Da Nang (VNA) - Although progress hasbeen made in tobacco control, more efforts are needed on anti-tobacco measuresand reduction of deaths related to smoking in Vietnam.

Dr Kidong Park, a representative of the WorldHealth Orgnisation (WHO)’s western pacific region, made the remarks at an eventmarking World No Tobacco Day (May 31) and National No Tobacco Week in thecentral city of Da Nang on May 27.

“Vietnam has had some success in tobaccocontrol, but it’s still not enough. The number of smokers is still high, with45.3 percent of men smoking cigarettes. As part of a recent survey, 80 percentof people said they had seen smokers at restaurants and in public,” Park said.

“About 170,000 Vietnamese people died ofcardiovascular, stroke and non-infectious diseases, of which 33 percent wererelated to smoking,” he said.

The tax on tobacco products needs to beincreased and smoke-free environments should be the top priority at workplacesand in public as well as at tourism attractions around Vietnam.

He said the tax on tobacco in Vietnam is stilllow at 35 percent, in comparison with an average of 56 percent worldwide, whilethe WHO recommends a tax of 70 percent.

Park said Vietnam should levy a tax from 2,000 VND(0.08 USD) to 5,000 VND (0.22 USD) on each cigarette pack, while non-smokingenvironments should be promoted.

He suggested a communication campaign should beintroduced, including the distribution of leaflets and signs in restaurants,hotels, workplaces, hospitals, schools and public sites.

Park said he still saw people in Da Nang and HoiAn – two popular tourism hubs in central Vietnam – smoking in restaurants andhotels, and said these places should be smoke-free zones.

According to WHO, Vietnamese people spend up to 31trillion VND (1.36 billion USD) on cigarettes each year, while an annual 24trillion VND (1.05 billion USD) of the State budget is reserved for newtreatment of five disease groups out of 25 diseases related to smoking.

WHO also recommend that reducing the number ofsmokers in the community would help save 900,000 lives, while increasing taxrevenue to 10.7 trillion VND (471.36 million USD) if the country applies a taxrate of 0.22 USD on each pack of cigarettes.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien saidthe Vietnamese Government has committed to strong controls on tobacco andreducing the number of smokers.

“We started the implementation of the Law onTobacco Harm Control and Prevention, especially the expansion of non-smokingcommunities and the establishment of a Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund,” Tiensaid, adding that non-smoking environments have been promoted in differentprovinces and big cities.

“The number of student smokers (13-15 years old)had been reduced from 3.3 percent in 2007 to 2.5 percent in 2014, whilesecond-hand smoke in workplaces decreased 13.3 percent and 15 percent on publictransport,” Tien said.

The deputy minister said smokers in urban areasalso dropped 6.5 percent following a survey released in 2014.

He said the World No Tobacco Day, themed‘Tobacco breaks hearts’, aims to send a message to young people on the harmfulconsequence of smoking and increase awareness of the medical risks, whileencouraging a healthy lifestyle among the younger generation.

According to the latest report from ministry ofhealth, 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam have developed non-smoking areas,while 1,200 training courses on non-smoking have been carried out.

Smoking bans were instituted at 1,200 schoolsnationwide, and 51,000 labourers gave up smoking.

In 2017, more than 7,000 phone calls were placedfor help on smoking addiction, while 8,400 patients were treated for cigaretteaddiction at nine hospitals.  

Tobacco kills seven million people each year,according to the WHO.-VNA