The proposal was highlighted by Associate Professor Le Thi Thanh Huong, Vice Rector of Hanoi-based University of Public Health, at a discussion titled "Young Vietnamese Generation Says No to Tobacco," organized by Nhan Dan newspaper in Hanoi on October 27.

According to Huong, Vietnam has continued using the same six graphic health warnings since May 2013, despite regulations requiring the images to be changed every two years. The warnings currently cover 50% of each of the two main surfaces of cigarette packs.

After 13 years without changes, smokers have grown accustomed to the images, reducing their effectiveness in communicating health risks. Over a 10-year period, the proportion of smokers paying attention to health warnings fell to 80%, she said.

Another weakness in the current regulations is that cigarette tax stamps can obscure the health warnings. Huong therefore called for explicit legal provisions prohibiting tax stamps or any other materials from covering the warnings on tobacco packaging.

Vietnam's unchanged 50% warning coverage has also caused the country to fall sharply in international rankings, from 28th among 198 countries and territories in 2014 to 95th among 212 in 2025.

Several Southeast Asian countries have already introduced larger warnings. Thailand requires graphic warnings to cover 85% of cigarette packaging, while Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Brunei have adopted a 75% requirement.

The figures underscore the need for Vietnam to update not only the size of its health warnings but also their design and content to maintain their impact.

Larger warnings could reduce smoking by more than 815,000 people

One of the central recommendations is to increase the area covered by graphic health warnings from the current 50% to at least 85% of each main surface of cigarette packaging. The warnings should also be positioned at the top of the packs, with larger images to make them more prominent.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that graphic health warnings cover at least 50% of tobacco packaging, with larger warnings considered more effective.

Research conducted in Vietnam in 2024 found that enlarging warning images increased smokers' awareness of the health risks associated with tobacco use.

"Smokers who pay attention to health warnings are 2.3 times more likely to intend to quit than those who do not," Huong said, adding that 63.4% of smokers who noticed the warnings had considered giving up cigarettes.

Vietnam is among the 15 countries with the highest male smoking rates worldwide and ranks third in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Tobacco use has long been recognized as a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory conditions and premature death.

More than 100,000 people die each year in Vietnam from tobacco-related diseases, including nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes and workplaces.

According to Health Ministry estimates, increasing graphic health warning coverage to 85% could reduce the number of smokers by approximately 815,100 over six years.

The Standing Committee of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Social Affairs has also recommended requiring warnings to cover at least 85% of cigarette packaging or introducing a phased increase to between 85% and 100%.

Huong said Vietnam could also consider other approaches already adopted internationally, including standardized tobacco packaging, health warnings printed directly on individual cigarettes, and informational inserts inside cigarette packs explaining the benefits of quitting.

Vietnam drops proposed lifetime tobacco ban for people born from 2010

An earlier draft of amendments to Vietnam's Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms proposed prohibiting anyone born on or after January 1, 2010, from purchasing or using tobacco products.

However, the Health Ministry has removed the provision from the latest draft, citing insufficient practical evidence to fully assess the effectiveness of a generational tobacco ban.

The ministry noted that the policy remains relatively new and has been adopted by only a small number of countries.

Vietnam already faces difficulties enforcing its existing ban on tobacco sales to people under 18, particularly in verifying customers' ages at retail outlets and inspecting and penalizing violations.

The ministry said a prohibition based on birth year, maintained over several decades, would require extensive monitoring systems, reliable age verification mechanisms and substantial administrative resources.

Vo Thu