No Longer a One-Size-Fits-All Approach? Vietnam's vaping policy may take into account opinions from

At the "Responsible Tobacco Control" seminar held by the Vietnam Law Newspaper on July 4, Tran Thanh Trung from the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Food Industry Department stated that new-type tobacco currently has no management policy in Vietnam and is not allowed to circulate. Tran Thanh Trung emphasized that these products are mostly imported through hand-carrying and smuggling, and are not controlled in terms of quality and origin. All commercial and advertising activities are spontaneous and violate the law.
Tran Thanh Trung revealed that the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Health held two formal meetings in 2022 and 2023 to finalize a draft decree to replace Decree No. 67, which includes a proposal for a new-type tobacco management policy.
Tran Thanh Trung stated that although there are still some issues between the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Health, they are working hard to reach a consensus on new-type tobacco regulations. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is developing a management plan that is closest to the opinions of the Ministry of Health to submit to the government.
Nguyen Chi Nhan, head of the legal training department of the Vietnam Tobacco Association (VTA), represented the tobacco industry in suggesting that the government promptly issue appropriate regulatory policies for tobacco use. Nhan stated that the current market is still in its infancy, but with rapid growth in recent years, the delay in policy issuance will make new-type tobacco even harder to manage.
A tweet from Ge Wu Consumption on July 4 mentioned that the 50% preferential tax rate on the import of electronic cigarettes and raw materials starting July 15 may not be significantly related to the consumer market, but more to the upstream supply chain production.
However, as Nguyen Chi Nhan from the VTA mentioned, the consumption of new-type tobacco in Vietnam has seen rapid growth in recent years. According to previous data released by Vietnamese media, the proportion of electronic cigarette users increased more than 36 times from 2015 to 2020; currently, there are over 1.1 million electronic cigarette users in Vietnam.
Previous reports indicated that the Ministry of Industry and Trade had proposed in a draft submitted in May this year to continue to impose consumption tax on electronic cigarettes and suggested conducting pilot operations for new-type tobacco in Vietnam. On the other hand, the Ministry of Health has consistently favored a hardline stance of outright prohibition on electronic cigarettes. Regarding this part, Ge Wu Consumption previously provided a detailed analysis in the tweet "The Ministry of Health of Vietnam once again pushes for an electronic cigarette ban today, but in the short term, it is just a slogan."
Currently, it seems that Vietnam's electronic cigarette regulatory policy is expected to strike a balance between the positions of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Health, avoiding a one-size-fits-all ban.