Short answer: smoking at Cam Ranh Airport is allowed, but only in the marked smoking areas. The terminal operator lists them as designated zones open 24/7, in two forms: air-conditioned rooms and open-air spots. Cigarettes are fine. A vape is not: Vietnam banned e-cigarettes and heated tobacco outright on 1 January 2025, and since 31 December 2025 using one costs a fine of 3 to 5 million dong, roughly $114 to $190, with the device destroyed. Leave the vape at home; bring cigarettes if you smoke.
What the airport itself says
The operator of the international terminal lists a smoking area among its passenger services, in one short line: if you wish to smoke, go to one of the designated air-conditioned or open-air smoking areas. Three facts come with it: the zones are designated, they work around the clock, and both indoor and outdoor versions exist. That is the whole official statement, and we are not going to invent the rest.
What the airport does not publish is the floor, the gate number or a map pin for each zone. Cam Ranh is a two-terminal airport, and the terminals are separate buildings: Terminal 1 handles domestic flights with the Vietnamese carriers, Terminal 2 handles international arrivals and departures. Signage inside is in Vietnamese and English, so the practical method is simple: follow the pictogram, or ask at an information desk before you clear security.
The law behind the signs
Smoking at Cam Ranh Airport is governed by national law, not by the airport itself. The Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, No. 09/2012/QH13, bans smoking in indoor public places and then names the exceptions: airport waiting areas may set up ventilated smoking rooms, alongside bars, karaoke lounges, discos, hotels and guesthouses. So the smoking room at Cam Ranh is not a local favour — it is one of the few indoor exceptions written into national law.
Smoking outside those zones is an offence with a price. Decree No. 117/2020/ND-CP sets a warning or a fine of 200,000 to 500,000 dong, about $8 to $20, for smoking where it is prohibited. The venue carries a heavier risk than the passenger: 3 to 5 million dong for failing to enforce the rules, and 5 to 10 million for problems with the smoking area itself, its ventilation, ashtrays or fire safety equipment. That is why staff move people along quickly at the doors.
Vapes: the rule that catches tourists out
This is the part worth reading twice, because it changed recently and it applies to the whole country, not just the airport. National Assembly Resolution No. 173/2024/QH15 banned the production, trade, import, storage, transport and use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products from 1 January 2025. Vietnam became the sixth country in Southeast Asia to do so.
Enforcement now has numbers attached. Under Decree No. 371/2025/NĐ-CP, in force since 31 December 2025, a person using an e-cigarette or a heated tobacco product faces a fine of 3 to 5 million dong and must destroy the product. Anyone who allows use on premises they own or manage faces 5 to 10 million dong, and for organisations the amounts double. Customs stopped processing imports of these products and their parts in January 2025, so there is no duty-free workaround at arrival either.
The practical reading for a traveller: a vape in your hand luggage is a problem from the moment you land, not only inside the terminal. If you normally vape rather than smoke, plan for cigarettes in Vietnam or plan to stop for the trip.
Where the smoking break fits your stop
Timing matters more at Cam Ranh than at a big hub, because distances here are short but transport is thin. If you are connecting, our layover guide explains what is realistic in the gap between flights — under three hours, stay airside. Smoke before you rejoin the queue, not after: check-in and security are one-way, and the outdoor zones are landside.
If you are arriving late, the last Bus 18 to Nha Trang leaves at 21:55, after which the fixed-fare taxi rank runs roughly 350,000 to 500,000 dong to the city. Our guide to a late-night arrival has the detail. A cigarette outside while you wait for a driver is legal; a vape while you wait is not.
Before you fly out
- Use the marked zones only — the fine for smoking elsewhere is 200,000 to 500,000 dong, and staff do intervene.
- Assume nothing about the airside zone at your terminal: ask at the desk before security, because Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are separate buildings.
- Leave e-cigarettes and heated tobacco at home. The ban covers use, not just sale.
- Charging points are free and run 24/7, so you can wait outside and keep your phone alive — see our Wi-Fi and charging guide.
- Rules and fine levels change; the figures here were checked against the law texts and the airport's own service list in September 2026.
