Tạp chí của tập đoàn dầu khí quốc gia Việt Nam - Petrovietnam - Số 10 - 2011 pdf

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PETROVIETNAM - JOURNAL VOL 10/2011
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PETROVIETNAM - JOURNAL VOL 10/2011
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Petrovietnam and ONGC Videsh Limited signed an
agreement of cooperation
In India, both sides agreed to further enhance high-
level visits and meetings between the two countries. At
the Vietnam - India Business Forum, President Truong Tan
Sang noted that there still remains considerable potential
for cooperation and agreed to strongly enhance the
comprehensive strategic partnership between the two
countries based on key pillars of politic, defense, security,
economic, cultural and human resource development
cooperation.
On Oct.12, President Truong Tan Sang and Prime
Minister of the Republic of India Mamohan Singh
witnessed the signing of the agreement between
Petrovietnam and ONGC Videsh Limited (ONGC-VL).
The agreement was signed by Dr.Sc. Phung Dinh Thuc,
Chairman of Petrovietnam and Mr. D.K. Sarraf, CEO and
Managing Director, ONGC-VL. The agreement is intended
for developing long term cooperation in oil and gas

industry and shall be in force and e ect for three years.
Two sides will exchange information on the petroleum
industry, exchange of working visits of authorities and
specialists in various domains of the petroleum industry,
new investments, expansion and operations of oil and
gas exploration and production including re ning,
transportation and supply in Vietnam, India, and third
countries according to the laws and regulations of their
countries.
In Sri Lanka, President Truong Tan Sang and Sri
Lanka’s leaders witnessed the signing of memoranda
of understanding on bilateral political consultations,
machinery manufacturing, investment promotion,
cooperation in education,  nance, defense and oil and
gas…
Petrovietnam’s leaders accompanied President
Truong Tan Sang visited the Asian countries
President Truong Tan Sang and Prime Minister of the Republic of India Mamohan Singh witnessed the signing of the agreement between
Petrovietnam and ONGC Videsh Limited (ONGC-VL). Photo: PVN
The mission of The Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam) led by Dr.Sc. Phung Dinh Thuc - Chairman
of Petrovietnam accompanied President Truong Tan Sang, has visited and worked in India and Sri Lanka from Oct. 11
to Oct. 15 to promote cooperation in the  eld of energy. Before that, Dr. Do Van Hau - President & CEO of Petrovietnam
accompanied President Truong Tan Sang had visited and worked in Singapore and Malaysia from Sept. 26 to Sept. 30.
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PV Drilling V - the  rst TAD
rig of Vietnam
On Sept. 26, President
Truong Tan Sang, Deputy

Prime Minister Nguyen
Thien Nhan and a high-level
delegation visited the  rst
TAD rig of Vietnam (named
PV Drilling V that was
constructed at the Keppel
FELS shipyard - Singapore).
According to Dr. Do Van
Hau - President & CEO of
Petrovietnam, this is a large
project with investment
worth over VND 5,000 billion,
is designed with modern
technology and will be  rst
used in Vietnam.
Developed by Keppel O shore & Marine’s (Keppel
O&M) Deepwater Technology Group (DTG), PV Drilling
V design has revolutionised the way in which drilling
tenders work, allowing them to be deployed next to
deepwater  oating platforms for the  rst time. This ground
breaking series, with their enhanced capabilities, can
operate and maintain station position in deep waters of
up to 5,000ft alongside Spars and Tension Leg Platforms.
Highly suitable for o shore Vietnam’s harsh environment,
PV Drilling V features an 8-point mooring system, which
allows the rig to maintain its position amidst currents of
up to 6 knots. Under the plan, PV Drilling V will drill the
 rst contract for the drilling campaign of the Bien Dong
Petroleum Operating Company (Bien Dong POC).
At the same time, a delegation comprising leaders

of member units of Petrovietnam (PVEP, PV Drilling,
PTSC, PV GAS…) led by the Dr. Do Van Hau attended the
Vietnam - Singapore Business Forum be held on Sept. 26.
Establish a Joint Venture Company investing in a FSO
During his visit to Malaysia, on Sept. 29, President
Truong Tan Sang visited Malaysia’s National Oil and Gas
group (Petronas), in which he appreciated the strict,
e ective and practical cooperation between Petrovietnam
and Petronas. He spoke highly of the close, e ective
and practical co-operation between Petrovietnam and
Petronas over the past 20 years, which brought great
economic bene ts to each country. The Vietnamese State
leader suggested that the two groups strengthen co-
operation, especially in exploration and production in
new oil and gas  elds in both Vietnam and Malaysia. On
the occasion, President Sang received USD 50,000 from
Petronas for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims.
On the same day, Petrovietnam Technical Services
Corporation (PTSC) and Yinson Holdings Berhad signed
a joint-venture company investing in a Floating Storage
& O oading (FSO) Facility. The signing was held at the
Malaysia - Vietnam Business Forum under the witnessed
of President Truong Tan Sang, Deputy Prime Minister
Nguyen Thien Nhan, Dr. Do Van Hau - President &
CEO of Petrovietnam and o cials from the Malaysian
Government.
FSO “PTSC Bien Dong 01” is the  rst condensate
FSO which has the break-up mooring & subsea systems.
This project is totally performed by PTSC, ranging from
engineering, new-building, to pre-commissioning, hook-

up, o shore installation, and operation and maintenance
during the period of some 20 years. The total investment
of the project is around 150 million USD.
PV Drilling held a naming ceremony for PV Drilling V on Oct. 1. Photo: PVD
Viet Ha
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G
ross revenue was now
equivalent to 98 percent of
Petrovietnam’s yearly target and would
likely reach its goal later this month.
Petrovietnam estimates to gain a total
revenue of VND 678 trillion for the whole
year, surpassing its initial target set for
this year by VND 178 trillion. The Group’s
contribution to the State budget totalled
VND 116 trillion so far this year, a surge of
14 percent over its target for the whole
year and 32 percent over the same
period last year.
The Group also succeeded in
accelerating recoverable oil and gas
reserves in 2011, following the discovery
of three new oil and gas  elds and
the signing of  ve new oil and gas
agreements, including four domestic
deals and one overseas contract. In the past nine months,
with oil prices ranging from USD 100 - 115 per barrel,

Petrovietnam’s oil sales reached USD 9.3 billion, a year-
on-year increase of 49 percent, beating the Group’s yearly
plan by 9 percent.
Meanwhile, the oil and gas services contributed
28.6 percent to the Group’s total revenue, worth VND
141 trillion, up 16 percent against the same period
last year. Petrovietnam’s pro t during the January to
September period reached VND 27 trillion. Petrovietnam
had disbursed nearly VND 60 trillion and postponed and
rescheduled 56 projects worth VND 7.25 trillion. In the
last quarter, Petrovietnam aimed to begin the tapping
of three new gas and oil  elds, including two in Viet Nam
and one in Malaysia.
Dr. Do Van Hau, President & CEO of Petrovietnam said
that to help ensure national energy and food security,
the Group shall maintain safe operation of the oil and
gas pipeline system, the Dung Quat Re nery, the Power
Plants Ca Mau 1 & 2, Nhon Trach 1 & 2 and the Phu My
fertilizer plant. The Group contributed 10.23 billion
kWh to the national grid so far this year, up 3.5 percent
year-on-year and equivalent to 83 percent of its yearly
goal. “Petrovietnam will aggressively carry out its power
projects with the target of contributing up to 25 percent
of the country’s energy production by 2015”, Dr. Hau said.
Dr. Do Van Hau also said the Group had co-operated
with foreign partners in the exploration and production of
oil and gas overseas, with projects deployed in 13 countries,
including Russia, Nigeria, Malaysia and Venezuela With
regard to the Group’s divestment from non-core business
lines, Hau con rmed Petrovietnam would continue its on-

