Vietnam is looking to impose a generational tobacco ban. Photo credit: Thái Trường Giang, Pexels.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has proposed a “tobacco-free generation” policy that would permanently bar anyone born on or after January 1, 2010 from buying or using tobacco products. The measure forms part of draft amendments to the country’s Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms.
The draft amendments include two key proposals: a ban on the production, trade, storage, transit, transportation, advertising, promotion, sponsorship, concealment and use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and other next-generation tobacco products; and a prohibition on tobacco product displays by wholesalers and retailers in all forms.
For the generational ban, the ministry adjusted the wording of the policy after feedback from government members. Earlier drafts referred to “establishing a smoke-free Vietnamese generation beginning with those born after 2010.” The ministry later revised the proposal to focus specifically on banning people born from January 1, 2010 onward from purchasing and using tobacco.
The ministry said it conducted an impact assessment and concluded the measure could significantly reduce smoking rates if authorities and consumers comply with the law. Officials also said the policy could reduce exposure to secondhand smoke and lower healthcare and productivity-related losses linked to smoking.
Authorities have linked the proposal partly to rising nicotine use among young people. A 2023 survey conducted across 11 provinces and cities found e-cigarette use among students reached 8.1%, according to the ministry.
The proposal arrives as Vietnam continues tightening tobacco regulation more broadly. The Ministry of Health has already proposed stricter rules covering smoking in public places, indoor smoking bans, and restrictions on tobacco product displays at retail outlets.
Vietnam has also moved aggressively against alternative nicotine products. In late 2024, officials proposed banning e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, citing concerns about increasing youth use. The National Assembly later approved amendments to the Investment Law that prohibit investment and business activities related to e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products beginning in 2026.