Newly introduced penalties have been 'forgotten'

The government has regulations to fine people who urinate in public, litter in public places, and do not muzzle dogs... but they are hardly enforced.

Throwing cigarette butts on the street will be fined one million dong.

The act of throwing cigarette butts on the street is rarely punished. Graphics. Tien Thanh - Ba Do

Throwing cigarette butts on the street will be fined one million dong.

Decree 155/2016, effective from February 2017, allows for fines of 500,000 to 1,000,000 VND (old regulation 50,000-100,000 VND) for the act of throwing, dumping, or discarding cigarette butts in the wrong place in apartment buildings, commercial and service areas, and public places.

The act of urinating or defecating in the wrong place in apartment buildings, commercial areas, service areas, or public places will be fined from 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 VND.

Police officers, ward police, commune, ward, district, and county chairmen... and many other forces are allowed to handle the above cases. However, according to records, when the new decree took effect, in Hanoi, the district and county police simultaneously launched a campaign to impose fines. Dozens of people who urinated in public and littered in public places were severely punished and their names were published in the newspapers.

However, the situation of smokers throwing cigarette butts on the street, not in the right place, is common but there is no police force to punish them.

Smoking in public places

On May 1, 2013, the Law on Prevention of Tobacco Harms came into effect. According to the regulations, places where public smoking is completely prohibited include: medical facilities; educational facilities (except colleges, universities, and academies); childcare, nurturing, entertainment, and recreation facilities specifically for children; facilities or areas with high risk of fire and explosion; indoor places where smoking is completely prohibited, including workplaces, colleges, universities, and academies; public places and means of public transport where smoking is completely prohibited, including cars, airplanes, and trains.

Those who smoke in prohibited areas or throw cigarette butts in the wrong places when smoking in permitted areas will be warned or fined VND100,000-300,000. The fine will increase to VND500,000-2 million for one of the following acts: selling or supplying cigarettes to people under 18 years old and employing people under 18 years old to sell cigarettes.

At the time the Law took effect, only Lao Cai province reported that it had punished dozens of cases nationwide.

Not muzzling dogs or letting them roam free will result in a fine of at least 600,000 VND.

Despite sanctions, in recent days in Hanoi, dogs roaming freely without muzzles have appeared frequently on the streets. Illustration: Phuong Son

Decree 90/2017 on administrative sanctions in the veterinary field and some other fields, effective from September 15, stipulates that if a dog is not muzzled or leashed in a public place, the owner of the animal will be fined from 600,000 VND to 800,000 VND...

However, the situation of dogs roaming freely on the streets of Hanoi is still common but there is no competent authority to handle it. Talking to VnExpress, Mr. Doan Hong Phong (Deputy Head of the Hanoi Veterinary Department) said that this is not a new regulation but "transitional, supplementary, and amendment to the old decree", increasing some penalties including dogs roaming freely and not wearing a muzzle.

The department also did not send anyone to detect and punish owners of dogs that were let loose or did not wear muzzles, claiming that this "main authority belongs to local authorities".

In Ho Chi Minh City, there is a working group that catches dogs that are roaming around without muzzles and has punished many violators.

Fine of 5 million VND for listening to mobile phone at gas station

This fine is stated in Decree 52 on administrative penalties for violations in the field of fire prevention and fighting, effective from August 5, 2012. Accordingly, the use of mobile phones at gas stations will be prohibited and fined 2-5 million VND, 10 times higher than the previous regulation. The fire prevention and fighting police will carry out the "red-handed" arrest, make a record and issue a decision on the penalty.

Although punishment is necessary, the feasibility of this regulation is still questioned because many people still "innocently" violate it without being punished.

Regarding the regulations that are rarely enforced, some legal experts believe that the decentralization of enforcement and sanctioning forces is too broad, not specifically focused, and does not assign responsibility to any responsible unit. Therefore, this situation leads to no agency imposing sanctions or doing so only half-heartedly because there is too much work.

Most of the above regulations are highly deterrent, with many fines up to millions of dong (such as throwing cigarette butts or cleaning public places), while many violations are by workers and laborers, so the authorities cannot handle them but only give warnings.

Similarly, the ban on smoking in public places seems to be difficult to enforce because the penalties and sanctions are not strong enough to scare violators. "We should learn from Singapore and have a separate police department in charge of this issue, in addition to heavy fines or community service for violators," said a lawyer.

According to VNE