going investments in core businesses including oil and gas
exploration and production, gas and power industry and
oil and gas services, and re-consider other investments in
minor industries.
Petrovietnam earned total revenue of VND 493 trillion
In the  rst nine months of 2011:
Mai Huong
On Oct. 11, The Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam) held a press conference to announce business
result of the third quater of 2011. Petrovietnam earned total revenue of VND 493 trillion (USD 23.48 billion) in the  rst
nine months of the year, an increase of 47 percent over the same period last year. The Group had completed three
business goals for the year ahead of schedule, which are revenue, contributions to the State budget and acceleration
of oil and gas reserves.
Dr. Do Van Hau, President & CEO of Petrovietnam chaired the third quater press
conference. Photo: Duc Chinh
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O
n September 29, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan
Dung attended the Netherlands - Vietnam
Energy, Oil and Gas Cooperation Forum in the Netherlands.
At the forum, the two sides touched upon issues helping
to ensure Vietnam’s energy security, including advanced
energy technologies, bilateral energy cooperation
mechanisms, facilitation of environmentally friendly
energy usage, development of energy-saving programs,
and sharing of information on oil supplies…
Speaking at the forum, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan
Dung stressed that Vietnam considers energy a key
economic sector which contributes to realising the

country’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and
shortens the national industrialization and modernization
process. He said that Vietnam’s total energy demand
for commercial purposes is forecast to increase by over
7 percent each year in the 2010 - 2025 period, with
electricity demand rising some 15% annually.
The Vietnamese Government is actively taking various
measures to ensure energy security, such as putting forth
suitable policies to attract investment, especially foreign
investment in the energy sector, and create favorable
conditions for implementing energy projects in the
country. Vietnam is also diversifying energy sources,
giving priority to the development of renewable energy,
lique ed natural gas-fuelled power and atomic energy.
Meanwhile, it is fostering energy-saving programs,
building up energy price roadmaps
Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Verhagen
said the Netherlands - Vietnam cooperative ties have
developed vigorously in various spheres, including
energy. The Netherlands will continue to closely cooperate
with Vietnam in technology transfer, scienti c research
and oil and gas training. Deputy Prime Minister added
that it will also encourage and support the two countries’
enterprises, especially those operating in the  elds of
energy and oil and gas.
Vietnam and Netherlands are expected to further
their energy cooperation after a series of agreements were
signed. At the forum, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung
witnessed the signing of memoranda of understanding
(MoU) on energy cooperation along with an agreement

Boost energy cooperation
Vietnam and Netherlands are expected to further their energy cooperation after a series of agreements were signed. Photo: Nhat Bac
Vietnam, Netherlands, Uzbekistan:
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on oil and gas cooperation between Vietnam National Oil
and Gas Group (Petrovietnam) and the Netherland’s Royal
Dutch Shell Group. A letter of intent between Petrovietnam
and companies and organisations which join in Advanced
Energy Technologies International (AETIN) programme
on promoting cooperation - investment - technology
transfer and training, and an MoU on training cooperation
between the Petrovietnam University (PVU) and the Delft
University of Technology were also signed.
On the same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung
received the leaders of the Royal Dutch Shell Group,
a rming that the Vietnamese Government will support
and create favourable conditions for the Group to continue
doing business in Vietnam. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan
Dung emphasized that, during 20 years of operations in
Vietnam, Shell has made great contributions to Vietnam’s
oil and gas sector, helping meet the country’s increasing
energy demand. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung
suggested the Group attaches importance to developing
new, safe and environmentally friendly energy resources
as it is a focus of the Vietnamese Government’s attention
to ensure the country’s sustainable growth.
After the successful visit to Netherlands, Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung continued his trip to Uzbekistan

from Oct. 2 to Oct. 3. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung
discussed with his Uzbekistani
counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a
wide range of measures to boost the
multifaceted cooperation between
the two countries, focusing on
economic trade and investment
ties in Tashkent on October 3. Both
Prime Ministers spoke highly of the
e ective oil and gas exploration and
production of Vietnam National Oil
and Gas Group (Petrovietnam) in
Uzbekistan, stressing that oil and
gas is a spearhead cooperative area
between the two nations.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung
proposed Uzbekistan soon  nalise
procedures for the signing of a
contract between Petrovietnam and
the Uzbekistani Oil and Gas National
Holding Company in Bukhara
Khiva, Uzbekistan. The Vietnamese
Government is ready to facilitate the Uzbekistani Oil and
Gas National Holding Company’s involvement in oil and
gas exploration and exploitation projects on Vietnam’s
continental shelf.
For his part, Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev
a rmed that the Uzbekistani Government always
supports and creates favourable conditions for oil and
gas projects with Vietnam, which, he said, is an important

cooperative  eld. The two PMs assigned leaders of
ministries and branches to meet and implement speci c
cooperative measures.
On the same day, Minister of Industry and Trade Vu
Huy Hoang and Minister of Foreign Economic Relations,
Investments and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan
witnessed the signing of memoranda of understanding
(MoU) on cooperation in scienti c research (joint study
on the issues of the petroleum industry in Vietnam and
Uzbekistan which are of interests for both parties), training
activities to share expertise and technology transfer…
between Vietnam Petroleum Institute (VPI) and Uzbekistan’s
Institute of Geology and Exploration of Oil and Gas Fields;
cooperative agreement between PV Engineering and a
member unit of Uzbekneftegaz; a cooperative agreement
between PVI Holdings and Alfa Invest…
Huy Hoang
Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang and Minister of Foreign Economic Relations,
Investments and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan witnessed the signing of MoU between
Vietnam Petroleum Institute and Uzbekistan’s Institute of Geology and Exploration of Oil and
Gas Fields. Photo: VPI
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T
he 2011 Science - Technology
Conference titled “The 50
th

Anniversary of the Traditional Day

of the Vietnam Petroleum Industry:
Achievements and Development
Strategy” will take place on Oct. 28,
2011 on the 4
th
 oor, VPI Tower, 173
Trung Kinh, Hanoi. The Conference
is a forum for introducing the
achievements and the development
orientation of the core business of
Petrovietnam including exploration
and production, re neries and petro-
chemistry, gas and power industries,
advanced petroleum technical
services as well as EOR solutions,
maintaining petroleum productivity
and oversea investments.
In the Conference, 13 reports will
present the successful achievements
of the last 50 years and major
development orientations for
successfully realizing the Strategy
for Accelerating the Developments
to 2015 and towards 2025 of
Petrovietnam including the topics
such as exploration and production
in Vietnam and overseas, re neries,
processing and petro chemistry,
gas and power industries, market
development for petroleum products,

advanced petroleum technical
services, infrastructure construction,
The 50
th
Anniversary of the Traditional Day of the Vietnam Petroleum Industry:
Achievements and Development Strategy
Scienti c and technological activities always play an important role in the development strategy of the
Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group. The 2011 Science - Technology Conference titled “The 50
th
Anniversary of the
Traditional Day of the Vietnam Petroleum Industry: Achievements and Development Strategy” is a forum to introduce
achievements and development orientation of the core business of Petrovietnam. Besides the Conference, the 9
th

