Vietnam Ministry of Health: Multiple departments will work together to promote the implementation of the e-cigarette ban

Vietnam Ministry of Health: Multiple departments will work together to promote the implementation of the e-cigarette ban

The Deputy Minister of Health of Vietnam pointed out that although the smoking rate among adults has declined, the smoking rate among men is still high. The National Assembly of Vietnam has passed new regulations to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products from 2025, requiring the government to increase publicity and coordinate with multiple departments to ensure the effective implementation of the regulations.

According to Baovanhoa on December 7, Trần Văn Thuấn, Deputy Minister of Health of Vietnam, introduced the achievements and challenges of Vietnam since the promulgation of the "Law on the Prevention of Tobacco Harm" in 2012 at a meeting.

The minister pointed out that although the active smoking rate of adults in Vietnam has declined in the past 12 years, the decline is relatively slow. The current male adult smoking rate is 41.1%, which is still one of the countries with the highest smoking rates in the world.

Previously, the National Assembly of Vietnam passed new regulations to ban products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, which will be implemented in 2025. The National Assembly requires the government to promote the implementation of specific provisions, increase publicity, and raise public awareness of alcohol, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco.

At this meeting, the delegates discussed the current difficulties and proposed a series of solutions. Nguyễn Huy Quang, former director of the Legal Affairs Department of the Ministry of Health, emphasized that in order to effectively implement the tobacco ban of the National Assembly, the Ministry of Health needs to take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice and other departments to ensure that the resolution can be effectively implemented.

In addition, the Ministry of Health should continue to collect international experience, study the impact of e-cigarettes on public health, and put forward corresponding policy recommendations. The application of information technology will be upgraded to detect and deal with violations in the implementation of the anti-smoking law and promote it nationwide. The Ministry of Health needs to recommend to the government that relevant departments take appropriate actions according to their duties, such as strengthening market supervision and conducting comprehensive inspections.

In the field of education, the Ministry of Education needs to urge schools to evaluate the actual situation of students using e-cigarettes and take reasonable measures to intervene. The Ministry of Public Security will strengthen the crackdown on illegal transactions and strictly investigate and punish e-cigarette products containing drugs.