Regulations on labeling and printing health warnings on tobacco packages in Vietnam

Regulations on labeling and printing health warnings on tobacco packages in Vietnam (Internet image)

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

1. Regulations on labeling and printing health warnings on tobacco packages in Vietnam

Regulations on labeling and printing health warnings on tobacco packages according to Article 15 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Tobacco 2012 are as follows:

- Tobacco manufactured or imported in Vietnam for sale must be labeled and printed with health warnings on their packages.

- Tobacco manufactured or imported in Vietnam for sale must be labeled in Vietnamese in accordance with the law on goods labeling, and satisfy the following requirements:

+ Printing health warnings in text and graphics which are clear and interpretable;

+ Sticking stamps or printing number codes and bar codes; printing the date of manufacture and date of expiry;

+ Printing clearly the quantity of cigarettes on cigarette packs, or the weight on other tobacco;

+ Not using words and phrases that make readers and users believe that tobacco is of little harm, or incorrectly understand the harms of tobacco and smoke to human health.

- Health warnings printed on tobacco packages must particularly describe the harms of tobacco use to human health and other suitable messages, and must be changed once every two years.

- Heath warnings prescribed in Point a, Clause 2 of Article 15 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Tobacco 2012 must occupy at least 50% of the front and rear of a tobacco pack, carton or box.

- The labeling of tobacco packages for export shall be made in accordance with the requirements of importing countries.

2. Regulations on information and education on the prevention of tobacco harms in Vietnam

Regulations on information and education on the prevention of tobacco harms according to Article 10 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Tobacco 2012 are as follows:

- The information and education must satisfy the following requirements:

+ Publicly providing scientific, accurate and objective information about tobacco and tobacco harms;

+ Diversifying the content and, forms and channels of information that suit their subjects.

- The Information and education comprise:

+ Policies and laws on prevention of tobacco harms;

+ Tobacco harms to the health of tobacco users, children, pregnant women and passive smokers, and on the living environment and socio-economic development;

+ Harms caused by the producing, trading, storing, transporting and using fake tobacco and smuggled tobacco to tobacco users' health and socio-economic development;

+ Smoking cessation measures and benefits of smoking cessation and a environment without cigarette smoke;

+ The rights, responsibilities and obligations of agencies, organizations and individuals in the prevention of tobacco harms.

- Responsibilities for information and education are defined as follows:

+The Ministry of Health shall organize and provide scientific information on tobacco harms; and cooperate with related ministries and sectors in providing information and education about the prevention of tobacco harms;

+ The Ministry of Information and Communications shall organize and direct information agencies to provide information about the prevention of tobacco harms;

+ The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall include the information propagation about the prevention of tobacco harms and measures to restrict tobacco use in culture, sports and tourism activities and family life; and impose restriction on the use of tobacco use in movies, on theatres and television;

+ The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall provide and propagate information propagation about the prevention of smuggled and fake tobacco;

+ The Ministry of Education and Training shall include the prevention of tobacco harms in curricula that suit to each educational grade;

+ The People's Committees at all levels shall organize information and education about the prevention of tobacco harms locally;

+ The Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations shall provide and propagate information, and encourage their members and the entire society not to use tobacco and actively participate in the prevention of tobacco harms;

+ Other agencies and organizations shall, within the ambit of their tasks and powers, organize information and educations on the prevention of tobacco harms in accordance with this Law.

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