Gas station in Yen Thanh displays 'out of stock' sign.

A gas station in Yen Thanh district town has a sign saying it's out of gas. Photo: Taken at 5 PM on November 11th. Photo: Hai An

Arriving at a gas station in Yen Thanh district town around 5 PM on November 11th, we saw a sign that read "out of gas." The owner of the gas station said: "Our gas station ran out of gas at 3 PM on November 10th due to supply difficulties. We haven't received any more yet, but the supplier promised that the fuel will arrive tomorrow, November 12th."

According to the shop owner, previously, when supplies ran out, the supplier would provide 7,000-10,000 liters of gasoline and diesel fuel to the shop, but due to difficulties, they now only supply 2,000-3,000 liters per delivery.

However, in the town of Yen Thanh, there are still gas stations belonging to Nghe An Petroleum Company operating, so there is no situation where customers are scrambling to fill up their tanks with gasoline and diesel.

A representative from the Economic and Infrastructure Department of Yen Thanh District stated: Yen Thanh District has 50 gas stations, and in 2021, 5 gas stations requested to close due to business losses. Currently, 2 gas stations in the district are temporarily suspending sales due to running out of fuel.

The current difficulty stems from the shortage of goods from distributors, resulting in a lower supply to retail gas stations. The district is coordinating with market management agencies to continue reviewing gas stations that have temporarily suspended sales for legitimate reasons.

Mr. Cao Viet Dong, Head of Sales Department, Nghe An Petroleum Company, said: Despite the difficulties...gasoline and oil supplyHowever, Nghe An Petroleum Company was still able to work with partners to meet the demand of 32,000-33,000 cubic meters.³ Gasoline and diesel fuel per month. Currently, the company is continuing to negotiate with partners to import an additional volume of over 20% more gasoline and diesel fuel for Nghe An province.

"Currently, some gas stations in the area are experiencing shortages, but this is only a localized and temporary issue. At the latest, we will try to supply gasoline and diesel to retail outlets promptly within the day," Mr. Dong said.

On November 11th, according to our reporter's observations, there was no jostling for fuel in Dien Chau town. Photo: Hai An

A representative from the Department of Industry and Trade added: Due to supply difficulties, there is currently a localized shortage in some areas such as Yen Thanh, Dien Chau, and Que Phong… However, the fuel shortage is only temporary, lasting for half a day or a day, because the goods have not arrived in time.

It is understood that the delay in gasoline and diesel supply was due to the arrival of cargo ships being behind schedule. After the shipments arrived, suppliers fully met customer demand, and there were no instances of closures, speculation, or hoarding in Nghe An province.

Currently, the Market Management Department regularly coordinates with local authorities to inspect and monitor business activities. In cases where retail gasoline and diesel stations temporarily cease operations (if any), the cause will be investigated and strictly dealt with according to the law for acts of hoarding, speculation, and smuggling of gasoline and diesel.