VCCI has asked policymakers not to raise the minimum number of retail stations owned by major fuel suppliers to forty. VnExpress reported the comments on October 17 during consultation on a draft fuel-business decree.
The business organisation prefers assessment based on supply, reserves and contract performance. It argues that owning assets does not by itself prove reliable market supply.
Concerns over fixed-asset spending
The draft requires at least forty stations and receiving storage of 15,000 cubic metres. Transitional businesses would need ten stations in 2028 and forty from the beginning of 2029.
VCCI says that could tie up capital in acquisitions while other facilities in the supply chain may be leased. It also warns of incentives to purchase independent stations in an already concentrated wholesale market.
That is VCCI's assessment of possible competitive effects, not evidence that the proposed rule has already produced those outcomes.
Alternative measures and timing
VCCI proposes actual domestic supply volumes, reserve compliance and long-term supply contracts as alternatives. It also wants existing licences to retain their original conditions until expiry.
A separate proposed minimum annual supply of 300,000 cubic metres from the 2027 allocation period should, in its view, be phased in to allow preparation.
The organisation supports physical trading between distributors but questions treating unsold inventory alone as speculation. It also seeks transparent price data and competition oversight consistent with existing law.
These are consultation recommendations. Neither the forty-station requirement nor VCCI's alternatives have become final policy through the reported exchange.