E-cigarettes are still difficult to control
In Vietnam, despite being banned from production, business, import and use, e-cigarettes are still creeping into a part of young people. Reporters' records at a coffee shop in Hanoi show that the use of e-cigarettes is quite common, and smoke is released densely in public spaces.
A female student said: "I usually buy e-cigarettes online, I can't buy them directly anymore. The current price is quite high, buying is not easy either." A young man using e-cigarettes admitted: "I've been smoking for about 3-4 years, I know it's harmful but I can't quit because I've become addicted.
E-cigarettes not only appear in public places but are also sophisticatedly traded on social networks. Many closed groups advertise fruit flavors and cheap prices to approach and attract young people. Transactions are mainly carried out via private messages, flexible payment by bank transfer or receiving paid goods, forming an uncontrollable "underground market", causing many challenges for functional agencies.
Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital - said that the trend of using e-cigarettes shows a change in the way young people approach nicotine. If in the past smoking was associated with a clear awareness of risks, then new products such as e-cigarettes are blurring the boundary between trying and dependence, making the risk of addiction appear early and more difficult to control.
“Electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco contain thousands of harmful substances. Nicotine is a strong addictive substance that can destroy the nervous system, seriously affecting internal organs and long-term health” - Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen assessed.
According to doctors, alarming figures related to tobacco and e-cigarettes continue to show that the burden on public health is increasing, especially in developing countries like Vietnam. "In Vietnam, more than 100,000 deaths are recorded each year, of which about 84,500 are due to active smoking, more than 10 times higher than the number of deaths from traffic accidents. Cigarette smoke is the main cause of lung cancer, accounting for about 80-90% of deaths related to this disease. Vietnam is currently in the group of 15 countries with the highest rate of adult male smoking, ranking 3rd in the ASEAN region. Notably, smoking has long been considered the leading preventable cause of death in the world, with more than 7 million deaths each year" - Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen said.
Doctors also emphasized that new generation tobacco products have a "backbone" of nicotine, accompanied by many chemicals mixed arbitrarily. The consequences of tobacco are comprehensive, so it is necessary to have solutions from the root, not creating new smokers.
Tighten management of e-cigarettes to protect young people
Although it has been tightened, e-cigarettes still "circumvent" loopholes to survive; if not strictly controlled, the risk of increasing users, especially teenagers, will continue.
Faced with that situation, Decree 90/2026/ND-CP, effective from May 15, 2026, introduces many regulations on strict penalties for acts related to e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, attracting public attention.
According to Article 26 of the Decree, the act of harboring or allowing others to use e-cigarettes may be fined from 3 to 5 million VND. This is considered a strong move to control new generation cigarettes in the context that these products are increasingly popular in life.
According to TTND. GS. TS. BS Dong Khac Hung, lung cancer is increasing in Vietnam, in which tobacco is the cause of up to 90% of cases, requiring a comprehensive and stronger amendment of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms.
He proposed focusing on 4 pillars: Increasing taxes to reduce consumption; tightening advertising, banning displays; expanding health warnings to 75% of packaging, moving towards plain packaging and building a smoke-free environment with strict implementation.
From a legal perspective, Dr. Dang Van Cuong - Head of Chinh Phap Law Office said: "To reduce the level of e-cigarettes use, it is not about increasing or decreasing the age but about strict control from production to consumption.
The lawyer proposed applying technology to manage buyers, increasing special consumption tax to reduce demand; and at the same time promoting propaganda and education in schools, families and communities to limit the habit of using e-cigarettes among young people.
