Summary of fines related to licenses for publishing activities in Vietnam

Summary of fines related to licenses for publishing activities in Vietnam​ (Illustrative Image)

Article 22 of Decree 119/2020/ND-CP stipulates the penalties for violations on licenses and conditions for publishing activities in Vietnam as follows:

- A fine ranging from 3,000,000 VND to 5,000,000 VND for any of the following acts:

• Failing to send a written notification to the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam when changing the headquarters of a publishing house;
• Failing to request re-issuance of the establishment license for foreign publishing house representative offices or foreign publishing distribution organizations in Vietnam when the license is lost or damaged;
• Failing to adjust or supplement information in the establishment license for foreign publishing house representative offices or foreign publishing distribution organizations in Vietnam when changing the head, name, or operation content of the representative office.

- A fine ranging from 5,000,000 VND to 10,000,000 VND for changing any of the following contents without a re-issuance of the establishment license of a publishing house: Changing the governing body, the name of the governing body and the name of the publishing house; changing the organizational type of the publishing house; changing the principles, purposes, service targets, and main publications of the publishing house.

- A fine ranging from 10,000,000 VND to 20,000,000 VND for any of the following acts:

• Not adhering to the contents stated in the publishing house establishment license;
• Violating the regulations on the operating conditions of the publishing house;
• Operating the representative office of a foreign publishing house or a foreign publishing distribution organization in Vietnam without sufficient conditions or not adhering to the contents stated in the establishment license.

- A fine ranging from 20,000,000 VND to 30,000,000 VND for failing to terminate the activities of the representative office when the foreign publishing house, foreign publishing distribution organization terminates operations, dissolves, or goes bankrupt abroad.

- A fine ranging from 30,000,000 VND to 50,000,000 VND for continuing to operate the representative office of a foreign publishing house or a foreign publishing distribution organization in Vietnam when the license has expired.

- A fine ranging from 50,000,000 VND to 100,000,000 VND for operating the representative office of a foreign publishing house or a foreign publishing distribution organization in Vietnam without an establishment license.

- A fine ranging from 140,000,000 VND to 200,000,000 VND for operating a publishing house without an establishment license. In addition to the fine, the person committing this act will be required to recall the publications and to pay back the illegal profits obtained.

Details can be found in Decree 119/2020/ND-CP, effective from December 1, 2020.

Le Vy

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