The event took place in the capital city of Hanoi on the afternoon of November 4.
At the workshop, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan informed that the fight against the harmful effects of tobacco in Vietnam now faces many challenges as the smoking rate remains very high, especially among men.
Additionally, there is an increase in the use of new tobacco products such as electronic-cigarette (e-cigarettes), heated tobacco and Shisha smoking among teenagers and young women.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, e-cigarette use has doubled from 3.5 percent in 2022 to 8 percent in 2023.
Meanwhile, the special consumption tax on the retail price of tobacco products in Vietnam is only 38.8 percent, much lower than the WHO recommendation of 70 percent to 75 percent of the retail price.
Additionally, access to tobacco products is effortless as tobacco has been sold everywhere, making the fight against the harmful effects of tobacco in Vietnam even more difficult.
At the workshop, many international experts indicated that more than 40 countries and territories worldwide have banned e-cigarettes and heated tobacco.
In ASEAN, countries like Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore and Thailand have issued bans on new tobacco products, meanwhile, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines allowed the sale and advertising of e-cigarette products leading to many challenges in dealing with the situation of e-cigarette smoking among young people.
Notably, new tobacco products are not safe and contain a lot of nicotine along with other harmful carcinogens that are addictive and can cause cancer.
E-cigarettes and heated tobacco are not an effective method for smoking cessation.
At the workshop, international experts recommended that by adjusting their tobacco control strategies according to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, implementing policies to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, and applying higher tobacco taxes, Vietnam can significantly reduce the number of young people addicted to nicotine that is essential measures to protect the health of human and future generations.
According to the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, the mortality rate from traffic accidents in Vietnam has decreased to below 10,000 cases per year, but the mortality rate from tobacco has increased many times. It is estimated that tobacco use causes 85,500 deaths and passive smoking from other people's tobacco smoke causes 18,800 deaths each year in Vietnam.
