As demand for cash spikes as the Tet holiday nears, many ATMs in Hanoi are either running out of cash or reporting technical problems.
Demand for cash spikes as the Tet holiday nears
Minh Anh from Cau Giay District, Hanoi, said she had tried three ATMs of Agribank but failed to withdraw any money. Congestion and cold weather have only worsened the situation.
"The ATMs are five kilometres from each other but I couldn't withdraw anything. I had to use the services from other banks with higher charges," she said.
Another local said she had tried to withdraw money from an ATM on Trung Kinh Street unsuccessfully for two days. A row of ATMs of different banks on Hoang Quoc Viet Street also reported technical problems or were under maintenance.
ATMs are either running out of cash or reporting problems
With the seven-day Tet Holiday break starting on January 26 and people starting to return home, the demand for cash will further increase. Small convenience stores and street vendors can only accept cash and many people want to withdraw money to spend during the Tet holiday, not just to go to supermarkets.
Bich Hanh, from Thai Binh Province, said, "We pay VND11,000 (USD49 US cents) each month for ATM maintenance fees. Moreover, banks also charge us each time we withdraw money. But the ATMs won't work when we need it the most. Banks should offer free transactions for Tet to thank customers instead of charging us more."
When being asked about three non-working ATMs on Nguyen Khanh Toan and Trung Kinh streets, Agribank issued an apology. According to the Agribank, they had refilled the ATMs constantly but demand has been too high. They had notified fund management boards of the ATMs and have attempted to refill the ATMs as quickly as possible.
