HÀ NỘI – Hà Nội’s market management force on Thursday seized 1,000 litres of homemade alcohol from a local shop.

According to market management team six of Nam Từ Liêm District, the seized alcohol was mostly rice wine infused with animals or wild fruit and herbs.

The shop owner, Nguyễn Văn Khương, 37, said he purchased the booze from wine-making households in northern Hưng Yên province, then transported it to Hà Nội to sell for VNĐ30,000 per litre.  

Khương didn’t produce any trading license or origin certification paper for the alcohol.   

The increase of alcohol poisoning cases in the city has been blamed mainly on drinking cheap wine without origin at street restaurants.   

Most of the poisoning victims are labourers from rural areas who work in Hà Nội.

Health inspectors and market management forces have been strengthening inspections of wine production and trading establishments to tackle the problem.

The city’s health department is considering banning eateries from selling alcohol of unclear origin.

It is also conducting an awareness drive for business owners on the possible consequences of consuming alcohol of unclear origin.    

Drinking home brews can have bad consequences. Hà Nội-based Bạch Mai Hospital’s Poison Control Centre receives hundreds of alcohol poisoning cases each year.

On March 6, 7 and 8, the centre’s doctors treated four serious cases of homemade alcohol poisoning. All patients were treated immediately by hemodialysis, doctors said, however two patients were in critical condition situation.   

From February 22 to March 8), 14 total cases of methanol poisoning from homemade alcohol were treated at the centre, with one patient dieing.

Patients originally complained of headaches, tiredness and nausea. At the hospital, their blood tests showed blood methanol concentrations of 40 to 318mg per deciliter.-- VNS