Despite the recent fatal explosions caused by using old, poor quality, and illegally extracted mini gas cylinders, the trading and using of these products are still going on. Each of the millions of mini cylinders of dubious quality that is still circulated on the market on a daily basis is a bomb that can go off anytime, while authorities seem unable to control their use. “Never mind,” Xuan Quynh, a student renting a house at the university village in Ho Chi Minh City’s Thu District assures a Tuoi Tre reporter when her room fills with the smell from a leaking gas mini cylinder. Quynh says that using the cylinder is very convenient, and all of her roommates do the same. “We consume three cylinder a week, and exchanging for a new one costs only VND6,000 (US$0.2),” she says. “Almost all students use mini gas cooker as it’s economical. “Only those who are well-off can afford bigger cylinders.”

A student cooks her meal with a mini gas cooker. Photo: Thanh Nien

Le Dinh Tan, a worker at a Binh Duong-based industrial park, says he was almost killed by an explosion caused by mini gas cooker while attending a party. “They said once bitten, twice shy yet I still have to use this type of cooker as my income cannot afford a better one,” admits Tan. Other consumers of the mini gas cookers are eateries and restaurant in the city’s outskirts, and the reason for their use is nothing other than its low cost. “Each mini cylinder can be used to cook two hotpots, while using a new one will increase expenses by four times,” reveals Hung, owner of an eatery in Binh Tan District.Easy to buy It is not difficult to find a grocery store offering to exchange mini gas cylinders in alleys around HCMC and neighboring localities, especially in areas with many students and workers. Cylinders used in these stores are old, and have been extracted many times. Some are even rusted. And for those exchangers, there is nothing to hide about the service, as all are operating behind signs that read “Exchange mini cylinder here.” “I exchange around 20 cylinders every day, mostly to students,” Nguyen Thi Loan, who runs a grocery store in the university village, tells a Tuoi Tre reporter. “The cost price is VND5,000 each, and I sell them for VND7,000.”

The spot of an explosion caused by mini gas cylinder in Dong Nai. Photo: VNE

Meanwhile, Hung says he has 100 cylinders delivered right to his eatery every three days at VND4,000 each. “I have no idea where they extract gas for the cylinder. “I always choose those that look a little new for assurance. “They even persuaded me to buy the equipment kit to extract the gas myself for VND400,000,” he says.Unable to control Nguyen Kha, deputy head of the technology department of Gas Saigon Petro, says mini gas cylinders are designed to endure pressure of 3-5kg/cm2 of butane air. However, most of the old cylinders are filled with gas from 12kg or 45kg cylinders, which have three times higher pressure than those specialized for use in mini cylinders, he adds. “The cylinders will pose high risk of explosion if they are rusted or deformed,” he warns. A market management officer admits to Tuoi Tre that his agency cannot fully curb the phenomenon of illegally extracting gas. “The extraction is done mostly inside local households or in suburban areas, which is hard to detect,” he says.