Chuck Kuhn's Asia in Photos: Vietnamese people spend $2bil/year on betting: MOF

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Vietnamese people spend $2bil/year on betting: MOF

Vietnamese people spend some $2bil a year on football betting, lottery and gambling, cock and buffalo fighting, lottery games on TV and Internet, according to an official from the Ministry of Finance (MOF). The ministry is planning to legalise the extralegal activities, but with very cautious steps.

Illegal gambling everywhere

In a recent survey, MOF found out that illegal gambling activities are being carried out in public under the mode of game shows. The programmes are organised by radio and television, press agencies and internet service providers. The prizes for the programmes are paid in kind or cash with big value after organisers get big profit from the programmes as clients have to pay SMS fees much higher than normal.

The SMS fees for joining the games may reach VND10-15,000/SMS, while the normal level is just VND400/SMS. The financial scales of the programmes are very big. In the World Cup season, organisers can get the turnover of several hundred million VND a day from the messages.

The activities, according to the Ministry of Finance, are illegal if considering the Commercial Law and Decree 37 guiding the implementation of the law.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, illegal gambling activities began increasing in 1996. People bet tens of billion VND on every football match in World Cup season, Euro or British, German, Italian and Spanish champions’ leagues. In the period of 2001-2005 alone, the police discovered 495 cases of gambling involving 4,187 people, seizing over VND10bil, $250,000 and other assets.

more info -->>VietNamNet - Vietnamese people spend $2bil/year on betting: MOF

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They say "

“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman’s voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your shirt is straightaway a rag. You can hardly remember your name, or what you came to escape from. But at night, there’s a breeze. The river is beautiful. You could be forgiven for thinking there was no war; that the gunshots were fireworks; that only pleasure matters. A pipe of opium, or the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then, something happens, as you knew it would. And nothing can ever be the same again.”
― Graham Greene, The Quiet American

Tips on Travel to Vietnam

It's always warm in Southeast Asia apart from high mountains, so leave the heavy clothing at home. Cotton and breathable fabrics are always better than synthetics -- although cotton does wrinkle a lot when traveling! December through April is roughly the dry season in that region, although it can still rain a little. December is a good time to go in terms of temperature -- cooler than in the humid summertime. Either way, wearing more clothing (shirt sleeves and long pants) is always more respectful towards the Asian culture, especially when visiting temples and rural areas.