The Lunar New Year, or Tet in Vietnamese, is the biggest annual opportunity for family reunion and celebration after a year of hard work, and also for people to give gifts to each other as a show of respect and care.


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This traditional gift-giving practice at Tet however has been abused by certain people to give luxury gifts to those who have done them a favor, especially those having power in society. In many cases, gift-giving could amount to bribery.

That is why, prior to Tet, the authorities often issue notices prohibiting officials from taking luxury gifts. But such bans normally do not work because there are a variety of ways for the giver and the taker to dodge the bans.

This year the Anti-Corruption Department at the Government Inspectorate has launched three phone hotlines for the public to accuse those committing corrupt practices, or giving and taking gifts not in compliance with the prevailing rules.

Pham Trong Dat, head of the department, told Dan Tri online newspaper that the Government Inspectorate had just written to ministries, ministerial-level agencies and provincial governments reminding them of strictly observing the regulations on Tet gift giving; otherwise, they would face consequences.

The Prime Minister’s Decision 64, which was issued in 2007, prohibits the use of State cash and assets for giving gifts under any form. Meanwhile, State officials and civil servants are banned from accepting gifts for themselves or on others’ behalf from individuals and organizations that have working relationships with them.

If gifts are of higher value than permitted, recipient officials must report to their superiors or submit them to the units responsible for gifts within their agencies within five days. If they break the time limit, they will have to submit explanations in writing.

Meanwhile, those State agencies or individuals giving gifts whose value is higher than allowed will have to return the surplus value. In serious cases, those responsible will be handled in line with the anti-corruption law, according to the decision.

Those rules are clear and stringent but almost no violation cases have been found though gift-giving business has been as usual. This year the hotlines are expected to help the gift-giving crackdown.



SGT