Noisy organization of the Southern Gas Association Congress
According to Lao Dong reporter's research, Southern Gas Trading Joint Stock Company (Gas South) has just sent a document to the Ministry of Home Affairs to present the shortcomings in the process of recognizing the Southern Gas Association Congress.
In this document, Mr. Tran Anh Dung - Deputy General Director of Gas South - said that the Southern Gas Association Congress, term IV (2024 - 2029) will be held on August 23, 2024. However, the results of the Congress were later not approved and were required to be reorganized.
The reason is because the Vietnam Gas Association said that "the results of the Congress of the Southern Gas Association are not approved by not complying with the process of organizing the Congress under Clause 1, Clause 2, Article 7 of Chapter II of the Regulation on organization and operation of the Gas Association under the Vietnam Gas Association" in Official Letter No. 21/CV-HHG dated November 27, 2024.
In this regard, in the document to the Ministry of Home Affairs, GAS South affirms that the Congress has complied with the process according to current regulations, based on the principle of autonomy and voluntary members, in accordance with Clause 1, Article 5 and Clause 1, Article 19 of Decree 126/2024/ND-CP of the Government, in which the principle is that the Association has the right to decide on its organization and operation according to the approved charter.
Participants in the Congress are large gas companies, many years of experience, with prestigious brands in the South. The Congress took place seriously, in the right order, the members actively contributed, exchanged ideas and unanimously agreed to elect the Executive Committee and the Standing Committee of the new term of the new term 2024-2029 transparent and objective.
The Vietnam Gas Association's failure to recognize the Congress results on the grounds of procedures is an excessive intervention, a violation of the autonomy of the Southern Gas Association - the document of Gas South stated its opinion.
The agreement with the results of the Southern Gas Association Congress for the term 2024 - 2029 was also confirmed in the document of the Standing Committee of the Southern Gas Association to the Vietnam Gas Association on December 9, 2024. The document was signed by the leader of 5 gas companies under the Association.
It is noteworthy that while not approving the results of the Southern Gas Association Congress, Gas South said that on March 18, 2025, a meeting chaired by Mr. Nguyen Hai Long - Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Gas Association - held a secret ballot to elect the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Standing Committee members of 4 branches, including the Southern Gas Association.
According to the voting results, a representative of LPG Vietnam Trading Joint Stock Company - Southern Branch was elected as Chairman of the Southern Gas Association.
"This is completely abnormal and violates the provisions of the Association's Charter and the Regulation of the Association. The Vietnam Gas Association has only authority to approve the list of Standing Committee of the Association after the Association submit the results of the Association Congress" - Deputy General Director of GAS SOOUTH stated in the document to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
It is even more surprising because at the Southern Gas Association Congress on August 23, 2024, Mr. Nguyen Hai Long himself was present and congratulated the success of the Association Congress.
Members ask to leave the Vietnam Gas Association
While the controversy related to the Southern Gas Association has not been resolved, a member of the Vietnam Gas Association has issued a document requesting to withdraw from the Association.
Accordingly, on April 22, 2025, Vietnam Liquefied khi chat Company Limited - VT Gas issued a document stating: "After a period of participation in the Association, we found that the Association has not demonstrated its role, functions and tasks according to the Charter, principles and purposes set by the Association".
VT Gas Company also expressed dissatisfaction with the Vietnam Gas Association's failure to approve the results of the Southern Gas Association Congress, while this Congress is said to have been held in accordance with regulations.
On April 24, answering a question from Lao Dong reporter about the ongoing scandals of the Association, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh - Chairman of the Vietnam Gas Association said: "We are handling that. Just follow the regulations.
On the side of the Ministry of Home Affairs, in an interview with Lao Dong reporter, Ms. Thang Thi Hanh - Director of the Department of Non-governmental Organizations (Ministry of Home Affairs) said that the unit had received a request from Southern Gas Trading Joint Stock Company (Gas South). However, Ms. Hanh said that this is the responsibility of the Inspection Board of the Vietnam Gas Association.
