Vietnam fuel prices: why zone 1 and zone 2 differ on the same day
How to read the Petrolimex retail fuel board: zone 1 and zone 2, the fortnightly adjustment, and the products E5 RON 92, E10 RON 95, diesel and kerosene.
Published 10 September 2026
Anyone who fills up in a remote province has seen the pump differ by a few hundred dong from the figure quoted in the news. The station is not overcharging. That is zone 2.
Zone 1 and zone 2
Fuel distributors publish two retail prices. Zone 1 applies to areas near ports and depots. Zone 2 covers areas far from ports and depots, where transport costs more, and may exceed zone 1 by up to 2%.
The fuel page keeps both columns side by side exactly as the original board does, so the gap is visible at a glance. In practice it runs around 400 to 600 dong per litre.
The products on the board
- E5 RON 92-II — biofuel blended with 5% ethanol, the cheapest petrol grade.
- E10 RON 95 — the higher-octane grade, blended with 10% ethanol from 2026, sold as grade III and grade V by emission standard.
- DO 0.001S-V and DO 0.05S-II — diesel, differing in sulphur content; the 0.001S grade is cleaner and dearer.
- Kerosene 2-K — used for cooking and some small engines.
- Mazut — industrial fuel oil, of little interest to households.
When prices change
Retail prices are set by the Ministry of Industry and Trade together with the Ministry of Finance on a fixed schedule, usually taking effect at 3pm on the adjustment day. Between adjustments the price stands still. That is why a fuel chart looks like a staircase rather than a curve: each step is one pricing period.
Cá Buồm records the board every day, including days with no change. The history stays continuous, so you can see exactly how long a price held before it stepped.
How fuel moves the index
Fuel carries a weight of 8% in the Cá Buồm basket, fourth after meat, produce and rice. That reflects a double role: it sits in the pocket of every motorbike rider and inside the delivery cost of every other good. A large adjustment usually lifts the headline index the same day, then feeds into food prices over the following weeks.
The source is the Petrolimex retail board. Stations run by other distributors may differ slightly.
