Vietnam: Is Shisha considered a drug? How does smoking shisha affect one's health?

Hello, Lawnet would like to answer as follows:

1. What is Shisha? Is Shisha considered a drug?

Shisha is a type of leaf originating from Arabia, and is used as a type of pipe tobacco, but it creates a more refreshing feeling for the user.

Regarding the mechanism of action, shisha is smoked using a shisha burner (also known as a hookah).

When heating the tobacco placed in the shisha head, the smoke will pull down through the filter tube, then the smoke will go up the outlet tube and be sucked through the tube.

The ingredients of Shisha are mainly tobacco leaves impregnated with flavors. When burned under charcoal, the tobacco leaves create smoke and flavor for the user.

These cigarettes contain nicotine, carbon monoxide, and many other toxic substances that affect the health of users. However, shisha is not a drug because it does not contain the list of narcotics and precursors specified in Decree 57/2022/ND-CP.

2. How does smoking shisha affect one's health?

According to the World Health Organization and the American Cancer Society, if in one hour of smoking shisha, a person will inhale 100–200 times as much smoke, and the amount of nicotine absorbed into the body will be 70% more compared to smoking a cigarette. This has direct negative effects on the respiratory organs and nervous system and can cause hallucinations if smoked too much.

Toxins such as tar, carbon monoxide, and other carcinogens will be directly introduced into the body through smoking shisha, which increases high risk of lung cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, tuberculosis, and other respiratory and dental diseases.

In addition, smoking shisha will increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, constriction of blood vessels, etc., and cause adverse effects on the fetus.

3. Is shisha business allowed in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Clause 1, Article 6 of the Law on Investment 2020, regulations on banned business investment activities are as follows:

1. The business investment activities below are banned:

a) Business in narcotic substances specified in Appendix I hereof;

b) Business in chemicals and minerals specified in Appendix II hereof;

c) Business in specimens of wild flora and fauna specified in Appendix 1 of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; specimens of rare and/or endangered species of wild fauna and flora in Group I of Appendix III hereof;

d) Prostitution business;

dd) Human trafficking; trade in human tissues, corpses, human organs and human fetuses;

e) Business activities pertaining to asexual human reproduction;

g) Trade in firecrackers.

h) Provision of debt collection services.

Thus, shisha is not on the list of prohibited occupations according to the provisions of the Law on Investment 2020.

However, according to Official Dispatch 2483/BYT-KCB 2021 issued by the Ministry of Health, regulations on strengthening inspection and preventing the use of new tobacco products, including shisha.

Specifically, the Ministry of Health emphasized that new tobacco products, such as shisha, are very harmful to the health of smokers and those around them.

Therefore, to prevent and minimize health, economic, and social losses caused by the use of tobacco products, the Ministry of Health requests the People's Committees of provinces and cities to coordinate in implementing activities, specifically as follows:

- Direct the Department of Health to coordinate with local Departments, Agencies, Unions and mass media agencies. In addition to continuing to propagate about the harmful effects of using traditional cigarettes, it is necessary to promptly disseminate information about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes, heated cigarettes, and shisha to officials, civil servants, workers, students, and people in the area.

- Direct the Department of Education and Training to guide educational establishments in the area to increase propaganda and dissemination of the harmful effects of using e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and shisha to students at all levels; strengthen inspection, supervision, and take measures to promptly detect and prevent the use of e-cigarettes among students.

- Direct the Department of Industry and Trade, Market Management Department and competent agencies to strengthen inspection and strictly handle cases of the buying, selling, and trading of electronic cigarette products, heated cigarettes, and shisha because these products are currently not allowed to be imported, traded, or circulated in Vietnam.

Thus, currently, shisha or other new tobacco products, such as electronic cigarettes, are not allowed to be imported, traded, or circulated in Vietnam. Therefore, the Shisha business may be handled by law.

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