At a recent consultative conference on amending the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) issued strong recommendations to safeguard public health, especially for the younger generation. Scientific evidence confirms that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products do not offer “harm reduction” or aid in smoking cessation as often advertised. On the contrary, they contain numerous carcinogens and adversely affect brain development in individuals under 25.
Statistics indicate that the likelihood of young people starting traditional smoking increases 3.5 times after exposure to new tobacco products. International experience shows that implementing absolute bans significantly lowers usage rates in schools and reduces related emergency medical cases. In addition to prohibition, experts suggest that Vietnam should completely eliminate product displays at retail points, particularly near schools, to remove triggers for curiosity among adolescents.
Furthermore, the proposed legal amendments aim to expand health warning labels on packaging to cover 75–85% of the surface and maintain 100% smoke-free environments. These measures are considered essential technical barriers to reducing the annual toll of over 100,000 deaths caused by tobacco-related diseases in Vietnam.