Market & legal data of the tobacco alternatives sector in Asia

7th January 2025: Vietnam: As of 1st January, the sale and import of “electronic cigarettes”, including related equipment and accessories, are prohibited, according to resolution 17/TCHQ-GSQL. In Vietnam, the term “electronic cigarettes” encompasses vaping and heated tobacco products (HTPs). The prohibition extends to the use and possession of these products. Vietnam joins a small list of countries, such as Thailand, that ban the sale and personal usage of such products.
7th January 2025: Armenia: In response to complaints about the frequent disregard for the ban on smoking and vaping in various locations, the Ministry of Health has created an application that enables citizens to report any violations of the law. The app, which should start operating in 2025, allows users to inform the relevant authorities about where the rules are being broken, media reports.
7th January 2025: Uzbekistan: Today, at a meeting of the lower chamber of the parliament, a bill aimed at banning the distribution of certain types of tobacco products and devices for consuming tobacco and nicotine was considered and adopted in the first reading, media reports. We understand that this is the next step in the progress of a bill proposed in April 2024 by the Ministry of Health, and subsequently published for public consultation, that aims to ban e-cigarettes, e-liquids, devices for tobacco heating, and heated tobacco consumables in the country. With the bill, the government seeks to protect the lives and health of the population, especially children and adolescents. If fully adopted, the bill will enter into force three months after its official publication.
20th December 2024: Indonesia: The minimum retail price of heated tobacco products (HTPs) and nicotine pouches will increase from 1st January 2025, following the publication of Ministry of Finance regulation 96 of 2024. Minimum retail price will be set at IDR6,240 ($0.39) per g for HTPs and IDR257 ($0.016) per g for nicotine pouches.
20th December 2024: Armenia: According to the Tax Code, the heated tobacco tax rate will increase from AMD3,400 ($8.45) per 1,000 pieces to AMD3,750 ($9.30) per 1,000 pieces as of January 2025.
20th December 2024: Kyrgyzstan: According to the Tax Code, the tax rate for heated tobacco sticks of cylindrical shape will increase from KGS2,500 ($28) per 1,000 pieces to KGS2,750 ($31) per 1,000 pieces as of January 2025. The tax rate for loose tobacco for heating will increase from KGS5,000 ($56) per kg to KGS6,000 ($67) per kg as of January 2025.
16th December 2024: Indonesia: The Ministry of Finance has issued regulation 96 of 2024, to take effect on 1st January 2025, press reports. The regulation sets out the minimum retailing price for tobacco and nicotine products. These will be set at IDR6,240 ($0.39) per g for heated tobacco products and IDR257 ($0.016) per g for nicotine pouches. The government previously decided not to increase excise duties for tobacco or nicotine products, instead opting now to increase the minimum retail price.
16th December 2024: Vietnam: The National Assembly has issued resolution 173/2024/QH15 in which it formally asks the government to ban the production, trading, import, storage, transport and use of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco from 2025. It asks the government to set the ban's implementation, strengthen enforcement and raise awareness.
13th December 2024: Japan: The government is planning to raise the excise duty on heated tobacco products (HTPs) to the same rate as traditional cigarettes in April 2026, and then raise the tobacco tax for both traditional cigarettes and HTPs by JPY0.5 ($0.0033) per cigarette/stick each year from 2027 to 2029.
12th December 2024: Indonesia: Merrijantij Punguan Pintaria, director of Beverages, Tobacco Products and Refreshment Materials within the Ministry of Industry, said that the draft regulations introducing plain packaging for all tobacco and nicotine products continue to be controversial in the country, press reports. She reiterated that the economic impact of the provisions still needs to be considered before the regulations can be approved.
11th December 2024: Indonesia: Former director of research policy and cooperation at the World Health Organization (WHO) Tikki Pangestu said that, in order to reduce the prevalence of smoking in Indonesia, authorities need to come up with policies that are based on scientific evidence, press reports. Pangestu urges the promotion of alternative tobacco products in order to reduce the number of smokers and the burden of health costs in the country.
11th December 2024: India: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India has introduced the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2024, increasing visibility of health warnings, in order to further dissuade the public from tobacco consumption. The new health warnings will be effective from 1st June 2025, and their text and pictures have been updated. The images will rotate and each will be valid for 12 months. These amendments also impose additional compliance requirements on manufacturers and distributors, mandating standardised and updated packaging to ensure consistency across all tobacco products.

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