Members of the ethanol industry recently joined the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) on a strategic mission to Southeast Asia (SEA) to provide support for ethanol policy and technical advancement in Vietnam and the Philippines.

The delegation included Renewable Fuels Association Director of Market Development Cassie Mullen who joined government officials, oil companies and local industry leaders for two technical fuel workshops in Ho Chi Minh City and Manila. The workshops are part of the U.S. ethanol industry’s broader strategy to provide technical support, foster policy development and reinforce ethanol’s role in clean transportation and energy diversification across the region.

In Vietnam, the U.S. delegation partnered with the Vietnam Petroleum Association (VINPA) to attract more than 120 delegates for a day-long session on best practices in retail infrastructure, fuel dispensing technology, ethanol supply chain integrity and consumer sentiment. Presentations by U.S., Vietnamese and Singaporean experts provided evidence that higher ethanol blends such as E10 are compatible with current infrastructure and consumer vehicles, especially motorcycles, which dominate Vietnam’s transport fleet.

The delegation then traveled to Manila for the Philippines E20 Retail Fuel Workshop convening roughly 100 fuel retailers, technical advisors, policymakers and downstream fuel industry players to address implementation strategies for the E20 discretionary policy promulgated in 2024 that allows for the sale of E20 gasoline alongside the existing E10 mandate.

The workshop solidified the U.S. ethanol industry’s technical leadership role in supporting fuel policy evolution and reinforced the local industry’s growing confidence in the long-term feasibility of E20 fuel blends.