“Vietnam Oil and Gas Expo 2011” will be one of the meaningful activities marking the contribution and determination
of the Vietnam petroleum industry in ful lling the aspirations of respectful President Ho Chi Minh.
Fig.2. Revenue and contribution to state budget (source: PVN)
Fig.1. Oil and gas production and crude oll export (source: PVN)
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Ngoc Linh
scienti c - technological and human resource development
measures.
Scienti c and technological activities always play
an important role in the development strategy of the
Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group. Petrovietnam’s policy
is to intensively invest on scienti c and technological
R&D, and innovation. As a result, The Vietnam Petroleum
Science and Technology has remarkably contributed

to Petrovietnam’s achievements sofar on its 50 years
of development. Among the commendable scienti c
and technological achievements, the scienti c complex
on prospecting discovering and e ectively exploiting
oil reservoirs in the pre-tertiary granitoid basement of
Cuu Long basin in the continental shelf of Vietnam is an
outstanding one. With a series of the patents granted by
the National O ce of Intellectual Property of Vietnam
(NOIP) and the Intellectual Property Agency of the Russian
Federation, this scienti c complex had changed the
traditional concept on hydrocarbon exploration, enriched
the petroleum system theory and made a turning-point
for the development of the Vietnam Petroleum Industry.
Besides the above mentioned Conference, the 9
th

“Vietnam Oil and Gas Expo 2011” will be held on Oct.
27 - Oct. 29, 2011 in Giang Vo Exhibition Center (Hanoi).
Participating in the Expo are 5 on pavilions of France, Russia,
Singapore, Norway and Vietnam and about 190 exhibitors
from 19 countries and territories around the world. The 9
th

Vietnam Oil and Gas Expo will be the largest one so far. The
expo takes place at a critical time when the whole industry
is implementing the strategy of accelerating developments,
making great e orts in exploration and production in the
overall continental shelf of Vietnam as well as in other
parts of the world. Advanced technologies, equipment
and technical services that are displayed at the expo by

di erent international and local groups and companies can
be applied to the implementation of investment projects in
Vietnam in the coming years.
Compared to the previous ones, the expo this year
will appeal even more to the interests of international and
local investors and companies in the Vietnam petroleum
industry. This is represented by the increasing number of
exhibitors and larger space required by national pavilions
and companies; particularly by the presence of some big
companies marking their return after a period of absence.
Being a biennial event from 1991 to date, Vietnam Oil
and Gas EXPO is growing in size and gradually becoming
an exhibition brand name in the region, attracting
international and domestic oil and gas companies,
equipment manufacturers, services suppliers and product
retails in the petroleum and energy sector.
With the theme “Vietnam petroleum industry - 50 years
of ful lling the aspiration of President Ho Chi Minh” the
booth of Petrovietnam - the mother company - focuses on
milestones in all its operations during the last 50 years of
development, particularly the exploration and production
success in fractured basement, one of the meaningful
achievements of Vietnam’s petroleum industry; adding 17
separated booths of member corporations display their
most outstanding successes on their development. The
expo will be one of the meaningful activities marking the
contribution and determination of the Vietnam petroleum
industry in ful lling the aspiration of respectful President
Ho Chi Minh.
Dung Quat Re nery. Photo: BSR

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I. Introduction
This paper brie y describes the history of the long-
lasting co-operation between VPI and GEUS. It presents
highlights of the geo-scienti c results of this outstanding
co-operation and provides a comprehensive reference list
of written communications that document the project
activities and results that have contributed to the success
of the co-operation.
The initiation of the co-operation between VPI and
GEUS can be traced back to a fact- nding mission to
ENRECAProjectPhaseI, II,IIIfrom2001 to2011:contributions
to geological understanding and petroleum potential
assessmentofsedimentarybasinsinVietnam
N.A. Duc, N.T. Huyen, N.T. Dau, L.C. Mai
Vietnam Petroleum Institute
L.H. Nielsen, I. Abatzis, M.B.W. Fyhn, H.I. Petersen, J.A. Bojesen-Koefoed
Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
Abstract
The Vietnam Petroleum Institute (VPI) and the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) have
developed co-operation within geo-scienti c research and institutional capacity building since 1995. Two projects
have focused on the hydrocarbon potential of the Cenozoic Song Hong basin. The co-operation is continuing within
the frame of a new, long-term project, started in 2001, with the aim of enhancement of research capacity (ENRECA)
within basin analysis and modelling in Vietnam. The  rst phase of the project is directed towards the Phu Khanh
basin o shore central Vietnam. The second phase is focused on the Malay - Tho Chu and Phu Quoc basins in the
Southwestern continental shelf of Vietnam. The third phase, directed to the Northern part of Song Hong basin and
onshore Hanoi trough, is at the preparation stage. Many fruitful results of the co-operation are proving bene cial to
our twinning institutions in terms of scienti c research, technology transfer, advanced training and post-graduate

education.
The origin and the petroleum potential of the Song Hong, Phu Khanh, Malay - Tho Chu and the Phu Quoc basins
have been assessed by the group of Vietnamese and Danish geoscientists and new models are proposed. A technology
transfer, project integrated with the geo-scienti c projects, has provided VPI with modern facilities for interactive
interpretation of geophysical and geological data. Extensive training of Vietnamese geo-scientists in system
management, seismic and logging data interpretation, geochemical modelling, basin modelling and paleontological
interpretation has been carried out via in-house training at VPI and “On-the-job-training” programs at GEUS. The
facilities and their great potential for advanced and e ective interpretation have been demonstrated to a broad
audience through a number of workshops. Co-operation between VPI and GEUS has signi cantly enhanced the
human resources of VPI; four VPI project members have received their master certi cation and four VPI geoscientists
achieved their doctoral certi cation during implementation of cooperative research projects.
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GEUS in 1993 by CCOP-representatives (Co-ordinating
Committee for Geoscience Programmes in East and
South East Asia). A project proposal from GEUS based on
this initial contact was later approved and funded by the
Danish Energy Authority (DEA), and the  rst joint project
between VPI and GEUS was started in 1995. The primary
goals of the project were an analysis of the hydrocarbon
potential of the Song Hong basin by application of
sequence stratigraphy and basin modelling, and geo-
scienti c training of the involved VPI sta . Needs for
modern interpretation facilities were identi ed during
the progress of the project, and support for a technology
transfer project was obtained from Danida (Danish
International Development Assistance). These initial
projects were accompanied by CCOP workshops on
interactive geo-scienti c interpretations and mapping

held at VPI, which was, thereby, established as a regional
training centre. Several VPI geo-scientists participated
also in “On-the-Job-Training” (OJT) programmes at GEUS.
The Royal Danish Embassy in Hanoi and the Fellowship
Programme at Danida funded these activities.
Based on the successful conclusion of the  rst geo-
scienti c project, DEA approved the funding for a second
phase of the project focused on the petroleum systems
of the Song Hong basin. Parallel with this project several
geo-scientists from VPI participated in “OJT” programmes
at GEUS, and CCOP-workshops conducted by GEUS
instructors were held at VPI with the participation of geo-
scientists from the CCOP-member countries. The second
geo-scienti c project was concluded in 1998 (Andersen &
Dien 1998; Andersen 1999).
The implementation of these projects set the
foundations for further co-operation between the two
sister research institutes, and revealed the fundamental
need for enhancement of the research skills of VPI geo-
scientists as part of an institutional capacity building
at VPI. It was therefore decided by VPI and GEUS to
investigate the possibilities for carrying out a long-term
project.
Already in November 1996 when the Board of Danida
visited VPI, members of the Board draw the attention of
VPI and GEUS to the ENRECA-programme (Enhancement
of Research Capacity) at Danida. In 1999, VPI and GEUS
decided to investigate the possibility of continuing and
expanding the fruitful co-operation between the two “sister-
organisations” within the frame of this programme. Danida

