Phạm Minh Chính's farewell

After the Ho Chi Minh Order comes the Independence Order, which is divided into three classes—first, second, and third. Phạm Minh Chính was awarded the First-Class Independence Order, a standard national honor typically conferred upon senior leaders upon retirement. In 2018, Hanoi City was awarded the First-Class Independence Order in recognition of its economic growth over the preceding decade (averaging 7.41% annually). Below the Independence Order are the Labor Orders, also classified into three classes. Provincial- and ministerial-level officials usually receive the Third-Class Independence Order and Labor Orders of varying classes upon retirement. In the military sphere, honors descend in rank as follows: the Merit Order (first to third class), the Fatherland Protection Order (first to third class), and the Heroic Deed Order (first to third class). Lương Cường’s recent award of the First-Class Merit Order holds equivalent prestige to Phạm Minh Chính’s First-Class Independence Order—both ranking just below the Gold Star Order and the Ho Chi Minh Order. Returning to Phạm Minh Chính’s farewell. We know that on April 6, the new National Assembly will elect a new national leadership; both President Lương Cường and Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính will retire at that time. Yet, in the period before stepping down, Phạm Minh Chính’s public appearances have not diminished—in fact, they continue as usual. Especially after the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, the Strait of Hormuz was effectively blockaded, plunging Vietnam into an energy shortage. During this unusual transitional period, Phạm Minh Chính’s visibility has actually increased. From March 22 to 25, Phạm Minh Chính visited Russia. Beyond signing cooperation agreements in rail transport, science and technology, and agriculture, the most critical agenda item was energy cooperation. In the short term, Vietnam requested priority exports of Russian crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG); in return, Vietnam entrusted Russia with developing its first nuclear power plant. According to Rosatom—the Russian state nuclear energy corporation implementing the project—the plant is scheduled for completion before 2030. With external guarantees secured, internal preparations must also be strengthened. Seventy percent of Vietnam’s refined petroleum products come from two major refineries: the Dung Quất Refinery in central Quảng Ngãi Province and the Nghi Sơn Refinery in northern Thanh Hóa Province. The Nghi Sơn Refinery is a joint venture among Japan, Kuwait, and Vietnam, with a Japanese national serving as general manager—making it pivotal to Vietnam’s current energy crisis. On March 29, Phạm Minh Chính personally inspected the Nghi Sơn Refinery and issued both short- and long-term directives. In the short term, he instructed the refinery to operate at maximum capacity until the end of June (projected to run at over 120% of design capacity in Q2), while suspending production of petrochemical products—including asphalt, paraffin, plastics, and rubber—to focus entirely on gasoline and diesel production and supply, prioritizing aviation fuel (aviation fuel shortages are most acute, prompting multiple Vietnamese airlines to cut routes). Longer term, Phạm Minh Chính directed construction of a strategic oil-and-gas reserve base near the Nghi Sơn Refinery. Currently, Vietnam’s strategic petroleum reserves cover only about one month’s demand—revealing that Vietnam had previously underestimated global supply-chain disruptions far more than its northern neighbor. As for the Dung Quất Refinery, although its refining output rivals that of Nghi Sơn, its product compatibility is poor: it can only process oil extracted from the South China Sea—primarily from the Bạch Hổ (White Tiger) field—and cannot switch feedstocks in the short term, rendering it unable to provide substantial relief. Naturally, following this predicament, Vietnam’s leadership has elevated energy security to an unprecedented priority, and upgrading and modernizing the Dung Quất Refinery has now entered Vietnam’s official agenda.

Vietnam, facing an oil crisis, makes a risky move

Article reposted from the WeChat public account: Jiangning Prefect Since early April, the energy crisis triggered by Middle Eastern hostilities has intensified its impact on Vietnam’s socioeconomic landscape. Multiple Vietnamese airlines have announced reductions in both domestic and international flight frequencies—some cutting schedules by over 50%. Aviation fuel relies heavily on a ‘just-in-time supply + high turnover’ model; once the supply chain is disrupted, aviation fuel is invariably the first commodity to face shortages. In a sense, aviation fuel shortages signal that the energy crisis has only just begun. Seventy percent of Vietnam’s refined petroleum products come from two major refineries: the Nghi Sơn Refinery in northern Thanh Hóa Province and the Dung Quất Refinery in central Quảng Ngãi Province. The Dung Quất Refinery is state-controlled and primarily processes oil extracted from Vietnam’s continental shelf in the South China Sea—mainly from the Bạch Hổ (White Tiger) field. Due to its narrow feedstock dependency, the Dung Quất Refinery exhibits extremely poor adaptability and cannot switch to other imported crudes in the short term, playing merely a stabilizing, baseline role in Vietnam’s national economy. The Nghi Sơn Refinery—the largest foreign-invested project in Vietnam—officially commenced operations in 2017 under a tripartite joint venture involving Vietnam, Japan, and Kuwait, refining crude oil imported from Kuwait. Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) holds only 25.1% of shares; Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) holds 35.1%; Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.—Japan’s second-largest oil company—holds 35.1%; and Mitsui Chemicals holds 4.7%. A Japanese national serves as general manager. The Dung Quất Refinery was once Vietnam’s largest refinery, but as output from the Bạch Hổ field has declined in recent years, the Nghi Sơn Refinery’s importance has grown steadily—now supplying 35% to 40% of Vietnam’s total refined petroleum products. Following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Kuwaiti oil exports have halted entirely, with long-term production cuts looming—casting serious doubt over the Nghi Sơn Refinery’s future viability. On March 29, a deeply concerned Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính convened an on-site meeting at the Nghi Sơn Refinery to discuss response strategies. First, from a long-term planning perspective, Phạm Minh Chính directed the establishment of a strategic oil-and-gas reserve base adjacent to the Nghi Sơn Refinery—currently, Vietnam’s strategic petroleum reserves cover only 20 to 50 days of demand, exposing alarming vulnerability during this crisis. However, building such strategic reserves cannot happen overnight; the immediate priority remains resolving the acute shortage. At the meeting, Phạm Minh Chính instructed that, given worsening market supply conditions, the Nghi Sơn Refinery must maintain optimal operational capacity through the end of May 2026, supplying 40% of domestic fuel demand—with priority given to aviation turbine fuel (Jet A1). Under pressure from leadership, Nghi Sơn’s General Manager Mr. Kazuo Okada reported that the refinery had already suspended petrochemical production and redirected all efforts toward gasoline and diesel production, ensuring stable supply of 40% of Vietnam’s total fuel demand. After expressing determination, Mr. Okada proposed two recommendations to Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính: first, that the government coordinate diplomatic channels to secure alternative crude oil imports; second, that import duties on raw materials used in production be reduced or waived to alleviate the refinery’s mounting difficulties. Regarding tax relief, Phạm Minh Chính offered no direct response—but on coordinating crude oil imports, he affirmed ongoing efforts to overcome obstacles and agreed to import Russian oil to weather this difficult period and safeguard Vietnam’s energy security. Why has importing oil from Russia become Vietnam’s last-resort trump card?

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Vietnam's Nghi Son Refinery Secures Crude Supplies, Runs at 125% Capacity Through November

Vietnam's Nghi Son Refinery Secures Crude Supplies, Runs at 125% Capacity Through November

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