Vietnam Minister Highlights Legal Gaps in Regulating New Tobacco Products
Vietnamese Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan has pointed out some legal gaps concerning electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and other new tobacco products.
In response to a petition from voters in the central coastal city of Danang calling for a ban on selling electronic cigarettes to students, Minister Lan stated that the 2012 Tobacco Harm Prevention Law does not clearly define these new products.
The Investment Law also does not specify whether electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco, or other new tobacco products fall under prohibited or restricted investment categories.
Currently, authorities have only managed to seize and handle these products as illegal goods or contraband due to lack of invoices or documentation. Some cases have led to criminal charges, but only when illegal substances are found.
Earlier in May, the Ministry of Health submitted a report proposing that the government present a resolution to the National Assembly to ban the production, sale, import, and advertising of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco, and any future new tobacco products.
Minister Lan emphasized the need for a "complete ban" on the production, sale, import, and advertising of these products to protect public health.
A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) on global school health behaviors in Vietnam, along with a survey of new tobacco use among middle and high school students in 11 provinces and cities, indicated that the use of electronic cigarettes among students aged 13-17 has risen from 2.6% in 2019 to 8.1% in 2023.