approved an initiative grant, and fact- nding missions
conducted in Hanoi and Copenhagen concluded with the
submission of an application for a long-term geo-scienti c
research capacity building project in late 2000. The project
proposal entitled “Integrated analysis and modelling of
geological basins in Vietnam and an assessment of their
hydrocarbon potential” was submitted to Danida. The
general development objective of the project is to improve
the capabilities of researchers and research institutions in
Vietnam to analyse and model their geological basins in
an e ective, integrated and comprehensive way in order
to establish a good geo-scienti c background on which
political and/or technical decisions concerning exploration
and exploitation of hydrocarbons can be based. Each phase
of the project has a duration of three years, while the long-
term co-operation can be extended for up to four phases.
The  rst two phases were approved in 2001 and 2005
focusing on Phu Khanh basin, Malay - Tho Chu and Phu Quoc
basins respectively. The third phase directed to Northern
part of Song Hong basin and onshore Hanoi trough is at the
preparation stage.
A joint research group from the Geological Survey
of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Vietnam Petroleum
Institute (VPI) and universities in Denmark and Vietnam
has since 1995 worked to assess the geology and
petroleum potential of the Vietnamese basins based on
analysis of vast amounts of seismic and gravimetric data,
basin modelling and analysis of well data, source rocks
and information from onshore outcrops, core holes, and
seep oils. This study throws light on the structural and

stratigraphic development of the Vietnamese margin
addressing the regional tectonic mechanism driving
the evolution of the Song Hong, the Phu Khanh, the
Malay - Tho Chu and the Phu Quoc basins. The hydrocarbon
potential of these underexplored basins outlining the
margin is similarly addressed.
II. Results
The results obtained during the co-operation
between VPI and GEUS since 1995 span numerous areas
including, among others, scienti c results, transferred
technology, provision of tailor-made advanced training
courses,  eld-trips, and post-graduate education. The
joint studies resulted in new scienti c knowledge and to
the establishment of close personal friendships among
the researchers in association with mutually valuable
experiences.
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1. Geo-scienti c results
1.1. Sedimentary depositional development
The Vietnamese margin is  oored by a number
of sedimentary basins with a considerable petroleum
potential (Fig. 1). Most of these basins are in an early state
of exploration and the overall understanding of their
development is still limited.
Outcrop studies of Cretaceous strata on Phu Quoc
island and onshore Cambodia complemented by analysis
of the fully cored 500m deep ENRECA-2 well on Phu Quoc
island indicate a prevalence of sandstones in the Phu Quoc

basin (Fyhn et al. 2010). Alluvial sandstones with an average
of ca. 10% rhyolite-dominated lithic fragments make
up the primary content of the up to ca. 4km thick Upper
Jurassic - Cretaceous sediments  lling the basin. Only
a few thin shallow marine sandstone beds have been
encountered in the otherwise terrestrial succession.
The sandstone dominated succession intercalates with
subordinate alluvial plain and lacustrine silt- and mudstone
intervals. Coal fragments are abundant at speci c
stratigraphic levels, but do not posses any source potential.
The Cenozoic rift basins along the Vietnamese margin
are  lled by thick and varied sedimentary successions.
Seismic facies analysis supported by well data indicates
the presence of a broad range of sediment types in
the basins, signifying changing Cenozoic depositional
systems in the region (Figs. 2, 3).
Non-marine depositional
environments with estuarine
interludes prevailed during the
Palaeogene syn-rift period due
to the immature development
of the East Sea. The syn-rift
succession is therefore dominated
by alluvial,  uvial and lacustrine
deposits, of which carbonaceous
lake successions and humic coals
constitute the primary source-rock
type in the area. Restricted marine
incursions occur within the syn-
rift interval suggesting periodic

connections with either the proto-
East Sea or the youngest East Sea
that initiated during the early
Oligocene.
A pronounced transgression
occurred during the earliest
Miocene as the East Sea expanded
and gradually approached the
Vietnamese margin. Widespread
subaerially exposed areas became
inundated, which promoted
carbonate platform growth from
the central Song Hong basin to
the central Phu Khanh basin, while
terrigenous alluvial and shallow
marine deposition prevailed in the
Northern Song Hong, Southern Phu
Fig. 1. Map showing the sedimentary basins on the continental shelf of Vietnam
Hoang Sa
Basin
Phu Quoc
Basin
Tu Chinh-
Vung May
Basin
Truong Sa
Basin
13
PETROVIETNAM - JOURNAL VOL 10/2011
PETROVIETNAM

Khanh, the Nam Con Son, the Cuu Long and the Malay
basins located farther to the South from the initial East
Sea (Fig. 2b).
Local uplift in part of the North-Western Phu Khanh
basin in the Middle miocene caused subaerial exposure
of lower Miocene-lowest middle Miocene platform
carbonates. Consequently, carbonate
growth retreated northward and was
replaced by terrigenous deposition.
During the same period, the
continued opening of the East Sea
introduced open-marine conditions
in the Southern most part of the Phu
Khanh basin, which instigated the
growth and deposition of carbonates
like in the Nam Con Son basin.
Carbonate growth in this area was
interrupted due to the end-middle
Miocene uplift probably associated
with the termination of sea oor
spreading (Fig. 2c) (Fyhn et al. 2009).
Carbonate deposition was re-
established subsequently on the
Northern Con Son swell bordering
the Southern Phu Khanh basin,
whereas deep marine siliciclastic
deposition came to prevail farther
o shore in the Phu Khanh basin
similar to the situation in the central
Nam Con Son basin (Fig. 2d). At

the same time alluvial and shallow
marine deposition dominated in the
Malay - Cho Thu basin which, like the
Cuu Long basin, was located farther
away from the open-marine part of
the East Sea.
The depositional pattern along
the East Vietnamese margin changed
considerably as sediment supply
increased around late Miocene
time in response to the South East
Indochinese uplift (Fig. 2e). Carbonate
deposition was impeded by
subaerial exposure of the Phan Rang
carbonate platform that covered the
Northern Con Son swell. Platform
growth only re-established patchily
during the subsequent transgression
as the input of terrigenous matter
and inorganic nutrients to the area
Fig. 2. Facies maps of part of the central and south Vietnamese margin. a) Palaeogene fa-
cies map illustrating the dominance of non-marine to restricted marine deposits situated
in fault con ned depressions. b) Early Miocene facies map mirroring the early Neogene
transgression triggering widespread carbonate accumulations in the North and alluvial
to shallow marine siliciclastics farther South. c) Middle Miocene facies map. Increas-
ingly open marine conditions in the South-Eastern part of the area promoted carbonate
growth. Shallow marine siliciclastic sedimentation prevailed farther landward and to the
North where carbonate deposition retreated due to magmatism and local uplift. d) Latest
middle to late Miocene facies map. A transgression followed in the wake of a late middle
Miocene uplift in the South-Eastern part of the area. This resulted in widespread carbonate

deposition across the Northern Con Son swell and deeper marine deposition in the Eastern
part of the area. Volcanism in the Phu Khanh basin and alluvial to shallow marine deposi-
tion in the Cuu Long basin continued during the period. e) Latest Miocene-Recent facies
map. Siliciclastic supply increased during the most recent time of the basin evolution. This
promoted the build up of a prominent shelf slope and inhibited carbonate production in
the region. Magmatism in the Phu Khanh basin dropped during the period whereas vol-
canism was initiated to the South. The Dam Thi Nai area is indicated. Modi ed from Fyhn
et al. (2009)
14
PETROVIETNAM - JOURNAL VOL 10/2011
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION
increased signi cantly (Fyhn
et al. 2009). Nutri cation of
the surface waters along the
Con Son swell was controlled
mainly by intense onshore
erosion and an orographic
induced change of the summer
monsoon that triggered
seasonal upwelling along the
Con Son swell. Consequently,
carbonate platforms drowned
o shore South and central
Vietnam throughout the latest
Miocene and early Pliocene
times. Siliciclastic dominated
deposition subsequently took
over in previously carbonate
dominated areas. This led to the
establishment of a prominent

