What are the penalties for vaping, IQOS, and drugs in Vietnam?

According to media reports, a large-scale nationwide anti-drug operation is underway in Vietnam (running until September 20): police don't just check bars but enter tourists' rented homes, guesthouses and hotels directly, including targeting Russian tourists, demanding on-the-spot urine tests. They also stop taxi drivers, truck drivers and random pedestrians on suspicion. In a single day, 1,300 people were tested, with 87 testing positive.

Any amount of a prohibited substance (including marijuana) can lead to criminal charges — Vietnam is extremely strict about this. There have been cases where even red eyes after traveling from, for example, Thailand, were used as grounds to open a criminal case.

Since January 1, 2025, e-cigarettes, IQOS, vapes, heated tobacco sticks, and hookahs are fully banned in Vietnam. Bringing them across the border results in confiscation. Personal possession or use carries a fine of 3–5 million VND plus destruction of the device. Allowing others to use vaping products in your home, bar, or café raises the fine to 5–10 million VND.

In Da Nang, police have been conducting regular drug raids in bars and cafés, locking all exits and administering on-the-spot urine tests to everyone inside — locals and foreigners alike. Vietnam is one of the few countries where drug use is a criminal offense rather than a civil one, making the consequences extremely serious.