Read articles from Vietnam

May 20, 2024 by sggp.org.vn

An interview with Vice Chairman of the National Medical Council Luong Ngoc Khue discusses the rise in e-cigarette use among Vietnamese youth. Despite a decrease in traditional cigarette consumption, cases of emergency care due to e-cigarette overuse have surged, especially among adolescents. The appeal of e-cigarettes lies in their various designs and flavors, leading to an increase in usage among young students. The lack of regulation allows easy access to these harmful products, contributing to health and social issues. Efforts are being made to update legislation to ban e-cigarette manufacturing, trading, and advertising, aligning with global initiatives to curb tobacco-related harms.

May 14, 2024 by vnexpress.net

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested authorities to apply different measures to manage and prevent the harmful effects of e-cigarettes. In a document issued Monday, Chinh said the rate of smokers has dropped by 0.5% on average every year among males. But different types of e-cigarettes are available and more people are using them, leading to adverse health effects for users. As such, Chinh has requested the Ministry of Health to communicate more about the harmful impacts of e-cigarettes, as well as proposing solutions to manage them. The Ministry of Finance would instruct customs to manage the transportation of e-cigarettes through the border, and to tackle smuggling.

May 06, 2024 by vietnamnet.vn

There are debates over banning e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products as the Ministry of Health proposed a ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products whereas the Ministry of Industry and Trade wants to legalize the two products. Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the Ministry of Health has submitted many documents to the Government and to the Ministry of Industry and Trade clearly expressing the ministry's views on this issue.

April 17, 2024 by thestar.com.my

Many ministries affirm that heated cigarettes fall under tobacco laws, regulated since 2012. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is developing rules to manage electronic and heated tobacco products. The Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Tobacco defines tobacco products based on ingredients, not production methods. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control includes heated tobacco as a tobacco product. The 2018 World Health Organization recognizes heated cigarettes as tobacco and advises national regulation. Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan stresses the importance of regulating new cigarettes under existing laws.

March 28, 2024 by vnexpress.net

When I first entered university, I did something that, upon recall, I always chuckled at how stupidly innocent it was: I started smoking to show people how "mature" I was, and to show off with my female friends. I was very poor in university, much like all other university students back then. So naturally, I chose one of the cheapest brands, a no-filter straight-up cigarette. We only chose a more expensive type of cigarette on the first day of the new academic year. We did not have any strong reason to do so, besides the dire need to impress the new influx of girls at the school.

March 26, 2024 by vietnamplus.vn

Thai Academics are warning about a new type of e-cigarette called "toy pods" which look like replicas of popular cartoon characters to target school and university students. Srirach Lapyai, a project manager at Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Centre (TRC), said e-cigarette businesses have adjusted the appearance of their products to look more like figurines of famous cartoon characters or cute miniatures of toys, food, stationery items, and so forth.

November 29, 2023 by vietnamplus.vn

Laos plans to amend and supplement certain provisions of the law on drug prevention and control, with electronic cigarettes to be included in the list of substances and precursors classified as addictive. Speaking at the 9th Lao National Assembly’s 6th session, General Vilay Lakhamphong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security, stressed that electronic cigarettes, one of the emerging issues of social concerns, are yet to be listed as prohibited substances. Therefore, in the near future, they will be added to the list of products containing banned addictive substances and precursors.

November 23, 2023 by vietnamnews.vn

Electronic nicotine delivery, known as e-cigarettes, must be completely banned in Việt Nam, said Dr Nguyễn Trung Nguyên, director of the Poison Control Centre under Bạch Mai Hospital at a workshop in Hà Nội on Thursday. Nguyên said the chemical and drug composition of e-cigarettes is much more complex than that of traditional cigarettes. Synthetic marijuana existing in e-cigarettes has become the largest, most complex and most challenging drug type. He said it is necessary to immediately ban e-cigarettes in Việt Nam without any trial basis.

July 24, 2023 by vnexpress.net

The price of cigarettes in Australia is sky-high because they are taxed so high. To buy a pack of cigarettes for 25 Australian dollars ($16.82), you have to pay tax up to 18 Australian dollars. The price of a pack of cheap cigarettes in Thailand is 89 baht ($2.59). A pack of cigarettes in Vietnam cost VND6,000-20,000 ($0.25-0.85). At my office in Vietnam, there is a gathering place for smoking. Many of the smokers are young men in their 20s.

March 09, 2023 by thestar.com.my

The prevalence of e-cigarette use among Vietnamese teens has increased in recent years as among 13-15 year olds [...]
The Ministry of Health noted a concerning uptake of e-cigarettes, particularly among adolescents and young adults with about seven in 100 aged between 15 and 24 using e-cigarettes.

Despite a slight reduction of people who smoked tobacco in 2022, down 0.8 percent from 2015, Vietnam is ranked third among South-East Asian countries with the highest smoking prevalence, only after Indonesia and the Philippines, according to the Ministry of Health.