Shall a fine up to VND 5,000,000 be imposed for selling tobacco products to persons aged under 18 in Vietnam?

Shall a fine up to VND 5,000,000 be imposed for selling tobacco products to persons aged under 18 in Vietnam? (Illustrative image)

Article 26 Decree 117/2020/ND-CP stipulates that violations regarding the sale and supply of cigarettes may result in fines up to 5,000,000 VND. To be specific:

1. Fines ranging from 1,000,000 VND to 3,000,000 VND for the act of not having a sign prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to persons aged under 18 years old at the wholesale or retail agent's point of sale.

2. Fines ranging from 3,000,000 VND to 5,000,000 VND for any of the following acts:

- Displaying more than one package, one carton, or one box of one cigarette brand at the retail agent or cigarette retail outlet;

- Selling or supplying tobacco products to persons aged under 18 years old;

- Selling or supplying cigarettes without labels or without health warnings printed on cigarette packaging as required by law. In cases where unlabeled cigarettes or those without printed health warnings on the packaging are smuggled or counterfeit cigarettes, penalties will be imposed in accordance with the laws on commercial activities, production, trading in counterfeit goods, banned goods, and consumer protection.

3. Additional sanctioning form:

Suspension of business activities related to the violation for a period of 01 month to 03 months for the violations mentioned in item 2.

More details can be found in Decree 117/2020/ND-CP, effective from November 15, 2020.

Thuy Tram

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