On September 30, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade consulted on the draft new Decree on gasoline and oil business in the direction of allowing businesses to calculate, decide and publicize selling prices according to the market, instead of the State periodically announcing the base price as before.
The operation of businesses in Germany may be a typical experience for Vietnam's transformation process. This European country has recorded the phenomenon of retail prices at fuel stations changing on average 20 to 22 times per day, a sharp increase compared to the level of 4 to 5 times recorded in 2014.
To prevent price hopping causing psychological disturbances to consumers, from April 2026, German authorities have applied strict regulations on gasoline and oil price adjustments. Accordingly, businesses are allowed to self-determine prices but are only allowed to increase prices once a day at exactly 12 noon, while still being allowed to reduce prices many times. Fuel stations violating regulations may be administratively fined up to 100,000 euros.
In parallel with tightening the frequency of price increases, Germany stipulates that about 15,000 fuel stations must transmit price fluctuation data in real time to the Fuel Market Transparency Agency. This open data platform helps people easily use mobile applications to compare and choose gas stations with the most competitive prices.
A survey by the German Automobile Association (ADAC) in June 2026 shows that the time right before 12 noon is always when fuel prices in this country hit bottom, before rebounding sharply in the early afternoon and then gradually decreasing at night. In addition, gasoline and oil prices on highways are usually about 33 cents per litre more expensive than on normal roads.
Practice from Germany proves that granting self-valuation rights does not mean lax management. Going hand in hand with the market mechanism, there needs to be a transparent digital data system, tools to monitor competition against monopolies and control the frequency of adjustment, helping consumers have direct monitoring tools to create fair competitive pressure between distributors.
Above photograph is of a German retail fuel station but not the one mentioned in the above article
Full story German gas station once increased retail prices 20 times a day
Share this:
