1,200 Vietnamese hospitalized over e-cigarettes in 2023

Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the department under the Health Ministry, on Friday said among the 1,200 patients, 27 were under 16 and 44 were 16-18 years of age.

Surveys on e-cigarette use in 11 localities also revealed that the rate of usage among students aged 13-17 has increased from 2.6% in 2019 to 8.1% in 2023. The rate among those aged 13-15 also increased from 3.5% in 2022 to 8% in 2023.

"Smoking normal cigarettes has already been imposing great burdens on people's health and the economy. Approving new forms of cigarettes with nicotine may cause people to get addicted to these products, and increase the number of users over time," Khue said.

Nguyen Trung Nguyen, director of the Poison Control Center of Bach Mai Hospital, said e-cigarettes contain several types of chemicals not seen in normal cigarettes. The mixture of ingredients means that users can also increase the levels of nicotine they ingest, or add in narcotics and other addictive substances.

The cost of treatment for cases of smoking e-cigarettes mixed with drugs may also go up to hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong.

"Vietnam needs to quickly ban the production and distribution of e-cigarettes to prevent several major issues to people's health," Nguyen proposed.

At least 39 countries and territories have banned e-cigarettes, according to the WHO. In Southeast Asia, five countries have already done so: Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Brunei and Cambodia.

Khue said a complete ban on new-generation cigarettes is the stance of the Ministry of Health. The ministry is looking into proposing to the government to issue such a ban.