Vietnam to impose fines on smoking in public places, selling cigarettes to minors
For the first time, Vietnam will impose fines on smoking in public places and selling cigarettes to minors. Under the decision signed by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, people who smoke at indoor public places such as trains or bus stations, libraries, and theaters face fines of up to 100,000 dong (US$6.3), Nguyen Ngoc Khang, General Secretary of National Program for Reduction of Cigarettes' Harm, said Tuesday.
Those who sell cigarettes to people under the age of 16 face similar penalties. The rules take effect later this month. In 2000, the government imposed a ban on smoking at indoor public places and the sale of cigarettes to minors, but there was not penalty levied on the violations, Khang said. "The move was to effectively enforce the ban and thus ensure the health of non-smokers," he said.
According to a national survey conducted in 1997, some 50 percent of Vietnamese men smoke while only 3.4 percent of women did. Khang said a recent survey showed that smoking in working places and in cities was declining while smoking among the rural population was on the rise. Nearly 80 percent of Vietnam's 82 million people live in the countryside.Vietnam strictly bans all advertising for cigarettes and tobacco products.
The Associated Press - April 12, 2005
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