By Timothy S. Donahue

Top Takeaways:

• Generational ban: Vietnam’s Health Ministry wants to prohibit anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2010, from purchasing or using tobacco products.
• Broader crackdown: The proposal would also codify Vietnam’s existing ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products into national law.
• Regional trend: Vietnam would join a growing list of countries pursuing “smoke-free generation” policies.

Vietnam may become the latest country to pursue a generational tobacco ban, with health officials proposing a measure that would permanently prohibit future generations from buying or using tobacco products.

The proposal, put forward by the country’s Ministry of Health, would ban tobacco sales and use for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2010, as part of revisions to Vietnam’s Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control. If adopted, the measure would create what officials call a “smoke-free generation” by preventing younger generations from legally accessing tobacco products while allowing current adult consumers to continue purchasing them.

The proposal follows Vietnam’s decision to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products starting Jan. 1, 2025, making the country one of the most restrictive nicotine markets in Asia. According to the Ministry of Health, the policy aims to reduce smoking prevalence, limit nicotine addiction among young people, and lower long-term healthcare costs associated with tobacco-related disease.

The draft legislation is expected to be submitted to Vietnam’s National Assembly for review in October.

Vietnam currently has more than 15 million tobacco users, and tobacco-related illnesses are responsible for more than 103,000 deaths annually. Health officials estimate that tobacco use generated economic losses of about 108 trillion Vietnamese dong ($4.1 billion) in 2022, equivalent to about 1.14% of the country’s gross domestic product.

The proposal reflects a growing global movement toward banning tobacco across generations.

The United Kingdom has approved legislation that would gradually prohibit tobacco sales to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, while the Maldives has adopted a similar approach. New Zealand previously enacted a generational smoking ban before later repealing the measure under a change in government.

Unlike traditional tobacco-control policies aimed at reducing current smoking rates, generational bans focus on preventing future generations from ever legally accessing tobacco products. Vietnam’s proposal extends beyond combustible tobacco.

The draft legislation would formally codify the country’s existing prohibition on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. The National Assembly approved a resolution banning the production, trade, importation, transportation, storage, and use of vaping and heated tobacco products beginning in 2025.

Under the latest proposal, restrictions would also apply to advertising, sponsorship and financing activities related to nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and other emerging nicotine categories. Retailers would face additional restrictions, including a ban on displaying tobacco products.

The proposal aligns closely with the messaging behind this year’s World No Tobacco Day campaign.

The World Health Organization selected the theme “Unmasking the Appeal: Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction,” focusing on marketing practices that public health advocates say make tobacco and nicotine products appear modern, fashionable, or less harmful.