Is Drinking Alcohol in the Park Permitted? How Much is the Fine for Drinking Alcohol in Prohibited Areas?
Where is Alcohol Consumption Prohibited?
According to Article 10 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Alcohol and Beer 2019, the locations where alcohol consumption is prohibited are specified as follows:
Locations Where Alcohol Consumption is Prohibited
1. Medical facilities.
2. Educational institutions during teaching, studying, and working hours.
3. Facilities, areas for care, nurturing, playing, and entertainment for individuals under 18 years old.
4. Rehabilitation centers, compulsory education institutions, reformatory schools, detention facilities for criminals, and other detention centers.
5. Social support facilities.
6. Workplaces of state agencies, political organizations, socio-political organizations, socio-political-professional organizations, and public service providers during working hours, except for locations licensed to sell alcohol and beer.
7. Public places as regulated by the Government of Vietnam.
Additionally, public locations where alcohol consumption is prohibited are specifically regulated in Article 3 of Decree 24/2020/ND-CP as follows:
Public Locations Where Alcohol Consumption is Prohibited
Aside from the locations specified in Clauses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and Clause 6 of Article 10 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Alcohol and Beer, public places where alcohol consumption is prohibited include:
1. Parks, except for restaurants within the park premises licensed to sell alcohol and beer before the effective date of this Decree.
2. Bus stops.
3. Cinemas, theaters, cultural, and sports facilities during the organization of activities according to their functional, task, and primary usage, except for the organization of culinary and cultural festivals involving alcohol and beer.
As such, alcohol consumption is not permitted at the following locations:
- Medical facilities; educational institutions during teaching, studying, and working hours; facilities, areas for care, nurturing, playing, and entertainment for individuals under 18 years old;- Rehabilitation centers, compulsory education institutions, reformatory schools, detention facilities for criminals, and other detention centers; social support facilities; workplaces of state agencies, political organizations, socio-political organizations, socio-political-professional organizations, public service providers during working hours, except for locations licensed to sell alcohol and beer;- Public places such as parks, except for restaurants within the park premises licensed to sell alcohol and beer before February 24, 2020;- Bus stops; cinemas, theaters, cultural, and sports facilities during the organization of activities according to their functional, task, and primary usage, except for the organization of culinary and cultural festivals involving alcohol and beer.
Is it permissible to consume alcohol in parks? How much is the fine for consuming alcohol in prohibited places?
What is the Fine for Consuming Alcohol in Prohibited Locations?
According to Article 30 of Decree 117/2020/ND-CP on violations concerning alcohol consumption and locations where alcohol consumption is prohibited:
Violations Regarding Alcohol Consumption and Prohibited Locations
1. A warning or a fine ranging from 200,000 VND to 500,000 VND for individuals aged 16 to under 18 consuming alcohol and beer.
2. A fine ranging from 500,000 VND to 1,000,000 VND for any of the following acts:
a) Consuming alcohol at locations where alcohol consumption is prohibited by law;b) Inciting, encouraging, or persuading others to consume alcohol.
3. A fine ranging from 1,000,000 VND to 3,000,000 VND for any of the following acts:
a) Consuming alcohol right before, during, and during breaks within working and studying hours;b) Forcing others to consume alcohol.
Thus, engaging in alcohol consumption at locations where it is prohibited can result in a fine ranging from 500,000 VND to 1,000,000 VND.
Moreover, consuming alcohol right before, during, and during breaks within working and studying hours or forcing others to consume alcohol can result in a fine ranging from 1,000,000 VND to 3,000,000 VND.
What Are the Prohibited Acts in Preventing and Controlling the Harmful Effects of Alcohol?
According to Article 5 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Alcohol and Beer 2019, the prohibited acts in preventing and controlling the harmful effects of alcohol include:
- Inciting, encouraging, persuading, forcing others to consume alcohol.- Individuals under 18 consuming alcohol.- Selling, supplying, or promoting alcohol to individuals under 18.- Employing individuals under 18 to directly participate in the production and sale of alcohol.- Officials and public employees, workers in agencies, organizations, officers, non-commissioned officers, professional soldiers, people working in the armed forces, and students consuming alcohol right before, during, and during breaks within working and studying hours.- Operating vehicles while having alcohol concentrations in the blood or breath.- Advertising alcohol with an alcohol content of 15% or higher.- Providing inaccurate or misleading information about the effects of alcohol on health.- Promoting in alcohol business activities with an alcohol content of 15% or higher; using alcohol with an alcohol content of 15% or higher in any form of promotion.- Using unauthorized ingredients, additives, and processing aids in food; ingredients, food additives, and food processing aids that do not meet quality standards or have unknown origins to produce or mix alcohol.- Conducting alcohol business without a license or not registering; selling alcohol via vending machines.- Conducting, storing, transporting counterfeit, smuggled, substandard, or alcohol with unknown origins, and smuggling alcohol.- Other prohibited acts related to alcohol as stipulated by law.
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