Junior college and university students in Vietnam will risk being expelled if they are found participating in the publication of unlawful Internet content.

The new regulation was announced in a new circular issued by the Ministry of Education and Training and will take effect on May 23.

The circular, signed by Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Nghia, intends to update the ministry’s previous regulations implemented in August 2007.

The new regulation forbids students from commenting on or sharing posts and photos on the Internet whose content is obscene, violent, violates national security, opposes the Party and state, and distorts and insults certain organizations or individuals.

Those who violate such directives will receive warnings, be expelled from school, or charged by competent authorities, depending on the severity of the cases.

Similar punishments will be imposed on individuals that commit sexual harassment, humiliate others or violate their privacy, or break traffic regulations.   

The new set of rules also bans university and junior college students from participating in street racing, all forms of gambling, smoking, and drinking alcohol on campus.

Students are also prohibited from insulting and assaulting officials, lecturers, staffers, and other scholars at their universities.

The regulation highlighted that students will be forced to leave school, regardless of whether or not it is their first offense, for such violations as cheating or committing fraud in examinations; trading, transporting, and storing illegal drugs; prostitution brokerage; or trafficking unlawful weapons, explosives, and substances prohibited by the government.