Thursday, July 17, 2003

This just in:

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam has banned television and radio from airing advertisements for condoms, sanitary pads and other products at dinner time.
Advertisements for such products are "unaesthetic and unsuitable to Vietnamese psychology and traditional customs," said a statement issued this week by the Ministry of Culture and Information, which is in charge of censorship.

The ban, effective immediately, also covers advertisements for toilet paper and drugs to treat skin diseases.

There was no word why the ban was to be in operation only from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., but that is peak viewing time and also the time most people in the country eat dinner.

"This is a sensible thing to do, it is unappetizing to see these ads at dinner," said Tran Huyen Trang, a businesswoman in Hanoi.

Probably the most sensible thing since the Vietnam/USA Paris Peace Talks.
posted by HZA | 11:18 AM | email | archive