Carlsberg faces penalty for adding beer bottle images to Vietnam’s historic sites The Vietnamese branch of Danish beer company Carlsberg is facing a penalty after launching an online advertisement in which beer bottles were stamped on historic sites in Vietnam’s ancient citadel of Hue.   The Huda beer bottles of Carlsberg Vietnam are added to famous sites of Hue ancient citadel in an advertisement posted on the brand’s Facebook page. Authorities in Hue City, the capital of the north-central province of Thua Thien- Hue, are determining a suitable punishment for Carlsberg Vietnam after the company appeared to deface the country’s historic sites in an online ad. Le Si Minh, director of the provincial Department of Information and Communications, confirmed on Thursday afternoon that the agency was working with its culture counterpart to issue a final decision. In a photo ad posted to the Facebook page of Huda Beer, a beer brand owned by Carlsberg Vietnam, several images of the beverage appeared to have been stamped on Hue’s well-known historical sites, namely Ngo Mon and Truong Tien Bridge. Built by the Nguyen Dynasty who ruled Vietnam between 1805 and 1945, Ngo Mon serves as the south gate of the Hue Royal Citadel and is now considered a relic of the ancient Capital of Hue recognized by UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage. The Truong Tien Bridge, built in 1899, crosses over the famous Huong River. The photos were part of an ad campaign launched by the beer manufacturer showing the beer bottles stamped on the wall of the Ngo Mon Gate and the piers of the Truong Tien Bridge. Such images violate regulations in the Vietnamese law on advertisement, Minh said, adding that the Department of Information and Communications had ordered the removal of the photos. Carlsberg Vietnam shall be asked to make a public apology and agree not repeat the offense, the official continued. “The firm is also expected to be slapped with an administrative fine of between VND10 million [US$440] and VND20 million [$880] in accordance with the law,” he added. Having entered Vietnam in 1993 through a joint venture company, Carlsberg now operates two breweries in Hue and Hanoi which produce Huda, Huda Gold, Halida, Tuborg, and Carlsberg beer. TUOI TRE NEWS