Chapter 4.
ONLINE GAMES
Article 31. Management of online games
1. Online games are classified as follows:
a) Classification by method of service provision and use:
- Video games that have interaction among multiple players via the game server (hereinafter referred to as G1 games);
- Video games that only have interaction between the players and the game server (hereinafter referred to as G2 games);
- Video games that have interaction among multiple players without interaction between players and the game server (hereinafter referred to as G3 games);
- Video games that are downloaded from the Internet without the interaction among players and between players and the game server (hereinafter referred to as G4 games).
b) Classification by players’ ages and game contents. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall specify the classification of video games by ages.
2. Enterprises may provide G1 games after obtaining the License to provide game services and the Decision to approve game contents issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications.
3. Enterprises may provide G2, G3, and G4 games after obtaining the Certificate of Registration of game service provision and announcement of service provision of every game.
4. Foreign organizations and individuals that provide online game services for Vietnamese users must establish enterprises in accordance with Vietnam’s law in accordance with this Decree and the laws on foreign investment.
Article 32. Licensing provision of G1 games
1. The License to provide game services shall be issued when the conditions below are satisfied:
a) The enterprise is established in accordance with Vietnam’s law and has registered the provision of online game services.
b) Domain names are registered to provide services;
c) Financial, technical capacity, organizational structure, and personnel are suitable for the operation scale;
d) Measures are taken for ensuring information safety and information security.
2. The validity period of the License to provide game services depends on the request of the enterprise and shall not exceed 10 years.
3. The Decision to approve game contents shall be issue when the conditions below are satisfied:
a) The residual validity period of the License to provide game services is at least 01 year;
b) The contents of the video game:
- Do not violate Clause 1 Article 5 of this Decree;
- Do not contain images or sounds that are horrifying, brutal, sexual, or erotic which incite sexual desires, dissoluteness, immortality, are contrary to traditional virtues and culture; do not distort history;
- Do not contain images or sounds that depict suicide, use of drug, alcohol and tobacco, terrorism, child abuse, child trafficking, and other wrongful or unlawful acts.
- Satisfy other requirements of the Ministry of Information and Communications.
c) Meet the technical requirements for providing game services imposed by the Ministry of Information and Communications.
4. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall specify the conditions and procedures for issuing, adjusting, extending, revoking, reissuing the License to provide game services and the Decision to approve game contents.
5. The Ministry of Finance shall cooperate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in imposing fees for licensing game services and assessing video game contents.
Article 33. Registering G2, G3, G3 game service provision
1. Conditions for registering game service provision
a) The enterprise is established in accordance with Vietnam’s law and has registered the provision of online game services.
b) Domain names are registered to provide services if game services are provided on the Internet;
c) The financial and technical capacity, organizational structure, and personnel are suitable for provision of game services;
d) Measures are taken for ensuring information safety and information security.
2. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall specify the conditions and procedure for registration and announcement of game service provision.
Article 34. Rights and obligations of game service providers
Rights and obligations of game service providers:
1. Hiring transmission lines of telecommunication enterprises to connect the system that provides services on public telecommunications networks;
2. Having at least 01 server system in Vietnam serving the inspection, storage, and provision of information at the request of competent authorities, and settlement of customers' complaints about the service provisions in accordance with regulations of the Ministry of Information and Communications;
3. Establishing websites about game services, specifying:
a) Classification the video games by ages;
b) Rules of each video game;
c) Regulations on the management of information and activities of video games;
d) The rules for settling complaints and disputes among the players, between the players and the service provider.
