Vietnam: Ban from Ministry of Health vs. Piloting Management from Ministry of Industry and Commerce

According to Vietnamese media outlet Viettimes, on May 4th, the issue of whether to ban or regulate e-cigarettes was discussed in the National Assembly by the Social Affairs Committee and the National Assembly's Committee on Cultural Education to address concerns about the harm caused by e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

Deputy Minister of Health Dao Honglan stated that the Ministry of Health has already done a lot of work, providing advice to the national management through evidence and impact assessment in order to revise the Tobacco Harmful Effects Law and make plans. Minister of Industry and Trade Pan Sheng proposed piloting management of e-cigarettes.

Faced with the conflicting views of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce on e-cigarettes, representatives in Congress raised pointed questions.

The Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly, Tran Thanh Man, expressed concerns about the increasing prevalence of e-cigarette use, especially among young people, teenagers, and students, which are gradually replacing traditional tobacco. He emphasized that the health risks of e-cigarettes are similar to traditional tobacco, particularly the harm they pose to the brain development of children and adolescents, leading to addiction, cognitive and emotional disorders, reduced learning abilities, and psychological obstacles. E-cigarettes also have a negative impact on the quality of human resources, affecting social order and economic and social development.

Vice Chairperson of the Cultural and Education Committee, Ms. Ruan Mei, calls for clarity on the boundaries between the economic benefits of e-cigarettes and the negative impacts on health costs.

Speaking at the conference, Dr. Nguyen Vinh Chi firmly stated, "I find it strange, why test addictive substances, especially such deadly substances. There is absolutely no need for any testing! Because e-cigarettes have already proliferated globally and in Vietnam, their harm is widely recognized... As a doctor, I question whether anyone can find any benefits of this e-cigarette!"

Dao Honglan emphasized that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products pose great risks to human health, and therefore should be banned from the start rather than being allowed on the market before becoming unmanageable. Even with the various current methods of e-cigarette regulation, the question of whether they can be effectively managed is a concerning issue. Who will be responsible for people's lives? Especially when around 40,000 people die from smoking each year.

Deputy Director Chen Ruanquan, of the Legal and Administrative Reform Department of the Ministry of Public Security, shares the same view as the Ministry of Health, believing that e-cigarettes pose a harm to human health, particularly for young people. He maintains that this product not only harms human health but also the economy. In particular, individuals who have been convicted of drug offenses are increasingly using e-cigarettes to soak and mix drugs.

Teenage use of e-cigarettes is widespread. People are always seen using e-cigarettes while waiting at red lights on the streets. This trend is growing at a concerning rate, so the harms of e-cigarettes outweigh the expected economic and social benefits, according to Rear Admiral Chen Ruanquan.