Vietnam vaping market at risk? National Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control Strategy clearly aims to

According to the official website of the Vietnamese government, on May 26, local time, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha signed Resolution No. 568/QD-TTg, approving the "National Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control Strategy." One of the core points of this strategy is to "prevent the use of electronic cigarette products in the community."

The specific strategic objectives include:

From 2023 to 2025, the specific targets are to reduce the tobacco use rate among males aged 15 and above to below 39%; and among females aged 15 and above to below 1.4%.

The proportion of passive exposure to tobacco smoke in workplaces should be reduced to below 30%; in restaurants, it should be below 75%; in bars and cafes, below 80%; and in hotels, below 60%.

It specifically mentions preventing the use of aerosol electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco, water pipes, and other novel tobacco products in the community.

From 2026 to 2030, the proportion of passive exposure to tobacco smoke in workplaces should be reduced to below 25%; in restaurants, below 65%; in bars and cafes, below 70%; and in hotels, below 50%.

To achieve these goals, Vietnam's "National Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control Strategy" has proposed corresponding tasks and implementation plans;

The specific tasks include:

1. Improve the mechanisms, policies, and laws for tobacco harm prevention and control;

2. Strengthen the leadership of party committees and departments at all levels in tobacco harm prevention and control work and inter-departmental coordination;

3. Enhance and update information, education, and communication activities for tobacco harm prevention and control;

4. Strengthen the inspection, review, and handling of violations of tobacco harm prevention and control;

5. Enhance scientific research and improve the tobacco harm prevention and control supervision system;

6. Consolidate and enhance the capacity of the tobacco harm prevention and control network;

7. Strengthen international cooperation.

The implementation plan includes:

1. Develop a tax roadmap for tobacco products to ensure that by 2030, the tax rate reaches the retail price ratio recommended by the World Health Organization; standardize the minimum selling price of tobacco products, and study and evaluate the effectiveness of the tax scheme on the retail price of tobacco products to achieve the goal of reducing tobacco use rates.

2. Restrict and strictly control the sale of tobacco products in duty-free shops; propose regulations on preventing electronic cigarette products, heated tobacco, water pipes, and other novel tobacco products in the community; and prohibit the sale of tobacco to minors according to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

3. Develop information dissemination plans and programs for tobacco harm prevention and control suitable for different periods; regularly organize diverse tobacco harm prevention and control publicity activities that are suitable for various regions and target populations. Increase the use of information technology and social networks in communication to prevent and control the harmful effects of tobacco.

4. Strengthen the guidance committee for tobacco harm prevention and control planning at the central and provincial levels; establish and promulgate regulations on the functions, tasks, and coordination mechanisms among various departments, branches, agencies, and organizations from central to local levels to ensure effective implementation of cigarette harm prevention and control.

Previously, Ge Wu had shared multiple times about the current situation facing Vietnam's electronic cigarette market. Vietnam previously had no ban on electronic cigarettes, but the qualification for importing electronic cigarettes was granted only to the Vietnam National Tobacco Corporation (Vinataba).

On the other hand, the consumption market for electronic cigarettes in Vietnam has grown rapidly in recent years. According to relevant media reports, from 2015 to 2020, the proportion of electronic cigarette users increased more than 36 times; currently, there are over 1.1 million electronic cigarette users in Vietnam.

In this context, there exists a considerable illegal electronic cigarette market in Vietnam. This has led to a tug-of-war situation in the regulation of electronic cigarettes, with one side, led by the Ministry of Health, advocating for an absolute ban on electronic cigarettes; the other side consists of tobacco companies and the Vietnam Tobacco Control Foundation (VNTCF) funded by tobacco companies.

However, according to local media reports on May 14, the Ministry of Finance of Vietnam recently submitted a draft report on the Special Consumption Tax Law (SCT) to the Ministry of Justice, which includes a proposal to impose consumption tax on electronic cigarettes, specifically mentioning the content of conducting pilot operations in Vietnam.

It is evident that imposing a consumption tax on electronic cigarettes means legalizing them; while the "National Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control Strategy" mentioned on May 26 states "to prevent the use of electronic cigarettes in the community," specific regulations have not yet been formulated. It can be said that, at the current pace, Vietnam has not officially banned electronic cigarettes, and the market remains in an uncertain state.