Curfew for online gaming
"Provincial departments of information and communication will inspect online gaming activities nationwide and deal with organisations that violate regulations by cancelling their services," Vietnamese deputy minister Le Nam Thang warns, adding that officials have tried other methods which have not proven effective.
Vietnam hopes the measures will root out the gaming addiction in teens and young adults and hope the youth will find something more productive to do, reports Slash Gear.
Vietnam attempted a similar ban last year, but at later hours, in a shorter time frame, and with lenient enforcement. Now, the communist government believes "the social threat of video games is too great," and promises a major crackdown.
However, creative and persistent gamers will likely find ways of getting past these government restrictions, the publication says.
According to MCV UK, some online games service providers, such as VTC Intercom and Asiasoft, have spoken out against the move, claiming the block will reduce entertainment access to adults who have paid a lot for their Internet services.
They also claimed it will create difficulties for the games' maintenance. The ministry claims Vietnam has around 23 million Internet users, accounting for 26% of the population.
The government will start the curfew on 3 March.
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