Hanoi (VNA) - After more than 12 years of implementing tobacco control measures, the rate of active smoking among adults in Vietnam has decreased, but ultimately, it is still high when compared globally.
The overall smoking rate for both genders is 20.8%, with the prevalence among adult men at 41.1% in 2021, placing Vietnam among the countries with the highest smoking rates globally.
The information was shared by Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan at a recent conference reviewing the results of tobacco harm prevention activities in 2024, and putting forward orientations for 2025, organised by the Vietnam Tobacco Control Fund.
According to Thuan, active and passive smoking is the second-leading risk factor for death and diseases. In 2022, the estimated economic losses due to active and passive smoking - including healthcare costs and productivity losses from illness and premature deaths caused by smoking - amounted to 1.14% of GDP, equivalent to 108.7 trillion VND (4.28 billion USD).
These costs are five times higher than the revenue generated from tobacco taxes, he noted.
The deputy minister also shared that during the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly, a resolution was passed to ban the production, trade, import, transportation, and use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and other substances and gases harmful to human health. This regulation will take effect in 2025.
This decision aims not only to safeguard public health but also to contribute to maintaining social order and safety, he said.
In 2025, the Vietnam Tobacco Control Fund aims to continue raising public awareness of the dangers of using tobacco, e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and other new products, and the legal regulations on tobacco harm prevention.
Specifically, the fund aims to achieve the following targets in 2025: 100% of leaders from ministries, sectors, and localities are well-informed about the provisions of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms; 98% of the public understand the harmful effects of tobacco use, particularly its contribution to non-communicable diseases; 95% understand the diseases caused by smoking; and 75% are aware of the regulations in the above-mentioned law./.
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