Vietnamese vehicle owners set to get lucky

The Vietnamese love for lucky numbers is set to boost state budgets as the country gets ready to auction special license plates.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung gave the go ahead, telling ministries to compile and issue a joint circular instructing the auction.

License numbers like 1111, 0660 and 8778 are considered special.   While the numbers may not actually bring luck they will represent an opportunity to demonstrate their owner’s wealth.

According to regulations, license numbers are currently granted randomly. However, there are cases in which officials have been known to secretly sell special license numbers.

With this in mind, it’s hoped the auction of special license numbers will benefit not only state budgets but also prevent corruption.

The central province of Nghe An is the first place where special license numbers were auctioned. The province organized two auctions in 2008 and collected more than 1.8 billion dong to help the poor. This sale was very warmly welcomed.