shelf slope along the central
and South Vietnamese
margin that prograded tens of
kilometres East wards during
the remaining part of the
Neogene and characterizes
the modern outline of the
margin.
1.2. Petroleum geology
Cenozoic lacustrine
mudstones and coals/coaly
mudstones are the principal
source rocks in the Vietnamese
and adjacent Chinese basins
(Todd et al. 1997; Petersen
et al. 2004; Andersen et al.
2005; Bojesen-Koefoed et
al., 2005; 2009). Potential
source-rock analogues occur
onshore. Total organic carbon
(TOC) content and hydrogen
Index (HI) values of immature
Cenozoic lacustrine mudstone
analogues from the Dong Ho
area and from the ENRECA-1
well drilled in the onshore Song
Ba trough mainly range from
Fig. 3. Simpli ed stratigraphic columns for the basins along the Vietnamese margin with main
regional tectonic events indicated. N. CSS = North Con Son swell, NE. CLB = Northeast Cuu Long
basin, NE. MB = Northeast Malay basin (Malay - Tho Chu basin), N. NCSB = North Nam Con Son

basin, PKB = Phu Khanh basin, SHB = Song Hong basin. After Fyhn et al. (2009)
Table 1. Source rock parameters
15
PETROVIETNAM - JOURNAL VOL 10/2011
PETROVIETNAM
4 - 20wt% and from 300 - 700mg HC/g TOC, respectively,
indicating that the organic matter largly is composed of
algal-rich kerogen (type I/II) and is comparable to the
lacustrine source rocks encountered in o shore wells
(Table 1) (Petersen et al. 2001; 2004; 2005; 2010; Nielsen
et al. 2007). Onshore humic coals display HI values up
to 350mg HC/g TOC, compatible with those sampled in
o shore wells suggesting a potential for oil generation.
Data from these onshore source-rock analogues thus
emphasize that mature Cenozoic lacustrine mudstones
and coals/coaly mudstones provide excellent source
rocks for oil and gas generation in the region. These source
rocks are interpreted to be abundant in the Palaeogene
syn-rift of the Song Hong, Phu Khanh and Malay - Tho
Chu basins, and sporadically present in Miocene deposits
based on well data and seismic interpretation (Matthews
et al. 1997; Lee & Watkins, 1998; Nielsen et al. 1999; 2007;
Lee et al. 2001; Andersen et al. 2005; Petersen et al. 2004;
2009; 2010; Fyhn et al. 2009; 2010).
• The Phu Khanh basin
Oil from Cenozoic marly source rocks is the most
common seep oil in the Dam Thi Nai lagoon but lacustrine
seep oils, comparable to oils produced from  elds in the
Cuu Long basin and oils encountered in wells in the Song
Hong basin, were sampled as well by the ENRECA Group

along the lagoonal coast (Traynor & Sladen, 1997; Bojesen-
Koefoed et al., 2005; Fyhn et al. 2009). Biological marker
distribution of the prevailing Dam Thi Nai oil exhibits
characteristics resembling extracts of Miocene marly
source rocks in the Nam Con Son basin deposited near
reefal and intra-reefal settings (Traynor & Sladen, 1997;
Bojesen-Koefoed et al., 2005). A compatible early Miocene
fore-reef setting is interpreted immediately o shore
from the Dam Thi Nai area based on seismic data in the
Phu Khanh basin (Fig. 2b) (Fyhn et al. 2009). The “marly”
Dam Thi Nai Oil may therefore have originated from
lower Miocene fore-reef marls deposited in the narrow
depression along the trace of the EVBFZ in the Northern
half of the Phu Khanh basin, which would require a fairly
simple 40 - 50km up-dip migration pathway for the seep
oils (Fig. 2b).
2-D hydrocarbon modelling was carried out to give a
 rst assessment of the maturation and the hydrocarbon
generation history of the successions potentially
sourcing the oil seeps in the Dam Thi Nai lagoon as well
as to illuminate the timing and control of hydrocarbon
generation and migration in the Phu Khanh basin (Fyhn et
al. 2009). Seismic interpretation and gravimetric modelling
were used to constrain lithology, ages, structures, crustal
thickness, and heat  ow, and pre-de ned standard
PetroMod physical rock parameters were assigned in the
absence of well data.
Modelling indicates that part of the syn-rift succession
entered the oil window during the Palaeogene. During the
early Neogene the level of maturation in widespread areas

only increased moderately. However, as the sediment
accumulation rate increased during the late Neogene,
the potential syn-rift and early Miocene source intervals
were deeply buried by prograding deposits, which forced
the main potential source intervals through the main oil
window and caused the majority of the Palaeogene syn-
rift farther seawards to be situated in the oil window.
The late Neogene is therefore interpreted as the single-
most important period for oil and gas generation in the
Phu Khanh basin, although magmatic activity may have
in uenced source maturation locally in the basin.
The Dam Thi Nai oil seeps and the recent White Shark
oil discovery in the central part of the Phu Khanh basin
indicate working petroleum systems within the basin. This
is substantiated by numerous potential direct hydrocarbon
indicators (DHI), such as gas seeps, amplitude anomalies,
 at spots and chimney-like features, mostly situated
in various carbonate and sand-prone intervals (Lee &
Watkins 1998; Fyhn et al. 2009). The ENRECA study has
thrown light on a series of structural and stratigraphic trap
types situated in favourable positions relative to potential
source rocks. The traps mainly formed before or during
early Neogene time, preceding the late Neogene main
oil generation. The study further indicates that potential
reservoir rocks are composed of Miocene carbonates,
diverse sand-prone depositional facies ranging from
non-marine  uvial deposits to deep marine turbidite
sequences and fractured basement highs in the western
half of the basin sealed by carbonate drowning sequences,
transgressive shales and lacustrine mudstones. A series of

promising hydrocarbon plays thus exist in the basin, many
of which are located in shallow water (Fig. 4).
• The Song Hong basin
Analysis of the Song Hong basin carried out during
the initial phase of the ENRECA project suggested the
presence of working petroleum systems in the basin. Oil-
16
PETROVIETNAM - JOURNAL VOL 10/2011
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION
source correlations suggest the presence of a Miocene
coaly source-rock and a lacustrine mudstone source
rock (Nielsen et al. 1999; Andersen et al. 2005). Miocene
intervals containing thick coal seams encountered in wells
were mapped out seismically across a larger region of the
basin. Similarly, Palaeogene lacustrine mudstones with
excellent source potential crop out on Bach Long Vi and
onshore in the Dong Ho area. Re ector intervals situated
within the syn-rift of the Song Hong basin composed
of continuous, low-frequency, high-
amplitude re ectors interpreted as
thick dominantly lacustrine mudstone
successions occur regionally along the
rim of the Song Hong basin and have
been mapped out. Early modelling of
source-rock maturity and petroleum
generation indicated the likeliness of
active petroleum systems in the NE
Song Hong basin (Nielsen et al. 1999;
Andersen et al. 2005). Modelling further
suggested late timing of maturation

