Vietnam Province Considering Suspending Certain Imports of Foreign Cigarettes, Liquor

Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province is considering a proposal to suspend “temporary imports for re-exports” of certain foreign cigarettes and liquor, VietnamCustoms said in a Nov. 4 report from Customs News, the agency’s mouthpiece. The measure would impact imports of “non-Vietnamese origin” cigarettes and foreign whiskey, the report said, and was introduced to combat smuggling schemes and attempts to “illegally access the domestic market.” The proposal would also “suspend the operation of bonded warehouses” for foreign cigarettes and whiskey, Vietnam said. The proposal was recently approved by the country’s defense and finance ministries and is being considered by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the report said.