Decision No. 3708/QD-BCT Approves "Planning for the System of Gasoline Retail Outlets Along the Ho Chi Minh Highway Phase II to 2015, with Orientation to 2020"

Pursuant to …;

Approving the "Planning Scheme for Gasoline Retail Outlets Along the Ho Chi Minh Highway Phase II to 2015, with a Vision to 2020"

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THE MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE

Pursuant to Decree No. 189/2007/ND-CP dated December 27, 2007, issued by the Government, detailing the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

Pursuant to Decree No. 92/2006/ND-CP dated September 7, 2006, and Decree No. 04/2008/ND-CP dated January 11, 2008 of the Government amending and supplementing certain articles of Decree No. 92/2006/ND-CP on the establishment, approval, and management of overall planning for economic and social development;

Pursuant to Decision No. 2604/2007/QD-BCT dated October 5, 2007 of the Ministry of Industry and Trade approving the outline and budget for the preparation of the "Planning Scheme for Gasoline Retail Outlets Along the Ho Chi Minh Highway Phase II to 2015, with a Vision to 2020";

Considering the report No. 0443 dated April 24, 2009 of Petrolimex Joint Stock Company on consulting construction;

At the proposal of the Director of the Planning Department,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approves the "Planning Scheme for Gasoline Retail Outlets Along the Ho Chi Minh Highway Phase II to 2015, with a Vision to 2020" with the main contents as follows:

1. Development Orientation

- Ensuring sufficient and safe supply of gasoline for vehicles along the Ho Chi Minh Highway, while meeting the requirements for economic and social development and ensuring national defense security of localities along the route.

- Ensuring the quality of commercial services, consumer benefits, and improving business efficiency. Combining gasoline sales with other commercial services, forming static traffic points as part of the infrastructure of national highways.

- Encouraging all domestic economic sectors to participate in investment and business, prioritizing state-owned enterprises to ensure fuel supply in all situations.

2. Development Objectives

General objectives:

Building along the Ho Chi Minh Highway a network of modern and well-equipped retail outlets that fully meet the demand for gasoline consumption of vehicles traveling on the road and localities along the route. Enhancing the convenience of comprehensive service in retail gasoline sales to be at par with regional countries. Resolutely eliminating small-scale outlets that are aesthetically unappealing and violate location requirements.

Specific Goals:

- Establishing an adequate number of outlets with the scale determined in the planning scheme, reasonably and scientifically distributed along the Ho Chi Minh Highway. The primary task is to provide gasoline for vehicles on the highway, ensuring national defense security, and traffic safety, while also meeting the needs of other consumers along both sides of the road.

- Addressing existing issues in the distribution of locations, fire prevention and firefighting safety, and environmental hygiene of current outlets. Combining retail gasoline sales with other commercial services and forming static traffic points (rest stations) at suitable locations along the route.

- Leveraging internal resources, particularly mobilizing domestic economic sector capital for investment and business.

- Creating a legal basis for enterprises to proactively plan new construction and renovation and upgrading of existing gasoline retail outlets.

3. Development Orientation

- The planning scheme for gasoline retail outlets must be consistent with related planning schemes such as the Ho Chi Minh Highway Construction Planning Scheme, Industrial Development Planning Along the Ho Chi Minh Highway, Overall Economic and Social Development Planning of Localities Along the Route...

- The planning scheme for gasoline retail outlets must ensure scientificity, meeting the best and most efficient needs for gasoline usage.

- Gasoline retail outlets will be constructed according to unified scales, modern technology, ensuring fire prevention and firefighting safety, and environmental hygiene.

4. Development Planning

4.1. Criteria for Building Outlets

a) Regarding Scale and Area

- Type I outlet: must have a minimum of 6 fuel pumps (single or double nozzle) accompanied by a rest house, overnight parking lot, and other commercial services. The land area (excluding non-roadside buffer zones) must be at least 5,600 square meters, with a frontage width of at least 70 meters.

- Type II outlet: must have a minimum of 4 fuel pumps (single or double nozzle) accompanied by other commercial services. The land area (excluding non-roadside buffer zones) must be at least 3,000 square meters, with a frontage width of at least 60 meters.

- Type III outlet:

+ For newly constructed outlets: must have a minimum of 3 fuel pumps (single or double nozzle) accompanied by car washing services. The land area (excluding non-roadside buffer zones) must be at least 900 square meters, with a frontage width of at least 30 meters.

+ For currently operating outlets: based on specific land conditions and locations, measures should be taken to rearrange, expand, and renovate towards meeting the specified criteria.

b) Distance Criteria

- Distance between two Type I outlets ≥ 40 kilometers

- Distance between two Type II outlets ≥ 20 kilometers.

