Viet Nam responds to World No Tobacco Day

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that communication campaigns have been launched nationwide to raise public awareness about the harmful effects of using tobacco products and to build a smoke-free environment.

There are more than 8 million deaths globally related to tobacco use every year, according to the World Health Organization.

In Viet Nam, total costs related to medical examination and treatment, illness and premature death due to tobacco use – related diseases amount to VND108 trillion a year.

After 10 years of implementing the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, the rate of regular cigarette use among adult men has decreased by an average of 0.5 percent per year, from 47.4 percent in 2010 to 38.9 percent in 2023.

The smoking rate among adolescents has also decreased, from 5.36 percent in 2013 to 2.78 percent in 2019 in the 13-17 year old group, and from 2.5 percent in 2014 to 1.9 percent in 2022 in the 13-15 year old group.

At the same time, the rate of exposure to secondhand smoke has also significantly dropped in public places, workplaces and households.

However, these achievements are at risk of being undone by a rapid increase in the rate of new tobacco use, mainly vapes and heated tobacco, especially among young people, warned the minister.

She cited studies saying the rate has doubled from 3.5 percent in 2022 to 8 percent in 2023 in the 13-15-year-old group.

Dr. Angela Pratt, WHO Chief Representative in Viet Nam underscored the importance of protecting children from the impacts of the tobacco industry. She shared her family story, saying her job is to do everything to give her daughter the best possible chance to live a long, healthy, and happy life.

The Chief Representative pledged to work closely with the Ministry of Health and other organizations to ensure that every child in Viet Nam can live a long, healthy and happy life.

She called on the community to protect children against the harmful effects of conventional cigarettes, vapes and new tobacco products and against the tobacco industry’s advertising tactics, aimed at enticing and addicting people to use these products when they are young.

After the meeting, Minister Lan and WHO chief representative Pratt and other delegates cycled through major streets in Ha Noi in response to World No Tobacco Day 2024.

To protect public health, she said the Prime Minister on May 24, 2023 approved the National Strategy on Tobacco Control until 2030, considering reducing the rate of tobacco use in the community an important target.

On May 13, 2024 the Prime Minister ordered relevant ministries and agencies to strengthen measures to promptly prevent vapes and heated tobacco products nationwide./.