by Duong Nguyen, Zou Xuemian

HANOI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- In March, petrol stations across Vietnam saw long lines of customers waiting to refuel as prices surged amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

The price of RON95, the most widely used gasoline in Vietnam, rose to 33,840 Vietnamese dong (about 1.34 U.S. dollars) per liter on March 24, while diesel climbed to nearly 39,660 Vietnamese dong (about 1.58 dollars) per liter, the highest levels since June 2025, local daily VnExpress reported, citing the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance.

Compared with the end of February, before the tensions escalated, the price of RON95 surged by more than 13,000 Vietnamese dong (about 0.5 dollars), up over 60 percent, putting direct pressure on living costs and transport operations.

The sharp rise in fuel costs is weighing on the incomes of many workers, particularly those whose livelihoods depend heavily on daily transportation.

Nguyen Luu Anh Dat, a ride-hailing motorbike driver in Hanoi using the Grab platform, said his earnings have declined as fuel expenses increase.

"Previously, I only needed about 80,000 Vietnamese dong (about 3.1 dollars) to fill up my tank for a full day of work. Now it costs around 120,000 Vietnamese dong (about 4.7 dollars), meaning I spend an extra 40,000 Vietnamese dong (about 1.6 dollars) per day, or more than 200,000 Vietnamese dong (about 8 dollars) per week," he told Xinhua.

"Although the number of customers hasn't changed much, the biggest pressure now is having to calculate routes carefully to save fuel and avoid inefficient trips," he said.

Against this backdrop, transport business operators say raising service prices is not always a feasible solution.

Nguyen Van Toan, a transport business operator in Hanoi, said sharp price hikes could drive customers away, especially as the market faces strong competition from other modes of transport, such as electric vehicles.

"We only dare to increase prices slightly to retain regular customers. We cannot raise prices abruptly because competition in the market is very intense," he said.

Instead, many operators are opting to optimize their operations to cut costs.

Toan said he tries to arrange trips more efficiently and secure passengers for both outbound and return journeys to avoid running empty.

The impact of rising fuel prices is also being felt more broadly in the transport sector, including in aviation and rail services.

Following a warning from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam over a possible aviation fuel shortage, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines plans to cut 23 flights per week on low-demand routes starting from April 1.

Starting from March 26, Vietnam Railways officially increased passenger ticket prices by 3 percent.

Economist Vo Dai Luoc, former head of the Institute of World Economics and Politics under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, said that although rising fuel prices have affected citizens' daily expenses, the impact has not been significant enough to drive a sharp increase in inflation or pose risks to Vietnam's economic growth targets.

"Inflation and economic growth targets may be affected, but not substantially," he told Xinhua.