4. Taking measures for limiting negative impacts of the video games provided, including:
a) Providing information about the approval for the contents (of G1 games) or announcement (of G2, G3, and G4 games) in the advertisements, on the website of the provider, and in every video game, including the name, classification by age, and recommendations about unexpected impact on the physical and mental health that the video games may have on players;
b) Registering personal information of players of G1 games; taking measures for restricting playing duration for children and players under 18 years of age as guided by the Ministry of Information and Communications;
5. Ensuring legitimate interests of players in accordance with the rules announced; taking responsibility for the charges, service quality, and information safety; settling complaints and disputes between players and the provider, and among players;
6. Complying with regulations of the Ministry of Information and Communications on virtual items (graphic images of items or characters following certain rules established by the video game developers) and bonuses (the way of giving bonuses is similar to the scoring system of the online game);
7. The suspension of game services must be announced on the website of the game at least 90 days before the intended suspension date; taking measures for ensuring interests of players; sending written reports to the Ministry of Information and Communications 15 days before the official suspension date;
8. Taking measures for supervising messages of players as prescribed by the Ministry of Information and Communications;
9. Do not advertising the video games that have not had their contents approved (for G1 games) or been announced (for G2, G3, and G4 games) on forums, websites, newspapers, and other media;
10. Paying the fees for licensing and assessing contents of G1 games;
11. Sending periodic and unscheduled reports to the Ministry of Information and Communications at its request.
12. Facilitating the inspections carried out by competent authorities.
Article 35. Conditions for opening gaming centers
1. Organizations and individuals may only open gaming centers after obtaining the Certificate of eligibility to open gaming centers.
2. The Certificate of eligibility to open gaming centers shall be issued after the conditions below are satisfied:
a) The opening of the gaming center is registered;
b) The gaming center is located at least 200 m away from gates of primary schools, middle schools, and high schools;
c) A sign saying “Gaming center” is put up, which specifies the name, address, phone number, and business registration number;
The total area of computer rooms of the game center is at least 50 m2 for urban areas in class I, class II, class III, at least 40 m2 for urban areas in class IV, class V, and at least 30 m2 for other areas;
dd) Light and brightness in the computer rooms and balanced;
e) The procedure and equipment for fire prevention and fighting are sufficient, according to regulations of the Ministry of Public Security;
g) The fee of issuance of the Certificate of eligibility to open gaming centers is paid.
3. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall specify the procedure for issuing, adjusting, extending, revoking, and reissuing the Certificate of eligibility to open gaming centers.
4. People’s Committees of central-affiliated cities and provinces shall assign Services of Information and Communications or district-level People’s Committees to preside the issuance, adjustment, revocation, extension, and reissuance of the Certificate of eligibility to open gaming centers, and direct the inspections and impositions of penalties against the violations committed by local gaming centers.
5. The Ministry of Finance shall cooperate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in imposing the fee for the issuance of the Certificate of eligibility to open gaming centers.
Article 36. Rights and obligations of owners of gaming centers
Rights and obligations of owners of gaming centers:
1. Installing equipment to provide game services at the location written on the Certificate of eligibility to open gaming centers;
2. Providing Internet access services after signing Internet agent contracts with Internet access service providers;
3. Posting the regulations on the use of game services at noticeable positions, including the prohibitions in Article 5 of this Decree, rights and obligations of players in Article 37 of this Decree;
4. Posting the list of G1 games, of which the contents are approved, together with the game classification by age (updated on the website of the Ministry of Information and Communications: www.mic.gov.vn);
5. Do not allow Internet users to use their computers to commit prohibited acts in Article 5 of this Decree;
6. Requesting the enterprise that signs the Internet agent contract to provide instructions and information about Internet access services; facilitating the inspections and supervisions carried out by that enterprise;
7. Participating in training courses in Internet and video games offered by local state management authorities and enterprises;
8. Do not open from 10:00 PM to 8:00 AM;
9. Complying with the regulations on information safety and information security;
10. Facilitating the inspections carried out by competent state management authorities.
Article 37. Rights and obligations of players
Rights and obligations of players:
1. Playing video games, except for the video games banned by law;
2. The rights and obligations of Internet users defined in Article 10 of this Decree;
3. Select video games appropriate for their ages;
4. Do not use video games to commit violations against the law;
5. Registering personal information at the request of the Ministry of Information and Communications;
6. Comply with regulations on playing hours and opening hours of gaming centers;
7. Having their interests protected by game service providers in accordance with the rules of video games and the rules for settling complaints and disputes posted on the website of the provider.
Tìm kiếm
Nghị định 72/2013/NĐ-CP (Bản Word)
Nghị định 72/2013/NĐ-CP (Bản Pdf)