of syn-rift source rocks along the basin
margin and of post-rift coals situated
in the central part of the basin. This
has allowed for extended periods of
time for post-rift structures to form
and to be sealed prior to hydrocarbon
expulsion and migration. A number of
subsequent discoveries made in recent
years in blocks 102, 103, 106 and 107
have con rmed the existence of these
Cenozoic petroleum systems in the area
and the  ndings of the initial modelling
e ort in the basin. Even so, a signi cant
gab in the understanding of the geology
and the petroleum systems of the Song
Hong basins exists. The ENRECA group is
therefore in the process of revisiting the
Song Hong basin and plan to drill a fully
cored well in the syn-rift succession of
the basin as part of our activities.
• The Malay - Tho Chu basin
In the Malay - Tho Chu basin
petroleum exploration began during the
early 1970’ encouraged by the successful
exploration activities immediately South
of Vietnamese territory. The  rst well was
drilled in 1994, and since then, signi cant gas, condensate
and oil discoveries have been made in several wells drilled
in the Malay - Tho Chu basin, but only a few discoveries
are as yet considered commercial. A re-evaluation of the

tested exploration strategies is therefore necessary in
order to optimize and focus future exploration.
Exploration has mainly aimed at lower to middle
Miocene  uviodeltaic sand reservoirs with late Neogene
Fig. 5. (a) Yükler-modelled Present-day maturation level for type I kerogene at the base
of the interpreted Palaeogene syn-rift source interval in the North-Eastern Song Hong
basin. (b) Present-day modelled maturation level for type III kerogene at the base of the
interpreted Palaeogene syn-rift source interval. After Andersen et al. (2005)
Fig. 4. Schematic diagram summarising potential hydrocarbon play-types in the Phu
Khanh basin. The potential plays are based on source rocks primarily composed of Pal-
aeogene lacustrine mudstones and coals and lower Miocene marly mudstones. Various
sand-, carbonate- and basement-reservoir types are outlined relying on both structural
and stratigraphic trapping mechanisms. Modi ed after Fyhn et al. (2009)
17
PETROVIETNAM - JOURNAL VOL 10/2011
PETROVIETNAM
structural trapping mechanisms. Potential source rocks
have been interpreted to be alginite-bearing lacustrine
shales and humic coals situated in the Palaeogene syn-rift
and in the lowermost post-rift successions.
Only few potential source-rock levels have been
penetrated by wells, but those that have, have suppressed
vitrinite re ectance (VR) values compared to VR values
obtained from overlying Neogene coals. Suppressed VR
values may occur in alginite-rich rocks and VR suppression
is therefore particularly common in lacustrine shales with
high HI values. The maturity trends of such VR datasets
may not be well-constrained and produce abnormally
low thermal maturity gradients. Thus Fluorescence
Alteration of Multiple Macerals (FAMM) was applied in

order to obtain reliable thermal maturity trends in rocks
containing vitrinite with suppressed and enhanced VR
values. By combining conventional VR measurements and
FAMM data a revised and more accurate thermal maturity
gradient has been established (Fig. 6) (Petersen et al. 2009).
2-D modelling of the maturation history of the basin
was carried out based on the revised thermal maturity
gradient, detailed seismic mapping, well information and
custom kinetics for bulk petroleum generation; the latter
determined from outcrop samples of lacustrine source
rock analogues and a terrestrially in uenced mudstone
collected from wells (Petersen et al. 2010).
The 2-D models suggest that most of the syn-rift
succession in the Vietnamese Malay basin is located in or
has passed through the main oil and gas windows. Syn-
rift source rocks have therefore produced and expelled
signi cant quantities of hydrocarbons, however, the main
oil generation generally took place during the early and
middle Miocene prior to formation of structural traps in
late Neogene time.
2-D modelling of the hydrocarbon generation
therefore suggests that the main risks in the
tested play types are 1) the timing of petroleum
generation relative to trap formation completed
in the late Neogene, 2) pervasive Neogene
faulting, which may have complicated petroleum
migration to the structures and breached charged
traps, and 3) the distribution and amount of
matured source rocks in smaller grabens. Based on
the abovementioned and the presence of DHI’s,

an untested alternative play type is proposed
relying on syn-rift sandstones located up-dip from
and near source-rock intervals with Palaeogene
structural and stratigraphic trapping mechanisms
that did not experience subsequent Neogene
deformation.
2. Technology transfer
The signi cant result of the technology transfer
project in 1996 - 1998 was the establishment
of state-of the-art interactive interpretation
facilities at VPI. The installation of the facilities was
supervised by GEUS experts posted to VPI, and in
March 1996, Mr. Poul Nielsen, at that time Danish
Minister for Development Aid, inaugurated the
facilities, which were the  rst of its kind within a
public research institute in Vietnam. Initially, the
equipment comprised two Landmark Workstations
with plotters and advanced software for geological,
Fig. 6. Mean average VR values from a well in the South-Eastern part of
the Malay - Tho Chu basin and FAMM-derived EqVR values plotted accord-
ing to depth. Five of the VR values de ne a trend that has a very high cor-
relation coe cient. The two deepest samples are omitted due to compli-
cations caused by VR suppression and possibly cavings. The curve de ned
by the EqVR values includes all seven samples. From Petersen et al. (2009)
18
PETROVIETNAM - JOURNAL VOL 10/2011
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION
geophysical and petrophysical interpretations of digital
data. Comprehensive training in data loading and system
management were provided to VPI geo-scientists as an

integrated part of the technology project. The necessary
training comprised both in-house training at VPI instructed
by GEUS experts and long-term OJT programmes at GEUS.
The technology project was fully integrated with the on-
going geo-scienti c project, which bene ted greatly from
the new powerful tools as the interpretation of seismic data
and well-log data were carried out on the workstations.
In addition, the experiences harvested by utilising
the new facilities and the applied methodologies were
disseminated to geo-scientists from all CCOP-member
countries during open workshops held at VPI and
instructed by a team of GEUS and VPI experts.
The introduction of interactive interpretation
of geophysical and geological data at VPI and the
establishment of a Vietnamese group of capable geo-
scientists has further stimulated VPI in its e orts to create
a modern public research institute. The equipment
provides the necessary technological
background for e ective and modern
interpretations, and with the appropriate
project data bases, the geo-scientists at
VPI are able to provide research-based
advice to the energy authorities in Vietnam
and to perform consulting work for the
hydrocarbon industry active in Vietnam.
3. On-the-job-training (OJT), train-
ing courses, seminars and workshops,
post-graduate education
The OJT programmes at GEUS for
geo-scientists from VPI, HUMG and HUS

have all been tailored towards speci c
needs identi ed during the progress
of the research projects. The needs for
training have been related to data and
system management, and interactive
interpretation of seismic, geological and
petrophysical well data on workstations,
as well as various aspects within
sedimentology, biostratigraphy, organic
geochemistry, organic petrography and
basin modelling.
Selected topics including stratigraphic
principles, seismic interpretation,
sequence stratigraphic methodology and
source rock geology have been introduced
to a larger audience at VPI in Hanoi at
seminars and classes typically of one-week
duration. These courses have been open
for participants not only from VPI and
Petrovietnam in Hanoi but also for their
sta from the o ces in Ho Chi Minh city,
and for students and teachers from the
local universities in Hanoi. Four workshops
Fig. 7. Drilling of ENRECA-2 well on the Phu Quoc Island
Fig. 8. Transboundary Vietnam - Cambodia  eld trip organized by the ENRECA project
with the support from CCOP
19
PETROVIETNAM - JOURNAL VOL 10/2011
PETROVIETNAM
open for geo-scientist from the CCOP-member countries

