Legal Gaps Persist in Regulation of Electronic Cigarettes in Vietnam: Minister

Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has highlighted the ongoing legal gaps in state regulation of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products due to the absence of provisions for these products in the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, local media reported.

Minister Dien made the statement in reply to a question from National Assembly (NA) Deputy Tran Thi Thanh Lam from the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre at the NA’s Q&A session in Hanoi on June 4 about the ministry’s responsibilities and commitments to addressing this issue.

While there is no specific regulatory framework in place, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has not issued permits for business operations or registered any e-commerce websites for trading new-generation tobacco products, Minister Dien highlighted.

Furthermore, the ministry has directed local market management authorities to intensify oversight and crackdown on recent violations, he added.

To remedy these shortcomings, he called on relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Training, to issue clear regulations for electronic cigarettes and raise public awareness of the dangers of electronic cigarettes.

According to the Ministry of Health's survey, the rate of electronic cigarette uses among adults increased by 18 times from 0.2% in 2015 to 3.6% in 2020, while the rate among students aged 13-15 hit 3.5% in 2022. In 2023, there were over 1200 hospital admissions due to the use of electronic cigarettes.

(Tuoi Tre, VTV, CAND, Bao Chinh Phu)