A group of Gazprom International employees took part in the 10th International Conference and Exhibition on the Oil and Gas Industry, which has been held since 1997 by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s Council on Petroleum.

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam hosted the ASCOPE conference and exhibition, entitled “Innovation and Cooperation – the Way Forward”, for the first time this year.

The event, which took place from 28 to 30 November 2013 at the International Exhibition Centre in Ho Chi Minh City, was attended by around 500 delegates from more than 120 companies of the member countries of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), as well as the USA, Australia, Europe and the Middle East.

The Gazprom International delegation was led by Vladimir Vovk, Adviser to the company’s Managing Director, and Sergey Tumanov, the CEO of the joint operating company Vietgazprom – the JV between Gazprom International and Petrovietnam, the Vietnam State Oil and Gas Corporation.

The following issues were discussed at the forum’s plenary sessions and specialist roundtable discussions: exploration, production and transportation of hydrocarbons and certain aspects of the management of technological processes.  Innovative projects in the field of construction of oil and gas facilities and services for the oil and gas industry were considered. As a side-line to the forum, members of the Gazprom International delegation held a number of working meetings with representatives of partner companies, such as Petrovietnam, PVEP, Halliburton and several others.

On the day of the forum’s opening ceremony, the Gazprom International exhibition stand was visited by the deputy prime minister of the Vietnamese government, Hoang Trung Hai. Accompanied by Do Van Hau, the head of the Petrovietnam Oil and Gas Corporation, the distinguished guest toured the company’s exhibition and wished the members of the Russian delegation future success in the implementation of joint projects.

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Once every four years the ASCOPE conference and exhibition gathers representatives of the most influential Asian oil and gas companies to discuss current industry issues. This event alternates between the different countries of Southeast Asia which are members of АSЕАN. The aim of the conference is for its participants to contribute to the creation of favourable conditions for the development of collaboration between production, refining and service companies operating in the Asian region. Over the years since the first conference, this forum has gained the reputation of an event which attracts the consistently high attention of the leading industry players from many countries around the world.

Gazprom and VNG PetroVietnam signed a contract on prospecting, exploration, production and sales of hydrocarbons in Block 112 of the continental shelf of Vietnam in 2000. To implement the contract, the partners created the Joint Operating Company Vietgazprom, in which Gazprom is represented by its sole company specialised in prospecting, exploration and development of hydrocarbon deposits outside the Russian Federation – Gazprom International.

In 2007 the Bao Vang gas condensate deposit was discovered in this block, and 2009 saw the discovery of the Bao Den gas and gas condensate field.

In 2008, the parties signed an Agreement on Cooperation, which makes provision for geological explorations and the further development of new blocks offshore from Vietnam, as well as the creation of another joint venture, Gazpromviet, for working in Russia, Vietnam and in third countries.

In the same year Gazprom and Petrovietnam signed a long-term contract for blocks 129, 130, 131 and 132 of the continental shelf of Vietnam on production-sharing agreement (PSA) terms, under which Vietgazprom was appointed the operator. Under this contract, 2D seismic survey work has been carried out, along with gravity and electromagnetic surveying, geochemical studies, integrated interpretation of the study findings and basin modelling, and preparations are underway for exploratory drilling.

In 2009, Gazprom and Petrovietnam signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement. The parties agreed to continue their joint operations on Vietnam's continental shelf within the framework of previously signed contracts and to examine further opportunities for cooperation in new license blocks.

In 2012 Gazprom International, on the instructions of Gazprom, joined the project involving the exploration and development of the offshore fields Moc Tinh and Hai Thach within the licence blocks 05-2 and 05-3m, and already in October of the following year industrial production started at the Moc Tinh field.

Also in October 2013, an agreement was signed on the basic principles for a joint venture for a project on the use of natural gas as a motor fuel within Vietnam. Within the JV, named PVGAZPROM Natural Gas for Vehicles, the agreement on the creation of which was signed a month later in the presence of the presidents of both countries, the Russian party is represented by Gazprom International and Gazprom Gas Motor Fuel LLC.