Between 1 April and 30 June, the Da Nang Market Management Bureau has inspected many establishments which sell tobacco products imported from foreign countries.  As a result, over 2,000 packs of illegally traded cigarettes were seized, mainly brands including Esse, Jet and 555.   Fines totalling over 68.8 million VND were imposed on the violators. 

Over the first 6 months of this year, the local police force has cracked down on cigarette smuggling cases in the city.  Da Nang has seen a lower number of cigarette smuggling cases than other localities across the country, especially those which border Laos, China and Cambodia.  However, the city is considered to be a profitable market for smuggled cigarettes.  The transport of smuggled foreign-made cigarettes to localities nationwide through border gates has yet to be controlled effectively. 

Destroying thousands of smuggled cigarettes at the city’s Khanh Son waste dump

Over recent years, the problem of cigarette smuggling has badly affected tax collection and those businesses which legally trade in cigarettes.  Between 600 and 700 million packs of cigarettes are smuggled into Viet Nam each year, causing the State to lose around 3 trillion VND in tax.