A police officer in Đà Nẵng carries out an inspection of unknown-origin e-cigarettes. VNA/VNS Photo

Paul Kennedy & Lê Hương*

Plans are in place to ban e-cigarettes nationwide from the beginning of next year.

The Ministry of Health says people’s health is paramount, especially the health of young people, many of whom have taken up the habit in recent years.

Medical experts also agree, with doctors saying vaping can cause serious problems, including brain issues and can be particularly extremely harmful to developing teenagers.

The National Assembly last month voted to ban the production, sale, import, storage, transportation and usage of e-cigarettes, starting in 2025, to protect people's health.

The NA requested the government to carry out the ban, as well as improve people's awareness, especially young people, of the harmful impacts of e-cigarettes.

Minister of Health Đào Hồng Lan said: “From the perspective of an agency protecting people's health, we have also had a detailed analysis report and proposed to the government that in the future, we must develop stronger solutions to address the business of electronic cigarettes and their impact on people's health, especially young people.”

The news has been welcomed by health experts and organisations who work to reduce the consumption of tobacco products among the younger generation.

Country director of the international non-profit organisation Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Đoàn Thị Thu Huyền, said: “I would like to warmly congratulate the Ministry of Health and especially the National Assembly of Việt Nam on passing a resolution to completely ban tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

“This is a great and wise decision, demonstrating the consistent viewpoint of the Party and the Government, prioritising people's health. In particular, this can be considered a decision that creates an important foundation for disease prevention programs rather than cure.”

Dr Mattias Larsson, a specialist in paediatrics at the Family Medical Practice in Hà Nội, added: “Of course, I think it’s a good decision from a health point of view because a lot of young people are using vaping now.

“They have found their way into the teenage and teenage communities and it’s causing addiction the same way as nicotine addiction as cigarettes. It’s not only dangerous for the lungs but also for the heart and it’s dangerous for the brain, and brain development, especially for teenagers.”

A study carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier this year looked at the use of vapes among young children.

It found that many companies specifically target the younger generation with gimmicks and use social media influencers to sell their products.

The report said: “There is an alarming increase in the use of e-cigarettes among children and young people, with rates exceeding adult use in many countries. Even brief exposure to e-cigarette content on social media is associated with greater intention to use these products, as well as more positive attitudes toward e-cigarettes.

“Currently, 88 countries have no minimum age at which e-cigarettes can be bought and 74 countries have no regulations in place for these harmful products. E-cigarettes target children through social media and influencers, with at least 16,000 attractive flavours.

“Some of these products use cartoon characters and have sleek designs, which appeal to the younger generation. Some look like toys and games.”

Some people have expressed concerns that when vaping is banned, young people may switch to traditional tobacco products.

Dr Larsson said: “If those people instead of vaping start smoking then it might be a problem because steamed smoking has more negative health effects than vaping in general, if you look at lung cancer for example.

“So the ban needs to be combined with ways to prevent people from smoking instead of vaping if they’re nicotine addicted. So I think, in the programme, with the banning, they have to see the consequence of a ban and then support people to get out of the nicotine addiction. Otherwise, it might increase the smoking rate, they’re also nicotine substances.”

There are also fears the ban could drive sellers underground, using illegal methods to smuggle vapes into the country and sell online.

Huyền added: “In the future, management and inspection work needs to be tightened and regularly checked. In addition, regulations on the transportation of smuggled goods, especially in cross-border areas, need to be tightened even more.

“One point we see that needs to be noted, is some experiences of countries like Thailand and India, when they enforce this ban, they encounter major barriers which are illegal trading of this product on the internet.

“This is a barrier for many countries in the world. We see that technical barriers to limit access to these products on the internet will be one of the effective solutions to prevent consumers and children from accessing this product.”

In Hà Nội, dozens of vaping shops have opened over the past two years. Vapes are also often sold by street vendors.

Việt Nam News contacted numerous vape shops in the capital, but all refused to comment on the ban. VNS

*Additional reporting by Bảo Long

Vinh, not his real name, puffs on a vape before the ban comes into effect on January 1, 2025. VNS Photo by Bảo LongTime to kick the habitVinh, not his real name, has been vaping for almost six years. While he accepts that vaping harms people’s health, he is not convinced a total ban is the right solution.The 21-year-old student from Hà Nội said: “I am quite surprised with this new decree, as a user, I do not fully support it. However, when looking at the general picture of Việt Nam now, many people are smoking and the main smokers are teenagers, middle school and high school students. It is not difficult to see those images. I think this decree is generally the right decision to ban this type of cigarette, it will not affect the young generation in general.“After this decree is issued, I won’t smoke illegally because that means I am going against the law. I have to think about quitting this drug completely. However, quitting is not easy. I have been using it for quite a long time, so I am quite dependent on this stimulant.“So in the beginning, after this decree is issued, I will probably find a way to switch to another type of nicotine supply and gradually consider quitting completely. If I can quit completely, that would be great.” VNS