A company is daily providing southern Vietnam with hundreds of oxygen cylinders as Covid-19 cases soar across the region. 

Messer Vietnam Industrial Gases in central Quang Ngai Province, one of the two largest industrial gas production facilities in Vietnam, boasts a capacity of nearly 100 tons per day.

Producing medical oxygen occurs within a closed chain. After entering a filter layer, the air passes through a cooling system where impurities are removed before it is deeply cooled, and fed into the gas separation tower.

In this tower, gases are separated according to the distillation principle to separate oxygen, nitrogen or argon. Photo by Messer in Vietnam.

A worker pumps liquefied oxygen into tankers before the gas is transported to factories and filling stations. Each vehicle can carry from 16 to 22 cubic meters and store liquefied gas for 24 hours depending on actual conditions. Photo by Messer in Vietnam.

Tankers carrying liquefied oxygen gather at a gas extraction plant of Messer in Thuan An Town of Binh Duong Province that borders Ho Chi Minh City on July 22.

When in use, liquefied gas inside the tanks will be vaporized and pumped into compressed air bottles for consumption.

Inside the Binh Duong factory, 30 staff including workers, technicians, and drivers are charged with filling and transporting oxygen cylinders. Employees are kept on site to avoid them catching Covid-19 on their daily commute.

Nguyen Van Phuong, production supervisor of Messer Vietnam Industrial Gases in Binh Duong, said every day the factory supplies 400 to 800 oxygen cylinders of six and 10 cubic meters to the market.

"Currently, market demand for medical oxygen orders has increased. Over the past month, we have prepared accommodation for all employees at the factory to avoid Covid-19 and ensure oxygen supply."

Vietnam is in the grip of its fourth Covid-19 community wave, which hit the nation in late April.

Since then, more than 110,000 cases have been recorded. The nation’s biggest city HCMC accounts for most infections, more than 72,000 cases, followed BinhDuong with 8,909.

The gas extraction system.

Duong Ngoc Tho carefully inspects the interior of a cylinder.

"If the bottle is still wet, it must be dried again to ensure safety."

Tho attaches cylinders to a drying system.

He said the cylinders are maintained regularly every two to five years depending on their lifespan.

Tong, a Thai technician, checks the quality of oxygen in each cylinder using a hygrometer and oxygen analyzer.

Nguyen Van Bac disinfects an oxygen cylinder.

"The ongoing outbreak has been growing too complicated so all cylinders going in and out of the factory must be disinfected."

Oxygen cylinders are hoisted onto trucks to be delivered to medical facilities.

According to Messer Vietnam, if the ongoing outbreak is to loom larger, it will double its production capacity to ensure the supply of sufficient oxygen needed for treatment at medical facilities in the south.

A staff member disinfects a driver at the Messer Vietnam factory.

Drivers in charge of distributing oxygen cylinders must be disinfected whenever entering the factory’s precint and tested every three days. All drivers working for the firm have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

A tanker of Messer Vietnam makes its way to deliver medical oxgyen. Messer is one of the largest oxygen manufacturers in the south, supplying medical facilities in Binh Duong, HCMC, Long An, Tien Giang and Can Tho, among others. The firm is also expected to install large oxygen tanks at hospitals and ICUs intended for Covid-19 treatment.

Previously, the health ministry repeatedly assured oxygen production capacity in Vietnam could still meet domestic demand. It warned citizens against hoarding ventilators and oxygen tanks as that may cause shortages and prevent access for those who need them most.