Tobacco harm reduction experts warned that Vietnam’s plan to ban the use of e-cigarettes would deprive smokers of better alternatives and encourage them to continue smoking.
Asa Saligupta, director of ENDS Cigarette Smoke Thailand (ECST), said Vietnam’s vaping ban is contrary to the global trend toward regulating vapes and heated tobacco products and represents a “dangerous step” that could derail tobacco harm reduction efforts in Southeast Asia.
“A ban on e-cigarettes will only push vapers to the black market, which is beyond the control of authorities in terms of regulation and product standards,” Saligupta said. “Worse, this would encourage vapers to return to smoking, which is the most dangerous form of nicotine consumption because of the combustion process that results in serious health risks.”
Saligupta said Vietnam should instead follow the Philippines’ example by regulating e-cigarettes and other smoke-free products to provide smokers with better alternatives to cigarettes, reduce smoking risks, and ensure these products are kept out of the hands of minors.
Vietnam’s National Assembly approved a resolution in early December 2024 to ban the production, trade, import, storage, transport, and use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and other substances starting in 2025.
This followed aggressive lobbying for the ban by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Vietnam’s Ministry of Health publicly thanked the organization for its participation and suggested it continue providing technical support for tobacco control policies.
Bloomberg Philanthropies, a charity founded by U.S. billionaire Michael Bloomberg, has faced criticism in other countries, including India and the Philippines, for interfering in government policies.
The Consumer Choice Center, an international advocacy group, said Bloomberg’s “not-so-secret campaign to ban vapes and heaters would boost Vietnam’s cigarette sales.”
Public health experts said smoke-free products such as vapes, heated tobacco, and oral nicotine have helped millions of smokers quit in countries like the United Kingdom, Japan, and Sweden, which have seen the fastest declines in smoking rates.
Scientific studies have shown these innovative devices are far less harmful than combustible cigarettes because they do not involve combustion, which releases toxic substances.
Anton Israel, president of the Nicotine Consumers Union of the Philippines (NCUP), said it’s nearly impossible to stop consumers from using nicotine, a relatively harmless substance. “Smoke-free products such as vapes deliver nicotine with far less harm than cigarettes,” Israel said. “Prohibition will only push these smoke-free products underground, resulting in loss of government revenue and depriving smokers of better choices.”
Dr. Lorenzo Mata Jr., president of Quit For Good, said the key is to regulate nicotine products and impose age limits to prevent use by children.
“The prohibition on less harmful e-cigarettes and allowing combustible cigarettes in the market will encourage smokers to keep on smoking until they get sick because there are no other options available,” Mata said. “Smoke-free products like vapes and heated tobacco offer less harmful options for consumers who can’t quit tobacco consumption. The primary health risks associated with smoking come from toxic substances produced during combustion, not from nicotine.”
Joey Dulay, president of the Philippine E-cigarette Industry Association (PECIA), said: “Criminalizing the use of technology to reduce the harm from smoking will discourage harm reduction as well as research and development. It is like penalizing consumers who are only looking for better products.”
Prof. David Sweanor, a public health law expert from Canada, said a ban on e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and other smoke-free devices is contrary to public health policy.
Sweanor said that while prohibition is easier than regulation, it is contrary to the interest of public health. “Anti-nicotine groups often rely on sloganeering instead of data,” Sweanor said. “They prioritize abstinence-only approaches, potentially sacrificing the health of millions of smokers who could switch to safer options.” Sweanor said despite the ban, consumers would find ways to look for better alternatives. “These products are reducing cigarette smoking,” Sweanor said. “We’re seeing consumers move. The market’s moving. It is unstoppable. You’re not going to stop innovation.”