have been instructed on the interpretation facilities at
VPI covering various aspects from seismic interpretation
and mapping to the construction of geological models
for exploitation of hydrocarbons or groundwater
reservoirs. Manuals and selected literature have been
provided to the course and workshop participants for
further studies.
The projects have also provided funds for the
participation of several VPI geo-scientists in international
conferences giving them an opportunity to be exposed
to the international research community and to establish
scienti c contacts with other researchers and discuss with
them scienti c matters of common interest. The projects
also provided training to the involved VPI researchers for
enhancing their capabilities in scienti c speaking and
report writing.
One of the fruitful results of cooperation between VPI
and GEUS is enhancement of human resources of VPI. Four
VPI project members received their master certi cation, and
four VPI geoscientists got their doctoral certi cation in the
implmentation process of cooperation research projects.
They play a more important role contributing to the scienti c
research programme of VPI.
III. Summary and conclusions
The long-lasting co-operation between VPI and
GEUS has been successful and bene cial to all parties.
The close geo-scienti c relationship between the two
sister-organisations is accompanied by many personal
friendships and rewarding experiences.
Many Vietnamese project participants have been

introduced to, and trained, methods that are commonly
applied within the international oil and gas industry, and
a large number of the participants have been exposed
to the international scienti c community. At the same
time, many GEUS geo-scientists have been exposed
to stimulating and exciting geological problems and
have gained invaluable personal experiences with the
challenges met during project management, conduction
of scienti c research and provision of training courses in a
di erent working environment.
Besides the numerous cultural and personal gains,
the scienti c research conducted jointly by Vietnamese
and Danish researchers has resulted in many encouraging
and important conclusions regarding the geology and
hydrocarbon potential of Song Hong, Phu Khanh, Malay -
Tho Chu and Phu Quoc basins.
Non-marine to restricted marine deposition prevailed
along the margin from the Eocene to the Oligocene,
and lacustrine mudstones and humic coals with source
rock potential were deposited during the period. The
marine in uence increased during latest Oligocene and
Neogene time as the East Sea approached its present
outline. Carbonates therefore constitute a signi cant
part of the Miocene along the East Vietnamese margin,
whereas clastic deposition prevailed in the northern
Song Hong and the Malay - Tho Chu basins situated near
entry points of terrestrial input and farther from open sea
areas. Depositional rates increased signi cantly during
the late Neogene in response to uplift and denudation
of Southern Indochina. The uplift was associated with

an intensi cation of volcanism in the region, which
was initiated o shore during the early Neogene and
subsequently broadened.
Maturation modelling of the Song Hong basin
suggests a regional petroleum potential in the basin.
Miocene oil-prone coals encountered in wells are
presently at a mature state in the distal parts of the
basin. Eocene - Oligocene syn-rift source rocks crop out
on the Bach Long Vi and at Dong Ho and are expected
to be abundant along the basin margin based on seismic
facies mapping. Maturation modelling indicate that these
syn-rift source rocks are presently oil to gas generating
in widespread areas along the basin margin, which has
allowed considerable time for traps to have formed and
been sealed.
The Phu Khanh basin contains active petroleum
systems as indicated by the Dam Thi Nai oil seeps and oil
tested recently in the central part of the basin. Signi cant
source rock intervals may be present in the basin and
include thick Palaeogene syn-rift sequences interpreted
to contain abundant lacustrine and coaly intervals, and
lower Miocene carbonaceous fore-reef marls.
In the Malay - Tho Chu basin FAMM analyses of coals
and carbonaceous mudstones has led to a revised and
steeper maturation gradient in the area. Basin modelling
incorporating the revised maturation gradient and new
custom kinetic data for coals and lacustrine source rocks
indicate that the main risks for the tested Neogene play
types are 1) the timing of petroleum generation relative
20

PETROVIETNAM - JOURNAL VOL 10/2011
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION
to trap formation completed in the late Neogene, 2)
the pervasive faulting, which may have complicated
petroleum migration to the structures and breached
charged traps, and 3) the distribution and amount of
matured source rocks in smaller grabens. An alternative
syn-rift play type is therefore suggested, relying on
sand reservoirs located next to source-rock intervals,
and Palaeogene trapping mechanisms una ected by
subsequent Neogene structuring.
The group of Vietnamese and Danish geoscientists
has evaluated the geology and petroleum potential of
the Song Hong, Phu Khanh, Malay - Tho Chu and the Phu
Quoc basins along with the training of MSc. and Ph.D.
students in hydrocarbon related geology/geophysics. In
the coming phase of the ENRECA project the Song Hong
basin will be revisited. As part of the activities a fully cored
stratigraphic well is considered to be drilled through the
Palaeogene syn-rift succession in the Song Hong basin
in order to test and improve knowledgeof, for example,.
source potential, source-rock deposition and maturation,
Palaeogene biostratigraphy and age of rifting, overall syn-
rift sedimentology, petrography, provenance areas and
recognition of source-rock intervals from seismic data. The
stratigraphic well is combined with and complemented
by structural and stratigraphic studies based on seismic
interpretation, basin modelling and outcrop analysis.
A strong foundation for further co-operation has
been established. It is the sincere hope that the fruitful

co-operation laid down during the previous activities will
continue in the future on a long-term basis.
Acknowledgements
The focus in this contribution has been on the results of
the co-operation between VPI and GEUS. The results would
not have been achieved without the great support from a
large number of individuals at Petrovietnam, VPI, GEUS,
CCOP, Institute of Geography and Geology (IGG) - University
of Copenhagen, Hanoi University of Mining and Geology
(HUMG), Hanoi University of Science (HUS) - Hanoi National
University. All colleagues and friends at these institutes
are thanked for their contributions, encouragement and
support. Various Vietnamese Authorities, including the
Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Vietnamese
Embassy in Copenhagen are thanked for valuable advice
and administrative support. The Royal Danish Embassies
in Hanoi, Danida Fellowship Centre, and Danida are
thanked for the  nancial support. Vietnam Petroleum
Institute, Petrovietnam and GEUS are acknowledged for
the institutional support, provision of manpower, access
to samples and data, and permissions to publish the geo-
scienti c results.
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Vietnam. In-house con dential report.
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PETROLEUM EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION
Description of the data set
The passive seismic survey carried out in April, 2007
at Voitsdorf, Austria includes six lines running North-
South across two reservoir sections of the  eld. Each line
consisted of ten ultra-sensitive, 3 component portable
broadband seismometers deployed at 1km spacing. More
detailed description of the geology and acquisition can
be found in Lambert et al. (2008).
On April 8
th
, at 5.42am local time an earthquake
of magnitude 6.5 richter originated from Northern
Afghanistan at a depth of around 200km arrived in the area
and was detected by one of the survey lines. The location
of the line relative to the reservoir is presented in Fig. 1a.
Fig. 1b shows 100 minutes (5 - 6.40am) of the vertical
components of the data containing the earthquake signals
that were extracted for analysis. In this Fig. the earthquake
can be clearly identi ed as two main events (P-wave
and S-wave arrivals) and several minutes of codas. We
divided the data set into three intervals for comparison:
(1) before the earthquake, the portion of data up to the
 rst detectable arrival of the earthquake; (2) during the
earthquake, the interval from the  rst earthquake arrival
until the average amplitudes return to their normal values
and (3) after the earthquake, the rest of the data set. These
time intervals are marked as dotted rectangles in Fig. 1b.
Earthquakeinfluenceonlow-frequencyseismic
wavefieldoverahydrocarbonreservoirin

