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Vietnamese gov't: ISPs to block online game access after 10pm

Ministry of Information concerned about social impact

The Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communication has requested that all ISPs operating in the country block access to online games from 10pm to 8am each day to limit the social impact of the hobby.

Providers who do not comply with the request will potentially see themselves out of business in the country. the government has set a deadline of March 3 for the ban to be implemented, Vietnam News reports.

"Provincial departments of information and communication will inspect on-line games activities nationwide and deal with organisations that violate regulations by cancelling their services," said minister Le Nam Thang.

The measures are part of a larger plan to control access to internet services, which began with other restrictions in September. The ban is seen as a temporary arrangement, a precursor to a full reassessment of the government's Anti-violent Online Games among Students Program, which aims to restrict the amount of time which young people spend playing games online.

The country has an estimated 23 million internet users, around a quarter of the population, with internet cafes specialising in online games extremely popular among the nation's youth. Previous measures have included legislation preventing internet cafes from operating within 200 metres of schools.

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