Vietnam blocks late night online gaming

Vietnam has moved to block gamers from playing online at night.

The country’s Ministry of Information and Communication has asked internet service providers to block access to online games after 10pm, according to Vietnam News. The initiative is to counter potentially harmful side effects from playing these titles.

Provincial departments of information and communication will inspect online games activities nationwide and deal with organisations that violate regulations by cancelling their services,” said the ministry’s Deputy Minister Le Nam Thang.

Some online games service providers, such as VTC Intercom and Asiasoft have spoken out against the move, claiming the block will reduce entertainment acess 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 per cent of the population.