Despite sustained declines in smoking prevalence, Vietnam continues to face a wide gap between intent and outcomes, as surveys show more than 90% of smokers want to quit, yet only about 9.5% have been able to do so successfully. With around 15 million adult smokers, health experts say reliance on cessation alone has delivered limited results. With male smoking rates falling from 45.3% in 2015 to 38.9% in 2023, the slow pace of quitting has intensified pressure to rethink policy tools.
To close this gap, policymakers and experts are debating whether to broaden the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms to include “risk factor reduction” alongside traditional measures. The Ministry of Health is drafting amendments for 2026 that emphasize bans on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, expanded point-of-sale restrictions, and tougher enforcement.