Following the ministry's meetings with local authorities and relevant agencies, the auction scheme has been amended for a total of five times before being submitted to the central government for approval, Colonel Le Xuan Duc, deputy chief of the traffic police division under the Ministry of Public Security, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday. Once the plan is passed, competent authorities will have to complete relevant laws, build a thorough bidding system, and adjust the management and registration of local vehicles. The project is expected to be piloted in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, the northern city of Hai Phong, Da Nang City in the central region, and Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta, Col. Duc said. Other localities will also be able to carry out the auction based on their requests, the police official added. The numbers that will be eligible for the bidding fall into such categories as having three to five identical digits, having digits in an ascending order, or personalized numbers, namely owners’ dates of birth. A car with a desirable license plate number in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre In accordance with the attached rules, each license plate number can only be used on one vehicle and shall not be resold or transferred to another owner after the auction, Col. Duc said. If an owner wants to transfer his vehicle to another person, who lives in the same locality, the license plate is allowed to be kept the same, he continued. However, if the new owner resides in a different province or city, he will be required to register for a new number. The initial price for a plate number is decided by authorities of each locality, based on the real demand and local economic development. The auction will be carried out online via an official website, on which information regarding the plate numbers, initial price, and results will be publicized. Bidders will be allowed to join the auction as long as they have an account, a vehicle, and its legitimate documents. The bidding will be carried out entirely on a voluntary basis, Duc stated, adding that the money gained from the process will be directed to the state budget.                                   By Duy Khang / Tuoi Tre News