Vietnam, the 47th country to join the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), has enforced the treaty since March 17, 2005, said Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Thi Thu Thuy, deputy director of the Ministry of Health’s Department of Legal Affairs at a workshop in Hanoi on September 25.
The event, organized by the Department of Legal Affairs, aimed to strengthen the implementation of the FCTC and Article 5.3 in Vietnam while highlighting new information on the harms of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and other new tobacco forms.
Speaking at the workshop, Dr. Nguyen Trong Khoa, deputy director of the health ministry’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment, noted that the FCTC is the world’s first international health treaty and the most effective tool for tobacco control, negotiated under the World Health Organization's auspices with participation from 182 countries.
Dr. Khoa further noted that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products contain highly addictive nicotine, posing significant health risks, especially to brain development in children and adolescents, along with other toxic and cancer-causing chemicals. He added that hybrid tobacco products that combine elements of both e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products carry the harmful characteristics of both.
Recent studies in Vietnam indicate that the use of new tobacco products is mainly prevalent among young people. In just two years, the e-cigarette usage rate among students aged 13-15 increased significantly, from 3.5% in 2022 to 8.0% in 2023. Among those over 15, e-cigarette use is highest in the 15-24 age group (7.3%), followed by 25-44 (3.2%), and 45-64 (1.4%).
Reports from nearly 700 medical facilities in Vietnam reveal that in 2023, there were 1,224 hospital admissions related to the use of new tobacco products.
The health ministry is currently proposing a resolution to the government for the regulation of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products to be submitted to the National Assembly.
(Suc Khoe Doi Song [1])