Vietnam: Smoking in coffee shops to be prohibited and fined 500,000 VND

Vietnam: Smoking in coffee shops to be prohibited and fined 500,000 VND (Artwork).

Specifically, according to the proposal of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, there are 10 places where smoking is prohibited. One of them is a restaurant and a cafe. This is recorded at Point c, Clause 2, of the Draft Circular guiding the implementation of regulations on places where smoking is prohibited and the consideration for awarding the title of smoke-free environment with regulations on places where smoking is completely prohibited indoors:

2. Places where smoking is strictly prohibited indoors, such as:

…

Except for the cases specified in Clauses 1, 3, and 4 of this Article, train stations, piers, bus stations, convention centers, theaters, cultural houses, cinemas, circuses, clubs, sports halls, covered stadiums, restaurants, coffee shops, food service establishments, entertainment service establishments, and other public places are exempt.

If this draft is approved, those who smoke at the above locations will be administratively fined according to the provisions of Clause 1, Article 25 of Vietnam's  Decree 117/2020/ND-CP on violations of regulations on places where smoking is prohibited:

A warning or a fine of VND 200,000 to VND 500,000 will be issued for smoking in prohibited areas. In the case of smoking on board aircraft, the regulations on the sanctioning of administrative violations in the field of civil aviation shall be applied.

Thus, for the act of smoking in a cafe, the offender may be fined up to 500,000 VND.

In fact, in addition to the enclosed indoor space, many coffee shops now have outdoor seating areas and open spaces. Therefore, those who wish are also allowed to smoke in these spaces. However, the position where smoking is allowed must be far from doors, exits, and windows, at least 2 m from the door of the indoor area, to ensure that smoke does not affect the indoor air. At the same time, the coffee shop must have facilities to store cigarette butts and cigarette butts in the designated smoking area.

In addition, also in this draft, the Ministry of Health stipulates that at places where smoking is prohibited, there must be a sign with the words "NO SMOKING" in Vietnamese and/or English or a symbol of no smoking.  The form of display of signs placed at places where smoking is prohibited must be clear, easy to see, easy to observe, not torn, crushed, blurred, damaged, placed, placed on tables or shelves, or other suitable places, mounted, pasted, or wall-mounted.

It can be seen that this is a progressive regulation and closely follows the actual situation in the work of ensuring public health. Once this draft is approved and comes into force, the act of smoking in a coffee shop will be fined up to 500,000 VND. Therefore, every citizen needs to be aware of the consequences of smoking, especially in public places, to voluntarily implement the law.

Le Thanh

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