Vietnam wants to expand the scope of the ban on electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco

Resolution No. 173/2024/QH15 of November 30, 2024, of the National Assembly of Vietnam, came into effect in 2025, prohibiting the production, trade, import, storage, transport, and use of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and addictive substances deemed harmful to human health.[1]. According to Dr. Angela Pratt, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Vietnam, this decision has been welcomed internationally and positions the country among the states that have adopted strict measures against these products, but she calls on Vietnam to completely ban the possibility of exporting or investing in these products, which represent a serious public health problem.

These bans have improved Vietnamese public health.

Scientific data shows that heated tobacco, as a tobacco product, is particularly toxic to health in every respect. Electronic cigarettes are not considered tobacco products, but they still contain nicotine, an extremely addictive substance, and these products are not harmless. Knowledge about the associated risks is progressing, and data on respiratory risks are particularly well-established.

Vietnamese health authorities report a significant decrease in emergencies related to the use of these products since the ban came into effect.

According to data from the Bach Mai Hospital Poison Control Center, the number of cases treated decreased by approximately 70 over the ten months following the implementation of the ban, compared to the same period the previous year.

Furthermore, the promotion of these products by celebrities and influencers seems to have ceased since the adoption of the resolution.

Several measures are still needed to achieve a complete ban

The WHO suggests that the ban be integrated coherently into the overall legal framework, including by listing e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products among the prohibited investment sectors in the amended investment law.[2].

Indeed, the current bill only includes traditional cigarettes in the list of companies subject to conditions, leaving open the possibility of investing and doing business in electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

She also stresses that no exceptions should be granted, including for production intended for export, believing that such a derogation could undermine public health objectives, create legal inconsistencies and promote illegal channels.

At the national level, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health is proposing that the National Assembly add to Article 6, "Industries and Professions Prohibited from Investing and Trading," of the draft Investment Law, a prohibition on investing in and trading electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and other new tobacco and nicotine products. The government has also tasked the Ministry of Finance with aligning existing legislation with the adopted resolution.

Furthermore, some members of parliament advocated for a total ban, arguing that these products pose significant health risks and can be diverted for illicit purposes. Delegate Hoang Anh explained that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products have become a means of surreptitiously introducing illicit substances into schools, public places, and among young people without any possibility of enforcement.

In the ASEAN region, Vietnam thus joins Singapore, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia in the complete ban on electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco. Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Taiwan and Hong Kong, on the other hand, have only banned electronic cigarettes.

Worldwide, around forty countries have banned the sale and distribution of electronic cigarettes and around twenty have banned the sale of heated tobacco products to date.

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1]Vietnam.vn, The Ministry of Health has proposed adding electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco to the list of banned industries., Published on November 26, 2025, accessed the same day

[2]WHO, First anniversary: Only comprehensive ban can protect Vietnamese youth against new tobacco product harms, Published on November 24, 2025, accessed on November 26, 2025

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