On the first anniversary of Viet Nam’s historic vote, the World Health Organization (WHO) Viet Nam stands with the Ministry of Health in calling for the National Assembly’s November 2024 ban on the production, trade, import, harbouring, transportation and use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (Resolution 173/2024/QH15), to be appropriately reflected in all relevant legislation, including revisions currently being considered to the draft Law on Investment (amended).
"Since voting for the ban one year ago, Viet Nam has been recognized globally for its leadership in banning e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. This was a hugely significant decision for public health and, in particular, for protecting the health and future of young people,” said WHO Representative in Viet Nam Dr Angela Pratt.
“Ensuring the National Assembly’s ban on these dangerous products can be effectively implemented now requires that doing business in e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products also be banned in the Law on Investment (Article 6), without exceptions. This is necessary to safeguard both public health, and Viet Nam’s global reputation as a champion for health.”
While the implementation and enforcement of the National Assembly’s ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products is still in the early stages, the available evidence shows that it is already making a difference. Data from Bach Mai Hospital’s Poison Control Center shows an almost 70% reduction in emergency cases associated with the harmful usage of these products, in particular among young people, during the 10 months after the ban was adopted compared to the previous 10-month period. In addition, due to the clear message sent by the National Assembly in adopting a ban on these harmful products, promotion of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products by influencers has also largely ceased.
To ensure the National Assembly’s ban is able to continue to be implemented, WHO urges the National Assembly to:
- Include e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in the list of prohibited business lines in the revised Law on Investment;
- Avoid any exceptions, such as permitting production for export, which could undermine public health objectives, as well as create significant enforcement challenges.
Allowing production for export would risk weakening the health and social rationale for the ban and cause legal inconsistencies, create opportunities for illicit trade and domestic leakage, and make enforcement of the existing ban more challenging and complex.
Globally, 42 countries have banned e-cigarettes, and 24 countries have banned heated tobacco products. In the ASEAN region apart from Viet Nam, four other countries – Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Singapore and Thailand - have banned e-cigarette and heated tobacco products; Brunei Darussalam has banned e-cigarettes, and Malaysia will ban e-cigarettes from 2026. International best practice is for legally consistent bans, with no exception allowed for production for export.
Viet Nam’s bold and strong action in 2024 to ban these products has been recognized globally, including by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the World Health Assembly in May 2025.
“WHO stands firmly with the Ministry of Health in calling for a comprehensive and consistent legal approach to protecting health and saving young lives in Viet Nam, by ensuring the National Assembly’s ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products is also reflected in revisions to the Law on Investment,” Dr Pratt concluded.