On the afternoon of January 13 in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ministry of Health held a consultation conference to gather feedback on the policy dossier and draft amendments to the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms for the Southern region.
Dr. Ha Anh Duc, Director General of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management under the Ministry of Health, stated that smoking is a cause of 28 different disease groups, including several serious non-communicable diseases such as cancer (with tobacco linked to 90 percent of lung cancer cases), cardiovascular diseases particularly coronary heart disease and chronic respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Each year, tobacco-related diseases claim more than 100,000 lives in Vietnam including 84,500 from active smoking and 18,800 from exposure to secondhand smoke.
The estimated total medical cost of treating tobacco-related illnesses reached VND108.7 trillion in 2022, posing a long-term and substantial burden on the healthcare system, economy, and social welfare.
Dr. Ha Anh Duc announced that Vietnam currently ranks ninth in the world for tobacco use and is among the top 15 countries with the highest smoking rates among adult men, which is third in the ASEAN region.
According to Dr. Nguyen Tuan Lam, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam, tobacco contains more than 7,000 chemicals, 69 of which are known carcinogens that directly affect the respiratory, cardiovascular, and other vital systems.
Under Resolution 173/2024/QH15 of the National Assembly, Vietnam will ban the production, trade, import, and use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and heated tobacco products starting January 1, 2025.
Globally, however, e-cigarettes and new-generation nicotine products are still being marketed as “less harmful” alternatives, despite scientific evidence proving otherwise.
At the conference, experts emphasized the need to include clear prohibitions on advertising, possession, use, and facilitation of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in the revised law. They also called for strict enforcement of existing penalties under current decrees, which already define specific violations and fines.
According to the Ministry of Health’s plan, the draft amendments to the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms will be finalized and submitted to the Government for review before being presented to the National Assembly Standing Committee in February 2026.
