Abstract

The exploration in the northern area of the Song Hong Basin, offshore Vietnam, was previously considered challenging. Most hydrocarbon discoveries had historically been made solely in Miocene inversion clastic and fractured/karstified carbonate basement and are marginal and sub-commercial discoveries.

Recently, further studies and extended exploration program have made two more important discoveries. The first one is the Ham Rong Dong gas and condensate discovery in Oligocene overlying the basement high in Block 106. This is the first significant hydrocarbon discovery of the Oligocene clastic reservoir in the northern offshore area of the Song Hong Basin. The reservoir is of good quality with net sand up to 60m and porosity from 13% to 16%. The second one is the Ky Lan gas discovery in four way-dip closure within a depocenter trough in Block 107. The reservoir quality is quite good with total net sands about 100m and porosity from 14% to 16%. In addition to these two significant discoveries, the recent E well on the V Island encountered ca. 500m of a massive Oligocene lacustrine “world class” claystone source rock with TOC up to 9% and containing mainly Type I and II kerogen. All of the above discoveries are very important and opening up vast exploration opportunities in the northern offshore part of the Song Hong Basin.

This talk will provide key information on the two new hydrocarbon discoveries, claystone source rock, and also the implication of these two new discoveries for further exploration.