AsemconnectVietnam - The Government has just issued Resolution No. 19 on reducing, decentralizing, and simplifying administrative procedures and business conditions under the management of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Reducing procedures and decentralizing management
The Government has just issued Resolution No. 19/2026/NQ-CP dated April 29, 2026, on reducing, decentralizing, and simplifying administrative procedures and business conditions under the management of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The decentralization, reduction, and simplification will be implemented in 10 areas, including: chemicals; electricity; tobacco; petroleum; e-commerce; international trade; import and export; trade promotion; commodity exchange operations; and local industries.
Among these, the petroleum sector has many noteworthy contents. Specifically, the administrative procedure for reissuing the Certificate of Eligibility to act as a General Agent for petroleum business in two or more provinces or centrally-governed cities, as stipulated in Article 17 of Decree No. 83/2014/ND-CP, will not be implemented.
At the same time, the administrative procedure for amending or supplementing the Certificate of Eligibility to act as a General Agent for petroleum business in two or more provinces or centrally-governed cities, as stipulated in Article 17 of Decree No. 83/2014/ND-CP, will not be implemented.
In addition, the resolution simplifies several administrative procedures in the petroleum sector, including: procedures for issuing, amending, supplementing, and reissuing Certificates of eligibility to act as primary petroleum traders; procedures for issuing, amending, supplementing, and reissuing Certificates of eligibility to act as petroleum distributors; procedures for issuing, amending, supplementing, and reissuing Certificates of eligibility to operate retail petroleum outlets; and procedures for issuing, amending, supplementing, and reissuing Certificates of eligibility to act as retail petroleum agents.
Reducing petroleum business conditions
The resolution also reduces many business conditions in the petroleum sector stipulated in Articles 7, 13, 19, 22, and 24 of Decree No. 83/2014/ND-CP.
For primary petroleum traders:
Businesses must be established in accordance with the law.
The enterprise must have a dedicated jetty within Vietnam's international port system, capable of receiving oil tankers or other oil transport vehicles with a minimum tonnage of 7,000 tons, owned, co-owned, or leased for 5 years or more.
It must also have an import oil receiving depot with a minimum capacity of 15,000 m3 to directly receive oil from oil tankers and other specialized oil transport vehicles, owned or leased for 5 years or more.
The enterprise must have a petroleum distribution system: at least 10 retail gasoline stations owned or leased for 5 years or more, of which at least 5 are owned by the enterprise; and at least 40 general petroleum distributors, retail gasoline dealers, or authorized retail gasoline retailers within the distribution system.
For primary aviation fuel traders, a distribution system as stipulated in Clause 5, Article 7 of Decree No. 83/2014/ND-CP is not mandatory, but they must meet the following additional conditions:
They must possess transportation vehicles and aviation fuel refueling vehicles that comply with regulations and standards for aviation fuel products, owned or leased for 5 years or more.
They must have a receiving depot at the airport with equipment and facilities meeting aviation fuel standards, owned or leased for 5 years or more.
They must have a competent testing laboratory, owned or leased, to test the quality of aviation fuel according to national and international standards.
For petroleum distributors:
The enterprise must be established in accordance with the law.
They must have a distribution system comprising at least 5 retail gasoline stations, owned or leased for 5 years or more, of which at least 3 are owned; A minimum of 10 retail gasoline stations belonging to authorized dealers or retailers that have been granted Certificates of Eligibility for Retail Gasoline Stations as prescribed.
For retail gasoline dealers and authorized retailers:
The business must be established in accordance with the law.
It must own or lease a retail gasoline station for 5 years or more, and have been granted a Certificate of Eligibility for Retail Gasoline Station as prescribed in Article 25 of Decree No. 83/2014/ND-CP.
For retail gasoline stations:
Owned or leased for five years or more by a petroleum retail agent, general agent, franchisee, distributor, primary supplier, or primary petroleum producer; the applicant must be named on the Certificate of Eligibility for Retail Petroleum Station. In the case of leasing, the lessee must be named on the certificate.
Designed, constructed, and equipped in accordance with national technical standards for petroleum stations, ensuring fire safety and environmental protection requirements.
Simultaneously, the conditions for leasing ports and storage facilities for petroleum receiving as stipulated in Article 27 of Decree No. 83/2014/ND-CP are abolished; the conditions for petroleum transportation services as stipulated in Article 28 of Decree No. 83/2014/ND-CP are also abolished.
The Resolution takes effect from April 29, 2026. Article 3 and Appendix I shall take effect 30 days after the effective date of the Resolution. The Resolution shall cease to be effective on March 1, 2027, unless related provisions are replaced or newly issued and take effect before this date.
CK
Source: VITIC/moit.gov.vn