On February 5, 2020, the Government issued Decree No. 17/2020 / ND-CP on amending and supplementing a number of articles of decrees related to business investment conditions in the field of house management. Ministry of Industry and Trade. In this Decree, the provisions on liquor trading in Decree 105/2017 / ND-CP are changed by the Government into conditions for trading in alcohol with an alcohol content of over 5.5 degrees and supplementing a separate chapter on production and trading. Alcohol trading with less than 5.5 alcohol. In particular, the conditions of alcohol production and trading with an alcohol content of less than 5.5 degrees are as follows:
(1) Conditions for wine production with an alcohol content of less than 5.5 degrees include:
+ Being an enterprise, cooperative, cooperative union or business household established under the provisions of law;
+ Comply with the provisions of the law on food safety;
+ Register with the Economic Department or the Economic and Infrastructure Division of the district-level People’s Committee where the trader is located. In case of changes in registered contents, additional registration must be made.
(2) Conditions for importing liquor with an alcohol content of less than 5.5 degrees:
+ Being an enterprise, cooperative, cooperative union or business household established under the provisions of law;
+ Comply with the provisions of the law on food safety;
+ Wine is only imported into Vietnam through international border gates;
+ Register with the Economic Department or the Economic and Infrastructure Division of the district-level People’s Committee, where the trader is headquartered before conducting business activities. In case of changes in registered contents, additional registration must be made.
(3) Conditions for selling alcohol with an alcohol content of less than 5.5 degrees
+ Being an enterprise, cooperative, cooperative union or business household established under the provisions of law;
+ Comply with the provisions of the law on food safety;
+ Register with the Economic Department or the Economic and Infrastructure Division of the district-level People’s Committee where the business is located before conducting business activities. In case of changes in registered contents, additional registration must be made.
Decree No. 17/2020 / ND-CP takes effect from March 22, 2020. Thus, conditions on wine production and trading with an alcohol content of less than 5.5 degrees are prescribed in a simpler way. In addition, the Decree also clearly states the obligations of liquor traders with an alcohol content of less than 5.5 degrees, including: importing, buying and selling liquor of lawful origin; ensure the shelf life of wine products as announced by production establishments; comply with the provisions of the Law on Prevention and Control of Alcohol and Beer Harm and other provisions of law.