Hai Phong (VNA) – More than 1,500 youth union members and young people on May 24 took part in a rally in response to World No Tobacco Day (May 31) and the national no tobacco week (May 25 – 31), under the theme “Unmasking the appeal – countering nicotine and tobacco addiction.”
The rally was jointly organised by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, the Ministry of Health and the Fund on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms in the northern port city of Hai Phong.
The event aimed to raise public awareness, particularly among adolescents and young people, about the harmful effects of tobacco, e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and new-generation nicotine-containing products.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyen Minh Triet, Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee and Permanent Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, affirmed that e-cigarettes and new-generation tobacco products are being wrapped in fashionable appearance to mislead young people, concealing their addictive nature and the serious consequences they pose to health.
Therefore, he stressed, young people should not merely be the target of awareness campaigns but must become the pioneering force in tobacco harm prevention and control.
Triet called on youth union members and young people to continue raising awareness, adopt healthy lifestyles, promote communications about the harmful effects of tobacco, and join hands to build smoke-free schools, workplaces and public spaces.
Dr Ha Anh Duc, Director of the Medical Services Administration under the Ministry of Health, said that although the country has achieved many positive results in tobacco harm prevention and control, it continues to face many new challenges in tobacco control. This is particularly the case with the increasing use of new products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products among young people.
“I hope and firmly believe that the younger generation will continue to play a pioneering role in building healthy and civilised lifestyles, saying no to tobacco and nicotine-containing products, while actively participating in communications activities and movements for a clean, smoke-free living environment,” Duc said.
The World Health Organisation has affirmed that both e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance that seriously affects health, particularly brain development in children and adolescents. In addition to increasing the risk of lung injury, cardiovascular disease and cancer, these new-generation tobacco products also contribute to rising nicotine dependence among young people.
As part of the programme, a wide range of activities for youth union members and young people was organised, including exchanges with young artists, a Kahoot-based mini quiz on the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control, a communications campaign on Resolution No. 173/2024/QH15 and information relating to the harmful effects of tobacco products. The programme helped spread the message of positive living, healthy lifestyles and responsibility towards the community.
At the rally, delegates jointly performed the ceremony to launch the communications campaign in response to World No Tobacco Day and the national no tobacco week 2026, demonstrating their shared determination to build a safe, civilised and smoke-free living environment for the health of the community and the future of Vietnam's younger generation.
The 2026 rally and the accompanying series of activities once again reaffirmed the pioneering role of Vietnam's youth in tobacco harm prevention and control. It spreads the message of fostering a healthy and resilient younger generation that says no to tobacco, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products./.
