Vietnam Seeks Japan’s Help with Crude Oil Supply; SE Asian Nation had Relied Largely on Kuwait

By Shunpei Takeuchi / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

16:19 JST, March 18, 2026

HANOI — Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on Tuesday that he had sent a letter to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi requesting support amid soaring oil prices and supply chain disruptions caused by Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the state-run Vietnam News Agency.

He made the remarks during a meeting in Hanoi with Naoki Ito, Japan’s ambassador to Vietnam. During the meeting, Chinh reportedly requested that Japan provide Vietnam with some of the oil that Japan has decided to release from its strategic stockpiles.

Vietnam relies heavily on Kuwait for its crude oil imports. The situation is beginning to affect daily life, with gas stations across the country closing one after another.

The Japanese and U.S. governments are coordinating to increase U.S. crude oil production and jointly store the additional output in Japan. Oil from the stockpile in Japan may also be sold, and the stockpile is expected to serve as a supply hub for Asian countries.

Details are expected to be finalized through future discussions between Japan and the United States, and the timing of the stockpiling remains unclear.