Only 12% of the alcohol manufacturing facilities in Vietnam meet business requirements and given permits by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Only 12% of the alcohol manufacturing facilities meet business requirements

A report from the Vietnam Beer Alcohol Beverage Association revealed that from 2011 to 2015, Vietnam produced 3.4 billion litres of beer annually. 

That means each person consumed 41 litres of beer on average annually.

Meanwhile, there are 162 spirit manufacturing facilities in Vietnam that are producing 70 million litres of spirits a year. 

The amount of consumed home-made spirits was over 200 million litres each year.

In total, about 2,000 facilities produce 8.47 billion litres of beer, spirit and soft drinks annually. 

According to the Vietnam Association of Craft Villages, there is an additional of over 50 villages brewing spirits.

However, statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade show that the ministry has only issued licences and managed 245 facilities.

On March 23, many experts agreed that the government must tighten management during a seminar about alcohol poisoning held by the Vietnam Beer Alcohol Beverage Association.

Nguyen Trung Nguyen from Poison Control Centre, Bach Mai Hospital, said that since early 2017, they had received 34 poisoning cases.

Most of the patients are in severe condition upon being admitted to hospital. 15 people have brain damage, 12 are blind and have poor vision and nine died.

In some cases, people were poisoned from drinking too much but in other cases, they had used alcohol of unknown origin and poor quality. In the latter case, they are poor people and students. 

Home-made rice spirits are largely unchecked. It's favoured due to cheap prices and high alcohol concentration.

Nguyen Phu Cuong, director of the Science and Technology Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that some manufacturers had been using ethanol to make spirits.

Nguyen Duy Thinh of Hanoi University of Science and Technology suggested setting up strict punishments for violators, giving household-size manufacturers guidance on technology and process in spirit making and raise consumer awareness about the problem.

Dtinews