Vietnam: Ministry of Health proposing ban on night sales of beer and alcohol

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has suggested banning the sales of beer and alcohol after 10:00 pm in the draft law on the prevention of ill effects of alcoholic beverages in the community.

It suggests banning alcohol sale between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am in the following morning.

Nguyen Huy Quang, head of the legal department of the Ministry of Health, admitted that it is acceptable to establish a limit but authorities are studying measures to make the ban more effective if it is approved by the law-making National Assembly.

Last year, the traffic police department in Ho Chi Minh City proposed to ban the sale of beer after 10:00 pm. However, it was not supported then by the city’s authorities.

Vietnam has a heavy consumption of beer and alcohol and the amount has been increasing year after year.

In 2013, Vietnam consumed over three billion litres of beer, ranking third in Asia after Japan and China. 68,000 litres of wine were drunk in the year.

In 2012, the nation consumed 2.8 billion litres of beer and 63,000 litres of wine.

90 percent of Vietnamese adults drink beer and alcohol and every one in four drinkers consumes six glasses of beer a day or more, according to Quang.

23 July, 2014