Acquisition of Minority Interest in Vietnam

SOCO is an international oil and gas exploration and production company, headquartered in London traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. The Company has interests in Vietnam, Yemen, Thailand and the Republic of Congo with production operations in Yemen. SOCO announces that it has purchased an additional 2% interest in Block 16-1 in the Cuu Long Basin, offshore in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, taking its total interest in the Block to 30.5%. Exploration drilling on this Block to date has identified an 80 kilometre long play fairway with prospects and leads mapped at multiple horizons, and the Company expects to declare commerciality on the Te Giac Trang prospect in the near future.