The proposed ban is part of the new draft law on wine and beer harm prevention (Draft Law) introduced by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in April 2018. At the same time, the requirements for e-commerce have been relaxed.
Changes afoot in alcohol advertising and e-Commerce in Vietnam
On 20 August 2018, the Ministry of Industry and Trade passed a Circular relaxing some of the requirements of its earlier Circulars relating to matters of e-Commerce. Of particular note is the removal of the requirement that all e-commerce website active in Vietnam be registered with the Ministry. Once the new rules come into effect on 18 October 2018, only particular classes of e-commerce will require registration, including sites engaged in online promotion and auctioneering.
Meanwhile, in October, the Vietnam National Assembly is due to debate a draft law aiming to ban advertising of a wider range of alcoholic beverage, including beer and wine, in the country. If the law passes in its current form, the current prohibition on advertising of alcoholic beverage with 15% or greater ABV will be extended to include lower content product such as beer. The law also contains broad sponsorship bans across sporting, cultural and entertainment events.
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