Voitsdorf,Austria
Nguyen Thanh Tung
Vietnam Petroleum Institute
Phan Thien Huong
Hanoi Mining University
Introduction
Several studies at various oil and gas  elds worldwide have shown low-frequency spectral anomalies in the passive
surface particle velocity signals which have a good correlation with the location of hydrocarbon (HC) reservoirs (e.g.,
Dangel et al., 2003; Holzner et al., 2005; Birialtsev et al., 2006; Mastrigt and Al-Dulaijan, 2008). The main observation
is an increase of spectral amplitudes in the low frequency band of passive seismic data approximately between 1 and
6Hz above a hydrocarbon reservoir. The anomalous signatures on a data spectrum can be quanti ed by some passive
seismic attributes to aid the interpretation (Lambert et al. 2008).
Steiner et al. (2008) applied time reverse modelling to show that the a reservoir zone is the origin of the low-
frequency energy. The physical mechanism of this phenomenon is not yet fully understood, however it is usually
suggested that the ever-present seismic background noise of the earth (e.g., Berger et al., 2004) acts as the driving
force for the generation of the anomalous signals with underlying possible rock-physical mechanisms discussed in
Graf et al. (2007). This raises an interesting question; if HC reservoirs react to such low energy sources, how will they
respond to strong earthquakes? In this paper we describe an investigation of the impact of earthquakes on passive
seismic data around oil and gas reservoirs.
Three di erent techniques were applied for the investigation using signals from a major earthquake that was
recorded during a passive seismic survey at a known oil and gas  eld near Voitsdorf, Austria: (a) spectral analysis
technique that is commonly used to identify passive seismic anomalies, (b) empirical mode decomposition to extract
intrinsic modes of the data and analyse their properties and (c) time reverse modelling of the data in time domain to
localize possible low frequency sources in the subsurface. The objective is to compare the properties of three portions
of data: before the earthquake, during the earthquake and after the earthquake.
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PETROVIETNAM
Compared to the overall quality of the survey the quality
of the data set is rather poor with signals from stations 41,

42, 43, and 47 being strongly contaminated with surface
ambient noise mainly caused by a pump and a highway
nearby. An analysis also found that the background noise
level increased with time for this data set.
Spectral analysis
The spectral analysis of passive seismic data is the
most common way to identify anomalous locations. Some
quantitative attributes of the spectrum can also be used
to aid the interpretation (Lambert et al., 2008). Usually the
quietest time intervals within several hours of recordings
are selected and transformed into frequency domain for
analysis. Unfortunately the optimal (i.e. quietest) time
interval cannot be chosen for the data set used in this
study because it is constrained by the earthquake arrival.
To reduce the e ects of higher level of contaminated
arti cial noise an additional processing procedure was
implemented as following:
- Segment the data into non-overlapping 10 second
time windows.
- Compute the amplitude standard deviations (STD)
of each time window.
- Reject all time windows with STD exceeding triple
of STD of the whole data length.
The example in Fig. 2 shows a comparison of the
data at station 41 before and after the processing. It can
be seen that most strong noisy transients have been
e ectively removed by the procedure.
In the next step, the power spectral density (PSD)
was computed for each of the remaining 10 second
time window. The arithmetic mean had been removed

and the Hanning window function had been applied
before the transformation to reduce the spectral leakage.
Representative spectra of the three time intervals,
before the earthquake, during the earthquake and after
the earthquake were then generated for each station
simply by averaging the PSD values of all 10 second time
windows within the corresponding interval.
In Fig. 3 the representative spectra of the data from
all stations of the survey line in Fig. 1 are plotted side
by sided for comparison. Obviously, despite the extra
processing steps, broadband noise still dominates at
station 42 above reservoir 2 and obscures possible useful
information from it. We therefore mainly focused on
signatures from reservoir 1 whose location su ered less
from surface noise. Only the frequencies between 1Hz-
10Hz are considered because the signals above 10Hz
are mostly noise while the signals below 1Hz are fully
dominated by the earthquake main event.
It can be seen in Fig. 3a that before the earthquake
there is a small amplitude increase around 3Hz at station
51 above reservoir 1 but it can hardly be de ned as an
anomaly without priory knowledge of the reservoir
location. During the earthquake, frequency components
of up to 5Hz, especially the earthquake dominant
frequency range (below 2Hz), signi cantly increased, as
seen in Fig. 3b. As the earthquake passed, the amplitudes
of its dominant frequency range returned to their normal
values but the frequency components between 2 - 5Hz
remain high even after the main earthquake events
disappeared. This could be due to the earthquake but

could also be the background noise that increased with
time. However, the most interesting observation in this
part is that the reservoir section at stations 51, which
hardly shows any anomalous value before the earthquake
(Fig. 2a) becomes clearly highlighted after the earthquake
(marked by the ellipse in Fig. 2c).
The earthquake e ects on two attributes of the
data spectrum that are commonly used as hydrocarbon
indicators: the PSD-IZ attribute (Saenger et al. 2007) and
the V/H ratio (Lambert et al. 2007) were also investigated.
PSD-IZ attribute
PSD-IZ is an integral attribute which can be used to
map energy anomalies using the vertical data component.
It only considers PSD amplitudes above a local minimum
between 1-1.7Hz. For each spectrum the PSD-IZ value is
de ned as the integral in a frequency interval empirically
de ned to be above the ocean wave peak and below
strong anthropogenic noise. For this particular survey
the integral was calculated in the range between 1-3.7Hz.
Fig. 4 shows the PSD-IZ values computed for the data
before and after the earthquake (a) and their di erences
(b). The values during the earthquake could not be
determined because the spectra have no local minimum
in the 1-1.7Hz range. Before the earthquake, the PSD-
IZ does not show any anomalous signature over the
reservoir at station 51. After the earthquake, the PSD-IZ
value above the reservoir strongly increased and becomes
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PETROVIETNAM - JOURNAL VOL 10/2011
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION

a local maximum. But the best
indicator for the reservoir location
in this case is the di erence of
PSD-IZ values before and after the
earthquake. Fig. 4b shows that the
reservoir is clearly singled out by
the PSD-IZ di erence.
V/H ratio
Lambert et al. (2007)
suggested that the dominant
amplitude peak of the ratio of
vertical to horizontal components
(V/H) in the low frequency range
(i.e. 1 - 6Hz) may be related to
hydrocarbon presence. Fig. 5
shows the V/H peak amplitudes
computed for the data before,
during, and after the earthquake.
One can immediately notice that
unlike the PSD-IZ values the V/H
peak amplitudes in this case are
not sensitive to the earthquake.
They have very similar values for
all three time intervals probably
because the horizontal and vertical
components of the signals are
a ected by the earthquake in a
similar way. The spectral ratio of
the two components therefore
has e ectively deconvolved the

earthquake signals. The pro le in
Fig. 5 does not show anomalous
V/H peaks over the reservoirs
using data from any of the 3 time
windows. This is consistent with
the observations reported by
Lambert et al. (2008), who carried
out a thorough analysis of the
whole survey.
Empirical mode decomposition
Empirical Mode Decomposition
(EMD) is a signal processing
technique which allows non-
stationary and nonlinear time-
series to be examined (Huang et al.,
Fig. 3. Data spectra before, during, and after the earthquake. Above the reservoir (station 51),
the amplitudes around 3Hz increase strongly after the earthquake (marked by the ellipse)

Fig. 1. Locations of the stations relative to the reservoirs (a) and the earthquake signals picked
up by them (b). The dotted rectangles mark the three time intervals used for analysis
Fig. 2. Strong transient noise contaminated in the original data (blue) have been e ectively
removed after the application of the removal tool (red)