HANOI, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese Ministry of Transport has given the ride hailing app company Uber a nod to implement its pilot service in the country, Uber Vietnam said on Tuesday.
Earlier, Uber's proposal to conduct a pilot program in Vietnam was rejected twice by the local transport ministry, the first time in November 2015 and the other in February 2017.
Deputy Minister of Transport Vu Hong Truong was quoted by local Thanh Nien (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday as saying that Uber has met all the legal requirements set by the ministry. However, Uber still needs to seek municipal authorities' approval to have its operations legally licensed, said Truong.
Uber Vietnam's CEO Dang Viet Dzung said Vietnam is currently posting the shortest average waiting time across the Southeast Asia region. In particular, passengers in Vietnam's capital Hanoi and its southern metropolis Ho Chi Minh City have to wait for 3.3 minutes on the average after their submission of a car request.
In October 2015, Uber's rival, Grab, was officially approved to launch a pilot service plan in Vietnam when it submitted a proposal for the first time.
