International organisations help Vietnam in tobacco prevention
Vietnam’s Health Ministry and the Fund for the Prevention of Tobacco Harms on June 26 held a meeting of the tobacco control working group, gathering representatives from key tobacco control organisations in Vietnam and its development partners.
Luong Ngoc Khue, director of the Vietnam Fund for the Prevention of Tobacco Harms, (Source: infonet.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s HealthMinistry and the Fund for the Prevention of Tobacco Harms on June 26 held ameeting of the tobacco control working group, gathering representatives fromkey tobacco control organisations in Vietnam and its development partners.
The meeting was attended by Head of the BloombergPhilanthropies Public Health Programme Kelly Henning, and experts from theHealthBridge Foundation, World Health Organisation, Vital Strategiesorganisation and Chicago University, among others.
Luong Ngoc Khue, director of the VietnamFund for the Prevention of Tobacco Harms, said Vietnam has built a network onthe prevention of tobacco harm in all 63 provinces and cities. The localitieshave built non-smoking areas and the cities of Ha Long, Hue, Nha Trang and HoiAn are developing smoke-free tourism areas.
Khue said about 1,200 secondary and highschools and nearly 130 colleges and universities nationwide have bannedsmoking.
However, he noted that at present, nearlyhalf of Vietnamese men smoke, a high figure he said that needs to be reduced.
At the meeting, experts discussed theenforcement of the Law on the Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms in Vietnam,including increases in tobacco prices and import duties, inspections andpunishment of violations in the implementation of a smoke-free environment andVietnam’s Programme on Tobacco Prevention and Control.
According to Health Minister Nguyen Thi KimTien, tobacco costs Vietnamese smokers 31 trillion VND (1.36 billion USD) peryear.
Treatment for five major diseases - lungcancer, gastrointestinal-respiratory cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease, heart attacks and strokes, caused by smoking, are estimated to cost 24trillion VND (1.05 billion USD).-VNA
Although progress has been made in tobacco control, more efforts are needed on anti-tobacco measures and reduction of deaths related to smoking in Vietnam.
Support hotlines have been set up and a tax hike has been mooted to tackle smoking in Vietnam, where more than 100 people are killed by smoking-related diseases per day.
A set of anti-smoking postal stamps was jointly issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Health at a ceremony in Hanoi on May 31.
Smoking has created an economic burden to not only smokers and their families but also society, said Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien at a meeting held in response to the World No Tobacco Day in Hanoi on May 31.
All drugs entering hospitals must have a clear origin, so counterfeit drugs are only in the market, not in hospital, affirmed Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan.
To achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2045, Vietnam is prioritising the integration of AI and digital tools into the training of future doctors, said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Nhung, Dean of Medicine at University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam National University (VNU) Hanoi.
Health experts called for collective disease prevention and integrated solutions to achieve zero dengue deaths in the country at an online talk show on June 14.
The PM called for closer, broader, and more effective cooperation with Vietnamese partners, guided by the principles of mutual benefit, joint efforts, shared outcomes, and common development, including promoting stronger public-private partnerships and collaboration with businesses.
Renowned for its expertise in complex surgeries, the hospital has attracted foreign patients seeking treatment for conditions such as kidney and urinary tract stones, urological and gastrointestinal cancers, and male reproductive disorders. Most procedures are performed using advanced techniques, including laparoscopy and robotic surgery. T
Leading Vietnamese companies specialising in respiratory and dermatological treatments, traditional medicine, immune support supplements, and functional foods will have an opportunity to connect with international distributors and secure export deals.
The project aimed to enable early detection and reduce the risk of dangerous complications, targeting patients with chronic diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and metabolic disorders.
A 2023 report by the Vietnam Health Economics Association estimated that the total cost of tobacco-related healthcare and economic losses reached 108 trillion VND (4.14 billion USD) annually – equivalent to 1.14% of GDP and five times higher than the budget revenue generated by the tobacco industry.
All eligible patients will receive surgical interventions and post-operative care in accordance with Vietnamese medical standards and global care protocols.
Medical screenings and surgical interventions for children with disabilities are being carried out at health centers across Dien Bien. So far this year, 242 children have been identified for diagnosis, treatment, surgery, and the provision of assistive devices.
The Red Journey has become the country’s largest and most effective blood donation campaign, leaving a strong impression on the national voluntary blood donation movement.
This case marks the ninth fetal cardiac intervention conducted in HCM City, and it was considered the most technically demanding to date due to the fetus’s extremely early gestational age and the severity of the condition as diagnosed with aortic atresia.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place one day after the VNVC Vaccine JS Company and Sanofi Group exchanged cooperation documents on vaccine production technology transfer under the witness of State President Luong Cuong and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Vietnam’s traditional medicine took centre stage at the International Congress Biopharm Nonclinical Development, BioNCiD 2025, held on May 25-26 in the Cuban city of Varadero, amid growing global interest in sustainable healthcare solutions.
Under the agreement, VNVC and Sanofi will gradually implement technology transfers to enable domestic production of several key Sanofi vaccines that are widely used in Vietnam. In addition, Sanofi will support VNVC in training human resources and quality management in vaccine research and manufacturing.
According to the World Health Organisation, more than 25,000 COVID-19 cases have been recorded globally over the past month. Notably, from January 1 to May 10, Thailand reported nearly 54,000 infections and 16 deaths. The rise in cases in Thailand has been linked to the spread of XBB.1.16 subvariant.
Recently, HCM City has experienced a noticeable increase in COVID-19 cases, with 26 reported in just one week, compared to an average of only 1-2 cases weekly earlier this year.
Luong Ngoc Khue, director of the Vietnam Fund for the Prevention of Tobacco Harms, (Source: infonet.vn) 
