Measures for preventing smuggled and fake tobacco in Vietnam

Measures for preventing smuggled and fake tobacco in Vietnam

Pursuant to Article 26 of the Law on Tobacco harm prevention 2012, measures for preventing smuggled and fake tobacco are as follows:

- To conduct awareness-raising propagation and education so that people do not trade, transport, store and use smuggled and fake tobacco.

- To organize and ensure adequate manpower, funds and means for forces to prevent and control smuggled and fake tobacco.

- To periodically and regularly organize inspections and examinations and handle acts of trading in smuggled and fake tobacco.

- To confiscate and destruct fake tobacco; to confiscate and destruct machines and equipment used for manufacture of fake tobacco. The destruction must be carried out by measures to ensure safety for the environment. The destruction costs shall be paid by violators. If violators are unidentifiable, the destruction costs shall be covered by the state budget.

- The handling of smuggled tobacco complies with regulations of the Government.

- To provide material and spiritual incentives for agencies, organizations and individuals that have detected and denounced acts of trading in smuggled and fake tobacco.

- To assure provincial- and national-level coordination with neighboring and related countries in the prevention of the trading of smuggled and fake tobacco.

Measures for preventing smuggled and fake tobacco in Vietnam (Internet image)

Responsibilities to prevent smuggled and fake tobacco in Vietnam

Pursuant to Article 27 of the Law on Tobacco harm prevention 2012, responsibilities to prevent smuggled and fake tobacco in Vietnam are as follows:

- The Minister of Industry and Trade, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Public Security, the Minister of National Defense and the Minister of Health shall, within the scope of their respective tasks and powers, organize the prevention of smuggled and fake tobacco.

- The People's Committees at all levels be in charge and cooperate with related local agencies in organizing, directing and arranging forces and assigning specific responsibilities to related agencies for preventing and controlling smuggled and fake tobacco.

- The Minister of Finance and Presidents of Provincial People’s Committees shall ensure budget for the prevention of smuggled and fake tobacco.

Regulations on tobacco sale in Vietnam

Pursuant to Article 25 of the Law on Tobacco harm prevention 2012, tobacco sale must satisfy the following requirements:

- Enterprises, wholesale agents and retail agents must have tobacco sale licenses according to the Government's regulations;

- Persons in charge of the tobacco counters of wholesale or retail agents must put up notice boards saying "We don’t sell tobacco to anyone under the age of 18"; tobacco agents and counters must not display more than one pack, one carton or one box for a brand name of tobacco.

Agencies, organizations and individuals must not organize or permit the sale of tobacco or sell tobacco at the places specified in Articles 11 and 12, except for those prescribed in Point a, Clause 1, Article 12 of the Law on Tobacco harm prevention 2012; must not sell tobacco within 100 meters from a  kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, medical research institute, hospital, maternity ward or preventive medicine center, infirmary.

Mai Thanh Loi

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