Just days after declaring Uber illegal in Vietnam, the country’s transport ministry said it will consider legalizing the taxi service.
According to Bloomberg, citing Giao Thong Van Tai, Transport Minister Dinh La Thang has instructed his agency to consider adding regulations to manage companies such as Uber, none of which are currently on the books.
The lack of guidelines initially made authorities unsure of how to handle complaints about the San Francisco-based company. But last week after pressure from local taxi firms, Uber was declared illegal since it’s not a registered business and doesn’t pay taxes.
Last Friday, a team comprised of inspectors from the municipal Transport Department and traffic police officers hit the streets, slapping fines on Uber drivers for operating an unlicensed taxi business.
Uber then took to its blog to “clear the air” claiming that it was misunderstood and stated that its main goal is “to keep Ho Chi Minh City moving forward in a way that increases safety and reduces congestion.”
While we’ll probably never know exactly what’s going on behind the scenes that has made the government change its tune one thing’s for sure – after a week of national press coverage, Uber’s brand recognition has skyrocketed in Vietnam.
The saying, “all press is good press,” seems to hold true in this case.
[Image via Businesstechusinesstech]
