Is it against the law to use red envelopes printed with images of Vietnamese currency?
As the Lunar New Year approaches, the demand for red envelopes (for giving money as gifts) is increasing. On Facebook, numerous fan pages are actively offering unique red envelopes, some even featuring designs printed with images of Vietnamese currency in various denominations.
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| Images of red envelopes printed with images of Vietnamese currency being sold on Facebook (Screenshot). |
Contacting the Facebook page "Cheap Tet Lucky Money Envelopes 2019," the page owner advertised that this year's "hot" lucky money envelopes are those printed with images of money. Lucky money envelopes printed with images of 10,000 VND and 2 US dollar bills are selling out at this business.
"The paper is thick, so you don't have to worry about the quality when printing on these red envelopes. The images are clear and look just like real money. The images you saw online were taken by us," this person asserted.
Continuing the conversation with the reporter, the shop owner warned that printing, producing, or selling red envelopes printed with images of currently circulating banknotes of 200,000, 500,000 VND, etc., would be illegal. However, customers would "not face any consequences" if they used red envelopes printed with images of banknotes that are no longer in circulation.
"The 10,000 VND lucky money envelopes are no longer in circulation, so feel free to use them. You can browse and if you like a design, just inbox us. If you want a new design tailored to your needs, the order quantity must be 12,000 pieces or more," this person said.
On a personal Facebook page named ZHYH, numerous images of red envelopes printed with Vietnamese currency, along with illustrative videos, are being continuously posted. According to the account owner, the retail price is 5000 VND per envelope. For bulk purchases, customers must contact the account owner for separate discussions.
The lawyers held conflicting views.
According to lawyer Tran Xuan Tien, the changing designs of lucky money envelopes, following trends, are inevitable. The custom of giving lucky money at the beginning of the new year is an indispensable part of Vietnamese culture. However, printing lucky money envelopes with images of Vietnamese currency is an illegal act.
"According to Clause 3, Article 3 of Decision 130/2003/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on the protection of Vietnamese currency, it is prohibited to reproduce Vietnamese currency for any purpose without prior written approval from the State Bank of Vietnam," Mr. Tien said.
In addition, lawyer Tien stated that reproducing Vietnamese currency for any purpose without prior written approval from the State Bank of Vietnam would be subject to administrative penalties.
“This behavior could be punishable by a fine of 40-80 million VND according to Clause 4, Article 31 of Decree 96/2014/ND-CP regulating administrative penalties in the field of currency and banking. An additional penalty would be the confiscation of all evidence and means used to commit the violation. Furthermore, all evidence and means used to commit the violation must be destroyed, and any illegal profits obtained must be deposited into the state budget,” lawyer Tien stated.
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| "Lucky money envelopes with 500,000 VND notes" featuring all the patterns and details of real banknotes. |
"Clause 3, Article 3 of Decision 130/2003/QD-TTg stipulates that it is prohibited to reproduce Vietnamese currency for any purpose… However, the actions of the people in this case were printing on red envelopes, not photocopying," Mr. Duc stated.
According to lawyer Duc, the printing of Vietnamese currency is mentioned in Clause 4, Article 31 of Decree 96/2014/ND-CP. The act of printing part or all of the images, details, or patterns of Vietnamese currency in violation of the law will be subject to administrative penalties.
"However, in order to penalize violators, the competent authorities will rely on legal grounds regarding what constitutes printing that violates the law. Meanwhile, there is no legal document regulating this behavior," Mr. Duc said.
Following the widespread sale of red envelopes printed with images of Vietnamese currency, lawyer Truong Thanh Duc advises people to raise their awareness and avoid being exploited by fraudsters who use red envelopes resembling real money for transactions, causing economic losses.
