Tag: Vietnam

  • E-cigarette use Among Teens in Vietnam is Rising

    E-cigarette use Among Teens in Vietnam is Rising

    E-cigarette use among teens in Vietnam is rising, reports The Star. In 2022, 3.5 percent of 13 year-olds to 15 year-olds were reported to use e-cigarettes compared to 2.6 percent in 2019.

    Vietnam is ranked third among Southeast Asian countries with the highest smoking prevalence, behind Indonesia and the Philippines.

    Low cost has been cited as a motivator; Angela Pratt, a World Health Organization representative, said that prices are so low they do not create a barrier for teens starting to smoke. Pratt suggested raising taxes to help curb smoking.

    Vietnam’s tobacco tax rate is 35.6 percent of retail price compared to the world average of 56 percent and the WHO’s recommended 70 percent.

    The Ministry of Finance is seeking a public consensus to raise the special consumption tax on tobacco, beer, alcohol and sweetened drinks.

  • Vietnam Health Officials Again Call for Ban on Vaping

    Vietnam Health Officials Again Call for Ban on Vaping

    Credit: Miro Novak

    Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has again called for a ban on all new tobacco products following the publication of a study suggesting that youth vaping has led to more hospitalizations for psychosis, hallucinations or respiratory failure, reports VietnamPlus.

    A recent study found that the e-cigarette smoking rate among students increased to 3.5 percent in 2021 from 2.6 percent in 2019, according to Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, an official from the Vietnam Tobacco Control Fund at the Ministry of Health.

    “E-cigarette devices that look like USB drives, pen or pen boxes are making it tough for parents to detect and keep their kids from vaping,” said Nguyen Huu Hoang, a lecturer from the Medical Education Center at Ho Chi Minh City’s University of Medicine and Pharmacy. “They also make young people curious and excited by their eye-catching, fashionable and modern designs.”

    In November, Vietnam’s health ministry proposed a ban on next-generation tobacco products (NGPs), reports VN Express International. The country’s current law on tobacco harm prevention lacks provisions for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

  • Vietnam Mulls Ban on Next-Generation Products

    Vietnam Mulls Ban on Next-Generation Products

    Photo: Michele

    Vietnam’s health ministry has proposed a ban on next-generation tobacco products (NGPs), reports VN Express International. the country’s current law on tobacco harm prevention lacks provisions for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

    According to Tran Thi Trang, deputy head of the Ministry of Health’s legislation department, a trial allowing the distribution of NGPs revealed potential negative impacts, including on youth behavior.

    The percentage of people using e-cigarettes in Vietnam increased to 3.6 percent from 0.2 percent during 2015-2020, according to the health ministry.

    With 15.6 million smokers, Vietnam ranks 15th in the world in terms of combustible cigarette users, the Legal Affairs Department at the Ministry of Information and Communications said. People in Vietnam spend an estimated at VND49trillion ($2 billion) per year.