Tiếng Việt
中文Short answer: E-cigarettes cannot be exported. From 2025, the National Assembly has unanimously banned the production, trading, import, harboring, transport, and use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products nationwide (Resolution No. 173/2024/QH15, effective from 14 January 2025). Because export is a form of trading a prohibited good, enterprises may not conduct it, and there is no procedure to “apply for an export license” for this product.
Legal basis
- Resolution No. 173/2024/QH15 of the National Assembly (effective from 14 January 2025) — banning the production, trading, import, harboring, transport, and use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products;
- Draft Law amending and supplementing the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms (under public consultation, expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for comments) — codifying the comprehensive ban.
Content of the e-cigarette ban from 2025
Under Resolution No. 173/2024/QH15, the National Assembly unanimously banned the production, trading, import, harboring, transport, and use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and gases and substances causing addiction and harming human health from 2025, to protect public health and social order and safety; the Government was assigned to organize implementation.
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Accordingly:
- E-cigarettes are now prohibited goods in Vietnam — regardless of whether domestically produced or imported;
- Exporting e-cigarettes is the trading of prohibited goods and is therefore banned;
- No procedure exists to apply for a license or certificate to export this product — any licensing application (if any) has no legal basis for approval.
How are violations of the ban handled?
Organizations and individuals producing, trading, transporting, storing, or delivering e-cigarettes (prohibited goods) may face administrative sanctions or criminal prosecution depending on the severity, under the current regulations on handling prohibited goods (for example: sanctions for trading or transporting prohibited goods; criminal prosecution for the crime of producing or trading prohibited goods if the constitutive elements are met). Specific cases require separate assessment by a lawyer.
What should enterprises with e-cigarette inventory do?
Enterprises may not continue to trade, export, or consume the inventory in any form. They should proactively contact the competent local authorities for guidance on handling the goods in accordance with the regulations, to avoid being penalized for storing or trading prohibited goods.
Frequently asked questions
May e-cigarettes be exported to countries where they are permitted?
No. The ban applies to production and trading activities in Vietnam; exporting from Vietnam remains the trading of prohibited goods and is banned.
When will the ban be codified into law?
The draft Law amending and supplementing the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms is being circulated for comments by the Ministry of Health and is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for comments and consideration for passage — including provisions codifying the comprehensive ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
If you have goods related to e-cigarettes that need handling or need a legal risk assessment, please contact ANT Legal’s lawyers at 0966.475.966 for advice before taking any action.
