From early june, the Ministry of Industry and Trade launched the "Quanh toi" application on smartphone platforms (App Store or Google Play) as E10 biofuel began national distribution. The application's three main features are: searching for fuel stations, reporting issues at stations, and tracking personal vehicle fuel history.

The Quanh toi application for finding selling locations and reporting fuel quality. *Screenshot*

With the fuel station search feature, users can filter their search, for example, by fuel type E5 or E10, or by nearest location, lowest price, and operating status.

After E10 officially replaced RON95 fuel, many users with older vehicles (pre-2000), who perform infrequent or non-standard maintenance, needed to find stations selling E5 fuel, but a systematic way was lacking. Therefore, this feature is appreciated by many users.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, data from the application will support regulatory agencies in monitoring the market and managing fuel business operations more effectively.

For submitting feedback about a fuel station, users can report issues such as: selling at incorrect prices, hoarding fuel by closing, not issuing invoices, or problems related to fuel quality. Users can attach descriptions and images as evidence when submitting these reports. Subsequently, the review request will be forwarded to the authorities for resolution according to regulations. Users must register an account to perform this action.

Finally, the application allows users to track fuel volume and cost per refueling. This data helps vehicle owners detect discrepancies, which may stem from substandard fuel quality or technical issues causing higher consumption.

Key features of the app: search for stations by filter (e.g., E5), report station violations, track personal vehicle fuel costs. *Screenshot*

The application's deployment coincided with Vietnam's nationwide transition to E10 fuel distribution starting 1/6. The Ministry of Industry and Trade stated it would enhance the reception of feedback from citizens and businesses to promptly address violations related to fuel quality.

Notably, the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced that if vehicle malfunctions are determined to stem from fuel quality, the fuel supplier will be held responsible. Citizens are advised to stop using fuel upon detecting unusual signs and contact authorities or the supplier for inspection and resolution support.

Pham Hai