The night of October 31 sent domestic fuel prices in two different directions. From 00:00 on November 1, a litre of E5RON92 petrol has a maximum retail price of VND 24,223, down VND 1,804.Tiền Phong Diesel stays at VND 30,246 a litre, the level it was raised to in the October 29 afternoon adjustment.Vietnamnet
Both outcomes trace back to the same document. This article puts E5, E10 and diesel side by side to answer four questions: how much cheaper is each litre, who benefits, until when, and who pays for it.
What Resolution 45 says
On October 31, 2026, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyễn Văn Thắng signed Resolution No. 45/2026/NQ-CP on behalf of the Government, setting the special consumption tax rate on all petrol at 0%. It takes effect on November 1, 2026 and runs through March 31, 2027, roughly five months.VietnamPlus
The end date is not fully fixed. If it needs to be shortened or extended to safeguard energy security and market stability, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will submit a proposal to the Ministry of Finance, which then puts it to the Government for a decision.VietnamPlus
The rates being zeroed out come from Law No. 66/2025/QH15 on Special Consumption Tax: 10% on regular petrol, 8% on E5 and 7% on E10. This is the second time this year the tax has gone to 0%, after a spell from late March through June 2026.VnExpress
How much cheaper each litre is
Under the new resolution, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance adjusted petrol prices overnight. E5RON92 now has a maximum price of VND 24,223 a litre, down VND 1,804. E10RON95-III is capped at VND 24,159 a litre, down VND 1,575.Tiền Phong
The two cuts almost exactly match the tax that used to sit in each litre. In the price structure for the October 29 adjustment compiled by FireAnt, special consumption tax came to about VND 1,804 per litre of E5 and VND 1,575 per litre of E10. E10 carries less tax because its rate is lower (7% versus 8%) and because the 10% ethanol in E10 is not subject to the tax, so only the 90% mineral petrol is taxable, according to a Petrolimex executive speaking to Tiền Phong.FireAnt
At the pump the arithmetic is simple. A motorbike taking 4 litres of E5 pays about VND 7,216 less. A car filling 40 litres of E5 pays about VND 72,160 less, or about VND 63,000 less if it runs on E10.
Diesel has nothing to cut
Diesel, widely used in freight and production, is not subject to special consumption tax, so the resolution does not touch its price.FireAnt The 00:00 November 1 adjustment applied to petrol only. Diesel 0.05S stays at the VND 30,246 a litre maximum set in the 15:00 adjustment on October 29, when diesel rose VND 696 a litre.VTV
As a result the gap between diesel and E5 has widened in just two days. On the afternoon of October 29 diesel cost about VND 4,219 more than E5 (30,246 minus 26,027). From 00:00 on November 1 the gap is VND 6,023 (30,246 minus 24,223).
Across the past week and its two adjustments, E5 fell VND 1,138 a litre and E10 fell VND 1,054, while diesel rose VND 696.Vietnamnet
Diesel still enjoys the other tax breaks that apply across petroleum products; it just lacks the special consumption tax component. Resolution 43/2026/NQ-CP, issued on September 30, extended relief on import tax, environmental protection tax and value-added tax for fuel through December 31, 2026. Environmental protection tax is currently at VND 0 a litre, and fuel is not subject to VAT declaration and payment.FireAnt
E5 versus E10: the gap is down to VND 64
The uneven cuts have almost erased the price gap between the two bio-blended petrols. After the October 29 adjustment E10 was VND 293 a litre cheaper than E5, even though the RON95 petrol used to blend E10 costs more than RON92 on the world market. FireAnt cites the difference in special consumption tax as one reason for that gap.FireAnt
With that tax at zero, the remaining gap is VND 64 a litre (24,223 minus 24,159). On a 40-litre tank, E10 is now only about VND 2,560 cheaper than E5, versus about VND 11,720 before. For the five months the resolution is in force, price is barely a reason to choose between the two. The vehicle manufacturer's recommendation for the engine should come first.
Until when, and who pays
The price advantage is tied to the window from November 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027. Within it, retail prices still follow world prices at each adjustment. Brent crude closed the week at USD 113.4 a barrel and rose 13.6% in October, the biggest monthly gain in six months.Vietnamnet The tax removed does not come back during the resolution's term, but the base price can still rise or fall at each adjustment. The next adjustment is expected at 15:00 on November 5.Báo Lào Cai
The state budget absorbs the forgone tax. In the National Assembly discussion on the morning of October 31, Deputy Prime Minister Thắng said that from November through the end of 2026 the Government expects to set aside about VND 4,000 billion for this tax cut, roughly VND 2,000 billion a month. Since the start of the year the Government has set aside about VND 64,000 billion for tax and fee relief on fuel. The VND 4,000 billion covers only the last two months of the year, not the first three months of 2027.Người Quan Sát
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the petrol tax cut together with the planned electricity price cut is expected to create about 0.07 percentage points of extra room to keep inflation within the 4.5% target.Người Quan Sát
Winners, those left out, and dates to watch
Put the three fuels side by side and the picture is clear: the policy is even in its timing but uneven in its benefit. E5 buyers gain the most, VND 1,804 a litre. E10 buyers gain VND 1,575 a litre, and their edge over E5 has nearly vanished. Truckers, coach operators, farm machinery users and fishing boats running on diesel get nothing from Resolution 45, because their fuel never contained this tax.
The special consumption tax will stay out of petrol prices as long as the resolution is in force. What drivers pay at each adjustment is still set by world prices, so today's VND 1,804 cut could be partly or fully offset by crude in later rounds.
Three dates to watch:
- 15:00 on November 5: the first regular adjustment after Resolution 45 takes effect.
- December 31, 2026: the import, environmental protection and VAT relief under Resolution 43 expires. It covers both petrol and diesel. If it is not extended, both fuels will carry extra tax cost from early 2027, even with the special consumption tax on petrol still at 0%.
- March 31, 2027: Resolution 45 expires, unless the Government decides to shorten or extend it on the Ministry of Industry and Trade's proposal.