A large crowd is seen at a fuel station on Cong Hoa Road in Tan Binh District at 8 a.m. Other stations on the same road were either filled with customers or shut down temporarily due to supply shortage.
Tuyen waited more than 15 minutes to have her motorbike filled. “Buying gasoline has never been this difficult. I went to several stations, but they all shut down.”
Hai bought with him a large container but staff refused to fill it. “I wanted to buy extra fuel as backup since waiting at stations has been a pain these days. But they won’t fill this container because of fire safety regulations.”
Staff only fill containers if they are small or belong to tricycle drivers who cannot bring their vehicles closer to the pumps.
On Truong Chinh Road in the same district, staff had to use metal dividers to organize queues at a station.
The station sold 22,000 liters of gasoline Sunday, up 57% from an average day, said manager Nguyen Khac Khanh. “But we still ensure that all demands are met.”
On average customers must wait 15 to 20 minutes for their turn. Some left for another station due to the long queue.
The five pumps were operating at full capacity, with cars and trucks parked on the road. Even office staff at the station had to get out and help pump gas.
Some stations on Truong Chinh Road in Tan Binh District put up signs that read “Out of gasoline” or “Pump machines broken”.
A station on Truong Son Road near Tan Son Nhat International Airport put up a sign that reads “Temporary closed to refill” since early morning.
HCMC late Sunday sent 80 gasoline fuel trucks to Petrolimex stations to increase supply amid reports of shortages.
At least 54 gas stations in the city had run out of either gasoline or diesel as of Sunday, and the public is unhappy about having to go around to find one with stock.
Saigonese rush to gas stations amid fuel shortage on Sunday night. Video by Diep Viet, Phu Khang
