Vietnam bans e-cigarettes, imposes heavy fines for tourists

Foreign tourists who bring e-cigarettes into Vietnam now face hefty fines, following new regulations that came into effect in the Asian country earlier this year banning the possession, sale and use of e-cigarettes and their liquids, Agenzia Nova reported.

Australia, Turkey, Singapore, Mexico, India, Brazil, the Maldives and Thailand are among other countries that do not allow travellers to bring e-cigarettes, mainly due to health concerns over the risk of irreversible lung damage.

E-cigarettes have also recently been banned in Hong Kong. In particular, those who use e-cigarettes in Vietnam face fines of up to 2 million dong (about $78,50) as of this year, while those caught importing, trading, transporting or producing e-cigarettes and materials for cigarette alternatives face fines of up to 3 billion dong or up to 15 years in prison, depending on the amount.

Earlier, it was reported, that Kyrgyzstan is set to ban vapes and e-cigarettes from 2025.

In April 2024, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the law banning e-cigarettes. The law also provides for a ban on sale and distribution of non-tobacco cigarettes, vapes, fluids and flavorings for them as well as their advertisement (takes effect in 60 days after the official publication).