Vietnam capital to ban common gasoline and impose ethanol-based fuel

Vietnam’s capital Ho Chi Minh City will take a huge leap towards green fuel by banning the most common gasoline grade 92 RON.

The city´s 514 gas stations will be forced to abandon the unleaded fuel and switch to 5% ethanol blend E5 from November 30, reports Thanhnien News.

Due to the unpopularity of the biofuel, local authorities believe there is a genuine need to impose the policy. The move is part of a campaign to promote cleaner fuel across seven cities and provinces, said Le Ngoc Dao, deputy director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade.

The E5 ethanol-based fuel was rolled out in December 2014, with 53 gas stations selling it in Ho Chi Minh City. Consumers did not find the biofuel appealing and carried on using the conventional and slightly more expensive 92 RON.

Vietnam has been trying to provide its country with cleaner fuel for quite some time. In January 2014 it banned the use of low-grade 83 RON due to environmental concerns. However, imposing the E5 over the widely-used 92 RON would signify the boldest policy to date.