Raw meat must be sold within 8 hrs

According to a circular issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in July, raw meat preserved at room temperature can only be sold within eight hours of the time of slaughtering.

In cases where the meat is preserved under 0 – 5 degrees Celsius, the time limit is 72 hours. Food by-products such as pig’s tripe and stomach should be sold within 24 hours of slaughtering, and no preservative chemicals are allowed to be used on fresh meat.

However, after receiving feedback from the food producers, the ministry issued a decision to lift the regulation on September 1, two days before it was expected to take effect.

Fine on non-transferring of vehicle ownership Governmental Decree 71, which took effect on November 10, stipulates penalties for those who possess a vehicle which was sold, transferred or presented to them without registering the change in the vehicle's ownership. The fine, VND2-4 million (US$96-192) for owners of motorbikes and VND6-10 million for car owners, caused worry among the numerous people who are subject to the fine, since they have been using such vehicles. Many lawyers objected to the Decree, arguing that neither Traffic Law nor Civil Code has an article that requires the owner of a vehicle to go through an ownership change when that owner sells or presents the vehicle to another person. In the face of such objection, the Government has asked the Ministry of Public Security to prepare a circular to guide the implementation of the decree. Until such a circular, the fine must not be applied, the government said.

Dog, cat owners must register animals Under a new regulation by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, cat and dog owners nationwide will have to register with local authorities from early 2013 to help prevent and even eradicate rabies, which killed 110 people in 2011. Accordingly, animals will be managed through ‘registration books of dogs and cats’ set up by the people’s committee of every ward or commune. The book will indicate all details about the registered animals, such as species, gender, fur color, and vaccinations they have had. This information will be provided by owners on paperwork distributed to them by local authorities. Many people commented that the new rule is disturbing and unfeasible, especially for households that keep many dogs and cats.

IDs with parent’s names The Ministry of Public Security issued Circular 27/2012 on May 16, 2012 guiding the implementation of Governmental Decree 170 on applying new ID cards nationwide by 2016 through a national database, which will help improve management of citizens. According to the circular, besides basic information about the cardholder, which is already present on the current ID cards, the new kind of card will also include information about the parents of card holders. The new regulation faced objection from law experts, including Le Hong Son, head of the Ministry of Justice’s Department of Examination of Legal Normative Documents, who says putting parental information on new ID cards will go against child protection regulations, which are stipulated in the International Convention on the Rights of Children, to which Vietnam is a signatory. Additionally, Vietnam’s Civil Code says an individual’s right to personal secrets shall be respected and protected by law.

In face of such opposition, the ministry announced on August 21 that they had decided to halt the implementation of the circular.

Fine on using mobile phones at gas stations Users of cell phones at petrol stations will be fined up to VND5 million (US$240) under a regulation in Decree 52, issued on June 14, 2012 by the Government, regarding administrative penalties for violations in the field of fire prevention and control. According to the rule, which took effect on August 5, fire police will catch violators, make a report and issue a penalty decision. The fine is 10 times higher than the previous rate. However, after the regulation came into effect, there were many opinions from the public commenting that such a regulation is not feasible, although such a fine is necessary.

In October, the Hanoi Party Committee issued a regulation on civil standards required for wedding parties. Accordingly, the number of guests at a wedding party of a civil servant must not exceed 300 people. In cases where the party is jointly organized by both the families of the bride and the groom, the figure must not be more than 600. The wedding party must not be organized at places that are too expensive compared to the general living condition of civil servants or local residents.