Currently, all gas from the block, which is in both Vietnamese and Malaysian waters, is sold to Malaysia.

If the project gets the nod, the 332 km pipeline (of which 300 km will be offshore) will link the gas field in the block to power and fertiliser plants in the southern province of Ca Mau.

It is believed the pipeline is part of Vietnam’s plans to invest heavily in the pipeline and power plant sectors in order to exploit its natural gas resources and growing domestic energy market.

According to PetroVietnam’s international cooperation division deputy manager Ngo Ahn Tuan, “The gas market is growing very fast [and] we will try to develop it further to attract foreign investors.”