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age Association, believes that several
guidelines and regulations to limit the
use and sale of alcohol already exist,
but they are consigned to paper as
none of the authorities had actually
bothered to enforce them.
However, the ban is welcomed
by many wives, such as Nguyen Thu
Thao, who lives in Cau Giay district in
Hanoi: “The ban on wine is absolutely
right - I think it should have been
banned a long time ago. However, late
is better than never, and now we can
worry less about our husbands who
will not stay late on the streets and
come back drunk.”
She adds that apart from the cost,
drinking leads to family violence and
traffic accidents.
Others have pointed out that the
hours after 10pm are not busy with lo-
cals as they usually drink early, between
5pm and 10pm, or at lunch time.
“A ban is right, but I think
the hours should be earlier,”
says 63 year old Nguyen Van
Cong in Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi.
The draft law includes suggestions
that sellers would only be permitted
to sell one can of beer per hour, and
no more than three cans a day to each
male customer, while the limit for
female customers would be one can
every two hours and no more than two
cans a day.
Sellers would also not be allowed
to sell alcoholic beverages to people
under 18, pregnant women, or those
who have reached the drinking limit.
Last year, Vietnamese consumed
over three billion litres of beer and
68,000 litres of spirits, ranking third in
Asia for beer consumption after Japan
and China.
According to reports, 40 per cent
of traffic accidents are related to al-
cohol use, while it is also implicated
in 70 per cent of family violence cas-
es. Every year, Vietnam faces bills of
around VND6,000 billion ($285 million)
for alcohol-related issues.
The Ministry of Health has said
that the proposal is still undergoing
consultation.
117 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: (84-8) 3829 5368 - Fax: (84-8) 3829 3415 - Email: info@norfolkhotel.com.vn - Website: www.norfolkhotel.com.vn
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Norfolk Group
Late is better than
never, and now we can
worry less about our hus-
bands who will not stay
late on the streets and
come back drunk.