- Type III outlets with each other and with Type I and II outlets:

+ In urban areas: ≥ 4 kilometers

+ Outside urban areas: ≥ 12 kilometers

- For sections of roads coinciding with the North-South Expressway, only Type I and Type II outlets will be constructed with the following criteria:

- Distance between two Type I outlets ≥ 100 kilometers

- Distance between two Type II outlets ≥ 50 kilometers

c) Location Criteria

- Favorable for connecting with infrastructure works: transportation, electricity, water supply, communication to minimize investment costs and ensure business efficiency.

- Ensuring the distance between outlets according to the distance criteria set out in Section 4.1.b above.

- Ensuring requirements for fire prevention and firefighting safety and environmental hygiene according to National Standards on construction generally and Design Standard TCVN-4530-1998: Gasoline Retail Outlets - Design Requirements; or National Standards on the design of gasoline retail outlets at the time of constructing the outlet.

- On sections of roads coinciding with the expressway, when there is a solid median strip, outlets will be arranged staggered on both sides of the road.

4.2. Planning for Outlets

a) Period 2009-2015

- Relocating and resettling 07 existing outlets (listed in Appendix No. 3).

- For stores not within the scope of clearance or relocation but required to be renovated and upgraded in architectural construction to ensure they are neat and tidy similar to model store type III and to ensure safe distances when opening the Ho Chi Minh Road (list in Appendix 4).

- Construct approximately 49 new stores, including 15 stores of type I, 19 stores of type II, and 15 stores of type III. The number of newly constructed fuel stores may be adjusted by up to 10% (list in Appendices 1 and 2).

b) Phase 2016-2020

- Continue to renovate and upgrade the architectural construction of stores not within the scope of clearance or relocation to ensure they are neat and tidy similar to model store type III and to ensure safe distances when opening the Ho Chi Minh Road.

- Orient towards constructing approximately 29 new stores, including 7 stores of type I, 10 stores of type II, and 12 stores of type III. This number will be confirmed during the period up to 2015.

4. 3. Capital Investment Requirements

The total capital investment requirement for the planning phase is expected to be 286,716 billion VND, equivalent to 17,167,000 USD (based on the exchange rate in the first quarter of 2009), of which:

- New construction: 248,316 billion VND, equivalent to 14,608,000 USD.

- Renovation and upgrading of existing stores: 38,400 billion VND, equivalent to 2,559,000 USD.

5. Main Solutions and Policies

5. 1. Main Solutions

- Solution regarding capital: Utilize 100% self-balanced capital of enterprises or borrow credit to construct fuel stores.

- Solution regarding land: Flexibly apply forms as prescribed by current laws. In key areas, prioritize allocation to state-owned enterprises (Petrolimex...) to construct stores to ensure fuel security.

- Solution regarding management of fuel stores: Strictly implement current laws on investment activities and fuel trading activities. Firmly stop operations of stores that do not comply with the plan, lack a Certificate of Eligibility for Fuel Trading, violate road boundaries, fail to meet Vietnamese construction standards, fail to ensure fire safety and environmental protection, and affect social order... Strengthen market inspection and control work, firmly handle violations of fuel trading regulations.

- Solution regarding environmental protection: Implement environmental protection measures from the design stage of stores, adhering to economic and technical industry standards and current environmental hygiene standards. Establish and strictly enforce inspection and strict penalty regulations for violations; clearly assign responsibilities and enhance coordination between central and local departments in directing and supervising environmental protection activities in the trade sector.

6. Implementation organization.

- The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall be responsible for announcing and directing the implementation of "The Plan for the System of Fuel Stores Along the Ho Chi Minh Road Phase II until 2015, with a Vision to 2020".

- Entrust Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (Petrolimex) to lead and coordinate with localities along the Ho Chi Minh Road Phase II to implement the construction of type I and type II stores according to the list in Appendix 1 attached to this Decision. During the implementation process, if encountering difficulties, promptly report to the Ministry for resolution.

- People's Committees of provinces with the Ho Chi Minh Road Phase II passing through shall direct the Department of Industry and Trade to coordinate with relevant local departments to implement the construction of type III stores according to the criteria stipulated in Section 4.1, Clause 4, Article 1 of this Decision and the number of type III stores specified in Appendix 2 of this Decision.

During the implementation process, if encountering difficulties, promptly communicate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade for resolution.

Article 2. This Decision shall take effect from the date of signing.

Article 3. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, agencies under the Government, People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities with the Ho Chi Minh Road Phase II passing through, and related agencies are responsible for implementing this Decision.