Do not take a vape, e-cigarette or heated-tobacco product ashore during a Halong port call. Vietnam bans the production, sale, import, transport and use of these products. A short visit, a private vehicle, an unopened device or permission to vape on your cruise ship does not create an exemption on land.
Halong Shore Excursion recommends resolving this before the ship reaches Vietnam. If a device is already onboard, ask the cruise line’s Guest Services or security team for instructions and keep it out of the shore-day bag.
What is banned in Vietnam?
Vietnam’s National Assembly adopted the ban from 2025. Current government definitions cover e-cigarette devices, single-use or refillable liquid containers and e-liquids with or without nicotine. Heated-tobacco devices and their specialised tobacco products are addressed separately within the same national restrictions.
For a cruise passenger, the practical categories include:
- disposable vapes;
- refillable vape devices;
- pods, cartridges and refill containers;
- e-liquid with nicotine;
- e-liquid described as nicotine-free;
- heated-tobacco devices;
- specialised tobacco sticks or material for those devices;
- similar personal electronic vaporising devices covered by the official definitions.
Do not rely on a seller’s label such as “herbal”, “zero nicotine” or “souvenir”. The official definition can cover liquid without nicotine, and the product’s appearance does not determine permission.
Possession without use is not a safe workaround
The national ban is broader than a no-smoking rule. It includes import and transport as well as use. Promising not to switch the device on does not make carrying it through the terminal or in a tour vehicle acceptable.
Do not take a device ashore so that a guide, driver or shop can store it. The excursion provider cannot authorise possession or accept responsibility for a prohibited product. Do not mail it, courier it or ask another passenger to carry it.
If the device is discovered during screening, remain calm and follow instructions from cruise-line staff and the relevant authorities. Do not conceal, relabel, dismantle or discard it without direction.
What is the current penalty for using one?
Government guidance on Decree 90/2026/NĐ-CP states that using an e-cigarette or heated-tobacco product is punishable by a fine of VND 3 million to VND 5 million, with compulsory destruction of the product. The decree’s penalty took effect in 2026.
This is the stated administrative penalty for the act of use. It should not be treated as a maximum covering import, transport, sale, concealment or another possible violation. The correct decision is to leave the prohibited product out of the Vietnam shore visit, not to compare the fine with the convenience of carrying it.
Regulations checked on 14 September 2026. Because laws and enforcement procedures can change, passengers should check their cruise line’s current Vietnam instructions before travel.
Does an ocean ship’s vaping policy override the destination?
No. A cruise line’s smoking policy governs the vessel and its designated areas. National rules govern what happens when passengers enter Vietnam. These are separate permissions.
If your ship allows vaping in one onboard area, that does not authorise you to:
- carry the device through a Vietnamese passenger terminal;
- use it in a port waiting area;
- keep it in a shore-excursion vehicle;
- use it on a Halong sightseeing boat;
- buy pods or liquid ashore;
- bring a locally offered device back onboard.
Ask the ship what to do with a device already in the cabin during a Vietnamese port call. Do not assume that keeping it onboard, surrendering it or disposing of it is the required procedure; follow the instruction for your vessel and sailing.
Check the day bag before disembarkation
Vapes are small and often remain in a usual pocket or charging pouch. Review the actual bag and clothing you will take ashore:
- jacket and trouser pockets;
- small zipped compartments;
- camera and electronics pouches;
- charging-cable bags;
- handbags and backpacks used during the cruise;
- shared family day bags.
Check for the device, pods, tobacco sticks and liquid containers. Do this in the cabin before joining the disembarkation queue. The Halong cruise-port navigation guide helps with the rest of the meeting-point preparation.
Do not buy from an informal seller
A product displayed in a shop, market, social-media message or street offer is not proof that it is legal. Do not ask the guide to locate a vape shop or translate a purchase. Do not accept a free sample.
Buying a device creates additional uncertainty about the product, payment, transport and reboarding. Ship security may also have separate rules for an item purchased in port. The safe plan is to avoid the transaction entirely.
Prepare for the full time ashore without vaping
The time away from the ship includes more than the headline attraction. It begins when you leave the cabin and may include disembarkation, security, the meeting-point walk, road transfers, boat boarding, sightseeing, lunch and the return security process.
If you use nicotine regularly, discuss the time ashore with a pharmacist or healthcare professional before travelling. Do not use this article or a tour operator to choose a nicotine-replacement medicine, dose or schedule. Check whether the exact alternative is permitted for your voyage and destination.
The personal-medicine guide for Halong covers original packaging, documents, storage and access. It does not confirm that every nicotine product may be imported; verify the exact medicine through the appropriate authority and cruise line.
Can you shorten the excursion if needed?
A private tour can normally adjust sightseeing time by agreement, but leaving early does not make a prohibited product permissible. If a passenger expects difficulty spending several hours away from the ship, choose a shorter route before departure.
A group tour may use one vehicle and one return time for everyone. The private-versus-group Halong excursion guide explains which timing and transport arrangements need separate confirmation.
Are conventional cigarettes the same?
Conventional cigarettes are not the same product category as the banned e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products described above. They remain subject to tobacco, customs, fire-safety and location rules.
Do not smoke in the excursion vehicle, inside the passenger terminal, in indoor attractions or anywhere marked no smoking. On a sightseeing boat, ask the crew whether any designated area exists. An open deck is not automatically a smoking area, and a private land vehicle does not make a shared bay boat private.
Never throw a cigarette end into the bay, from a viewpoint or beside vegetation. If your group needs a smoke-free vehicle, state that before booking and confirm the driver and guide understand the request.
What if the ship arrives late?
A late release shortens the complete outing, but it does not change the vape rule. Keep the prohibited items onboard as instructed by the ship and reassess the itinerary from the new meeting time.
Do not delay the group’s departure while searching the cabin, debating with security or trying to arrange storage at the gangway. If a compliance question is unresolved, remain onboard and resolve it with the cruise line rather than carrying the item ashore.
Questions for the cruise line before Vietnam
- What should I do with a vape or heated-tobacco device already onboard?
- Must it be declared or surrendered before the Vietnam port call?
- What items must stay out of the shore-day bag?
- What screening instructions apply when leaving and rejoining the ship?
- Who should I contact if I find a device in my bag at the last moment?
- What current policy applies to conventional cigarettes and lighters?
The Halong Shore Excursion decision
Send Halong Shore Excursion your Ship + Arrival Date and the practical timing your party needs. The excursion can be shortened or paced by agreement, but no guide or driver can authorise a prohibited vape product.
Check with the ship → remove vape products from the shore bag → complete screening → enjoy the excursion → follow smoking rules → return before all aboard.
The useful action is simple: resolve the device onboard, then begin the Halong day without it.