Non-Alcoholic Beer Rules in Vietnam
In Vietnam, the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Alcoholic Beverages (Law No. 44/2019/QH14) defines beer as a fermented malt drink containing food-grade alcohol, with no minimum strength and no 0.5% line. We found no legal term for non-alcoholic beer (bia không cồn), so the law does not say whether a beer of 0.5% or less is covered.
Checked on 2 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice: laws change, so confirm with the regulator before you rely on a rule.
The rules in Vietnam at a glance
- At what alcohol level does a drink count as alcoholic in Vietnam?
- No 0.5% line. The alcohol harm law defines beer as a malt drink containing food-grade alcohol, with no minimum.
- What may a label call a non-alcoholic beer in Vietnam?
- No legal term found for non-alcoholic beer (bia không cồn).
- Who may sell or buy non-alcoholic beer in Vietnam?
- Selling, supplying or promoting beer to under-18s is banned. Whether this reaches beer of 0.5% or less is not stated.
The detail, with sources
The same law bans selling, supplying or promoting beer to anyone under 18 and bans selling it from vending machines, and Decree 24/2020 requires online sellers to check that the person receiving the order is 18 or over. Labels on goods sold in Vietnam must be in Vietnamese.
Elsewhere in Southeast Asia
Singapore, Thailand since November 2025 and Malaysia since April 2026 treat a drink as alcoholic above 0.5% alcohol by volume, and Indonesia's halal rules use the same 0.5% line. Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei set no line for non-alcoholic beer in the laws we read. In Malaysia and Indonesia, food law and halal standards also limit what these drinks may be called, including whether the word beer may appear on the label.
| Country or territory | A drink counts as alcoholic from |
|---|---|
| Malaysia | More than 0.5% ABV is an alcoholic beverage, since 1 April 2026. Before that, the line was more than 2%. |
| Indonesia | The 2013 Presidential Regulation defines an alcoholic beverage by fermentation and sets no lower limit. Its lowest class covers drinks of up to 5%. |
| Singapore | More than 0.5% ethanol by mass or volume is liquor. |
| Thailand | Above 0.5 degree. Since 8 November 2025, drinks at 0.5 degree or less are outside the alcohol control law. |
| Philippines | We found no legal line for alcohol content. The excise tax on beer and other fermented liquors has no threshold. |
| Brunei | The law does not define liquor by alcohol content. The Syariah Penal Code uses "liquor or intoxicating drink" without defining it. |
Across the whole region
- All 27 countries and territories in one table
- What halal authorities have published
- What regulators say about drink-driving laws and non-alcoholic beer
- The same rows as JSON or CSV, free to reuse with credit
If a rule for Vietnam has changed, or a source no longer says what we say it does, write to getsoma.store@gmail.com and we will correct it.
Who publishes this page
SOMA is a non-alcoholic craft beer brand founded in Bangalore, India, and its beers are under 0.5% ABV. Our first deliveries will be in Bangalore, and we do not ship outside India. We keep these pages because the rules on non-alcoholic beer differ a great deal between countries, and many pages online state them without a source.
To learn how non-alcoholic beer is made and what is in it, read Non-Alcoholic Beer 101.