On November 24, the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam said that it has been one year since the National Assembly passed Resolution 173/2024/QH15 on a comprehensive ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. WHO in Vietnam affirmed that it will continue to accompany the Ministry of Health in promoting the full inclusion of regulations banning these products in the entire relevant legal system, including the draft Investment Law (amended) under consideration.
Dr. Angela Pratt, WHO Representative in Vietnam, emphasized: "Since the ban was passed, Vietnam has made a strong mark in the international community with its pioneering role in preventing e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. This is a decision of great significance for public health, especially in protecting the younger generation."
Dr. Angela Pratt, WHO Representative in Vietnam.
According to WHO, for the ban to be effectively and consistently enforced, the production, trading, import, storage, transportation and use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products should be added to the List of prohibited investment and business sectors in the Investment Law (Article 6), without any exceptions. WHO warns that any exception, including production for export, could undermine the goal of protecting public health and create major loopholes in law enforcement.
Although the implementation and enforcement of the National Assembly 's ban on new tobacco products is still in its early stages, the available evidence shows that the ban has had a clear positive impact. Data from the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital shows that after 10 months of implementing the ban, the number of emergency cases related to new tobacco products, especially among young people, has decreased by nearly 70% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, celebrity and influencer advertising for these products has almost stopped.
WHO makes two key recommendations to Congress:
- Add new tobacco product trading to the list of prohibited investment and business sectors in the amended Investment Law.
- No exceptions are allowed, including allowing production for export, to avoid the risk of smuggling, leakage of goods into the domestic market and inconsistency in policy.
Currently, 42 countries have banned e-cigarettes and 24 countries have banned heated tobacco products. In ASEAN, in addition to Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia have banned both products; Brunei has banned e-cigarettes; Malaysia will ban e-cigarettes from 2026. WHO emphasizes that international best practice is to issue a comprehensive, uniform ban, without exception for production for export.
Vietnam's decisive actions in 2024 were commended by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the World Health Assembly in May 2025.
Dr Pratt affirmed: "WHO is committed to working with the Ministry of Health to develop a comprehensive and consistent legal approach to protect the health and lives of Vietnamese people, especially the younger generation, by ensuring that the National Assembly's ban is fully institutionalized in the revised Investment Law."
Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/who-keu-goi-viet-nam-tiep-tuc-kien-dinh-lenh-cam-thuoc-la-the-he-moi-169251124144555157.htm
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