LTS: In response to warnings about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes, to protect public health, the National Assembly has demonstrated its central role in institutionalizing the Party's guidelines, creating a legal foundation for the country's sustainable development, representing the voice of the people by unifying the ban on the production, trading, import, storage, transportation, and use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, gases, and addictive substances, causing harm to human health from 2025, ensuring public health, social order and safety.
The bai "E-cigarette Underground Market" is a series of reports published after the National Assembly passed a comprehensive ban on e-cigarettes. With a series of real-life records, the article exposed an underground market that is still vibrant and sophisticated, where prohibited products are publicly traded on social networks, hidden in small stores, despite legal regulations. The article not only reflects the tricks of circumventing the law and the laxity in management and supervision, but also rings the alarm about the dangers to health, especially for young people, when "the wave of fragrant smoke" is painted like an harmless trend.
Through the opinions of health experts and National Assembly deputies, a series of articles clearly pointed out the "bottlenecks" in policy implementation, from market management to cyberspace control, thereby calling for synchronous coordination between authorities, schools and society to prohibit the ban from entering real life, protecting public health.
Public advertising on the online market
On November 30, 2024, the National Assembly passed a Resolution on questioning activities at the 8th Session of the 15th National Assembly. The National Assembly's resolution clearly states: The National Assembly agreed to ban the production, trading, import, storage, transportation, and use of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, gases, and addictive substances that are harmful to human health from 2025, ensuring public health, social order and safety.
However, up to now, the e-cigarette market continues to operate in many forms of business, both online and in-person. For the online market, when searching for keywords such as: e-cigarettes, Vape, Pod... on Facebook, it is not difficult to find groups with from 4,000 to more than 30,000 members (ads updated to October 30, 2025).
These groups operate openly, without hiding their identities, even revealing their phone numbers to facilitate communication with those who need to use them. Many accounts regularly post information about selling e-cigarettes and essential oils with photos, prices and instructions for use.
Posing as someone who wanted to buy and use an e-cigarette for the first time, the group of reporters contacted a Zalo account named Thieu Ank Pod Hn. Taking advantage of the information left by the group of reporters about "using it for the first time", the subjects were excited and continuously invited and introduced new products.
"I buy goods to use well", "Only use, the feeling line is better"... the above account advised the reporter group.
Immediately after that, when asked about the method of transportation and the information stated on the packaging of the item, this subject said that the facility had an own shipper, so customers did not need to worry. When the customer has chosen a " suitable" item, the above subject quickly arranges a time and asks for a location so that the shipper can deliver it to the location. The items of this subject have prices ranging from 400,000 - 700,000 VND.
Not only stopping at the above subjects, we continue to learn on online platforms. Discovering and chatting with a Facebook account named Huynh Ngoc Nhu, the account owner said that he used to use this item but has now dropped it. However, the subject continued to do business.
According to the subject, there are still many people who want to buy and use this item. Therefore, account owners are often busy with "orders", it is obvious that they are "sold out" and have not imported in time.
Not only on the online market, direct sales are still blatant
Business establishments not only appear online but also have many subjects selling directly and publicly.
On Ta Hien Street (Hang Buom Ward, Hanoi), the reporter group discovered many subjects doing business in the form of street vending.
With just a basket worn in front of them, these subjects continuously invited customers. They operate in groups, spreading many routes, especially targeting young people or foreigners.
An e-cigarette seller on the street said: "We work here because it is near a drinking place, people have a high demand for it. We only do business in the evening to avoid detection". The items of this subject range in price from 300,000 - 400,000 VND.
Ms. Minh Huong (name changed - PV) said that she often goes to Ta Hien street to eat with friends on weekends. However, because she is allergic to the smell of cigarette smoke, she clearly shows discomfort to people who sell and use e-cigarettes.
"The smell of cigarette smoke always makes me feel headache and dizzy. Many people also complained but those subjects still did not change," said Ms. Huong.
Trading in electronic cigarettes is a violation of the law. There are still buyers, but sellers are still blatantly operating despite the law. The authorities need to take action to punish and strictly enforce the law, so that the new generation of cigarettes will not destroy future generations.
