Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer in Vietnam.Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, of which 69 cause cancer,participants heard at a recent online talk show to respond to World No TobaccoDay on May 31.

With the message "Give up smoking for the health of your loved ones",the seminar was jointly organised by the Vietnam Women's Union, the TobaccoHarm Prevention and Control Fund and technical support from the Global HealthOrganisation Vital Strategies as part of a communication programme onpreventing the harmful effects of second-hand smoke.

Health experts said that second-hand smoke can exist everywhere and especiallythere is no safe threshold when exposed to second-hand smoke, affecting thecommunity whose victims are mostly women and children.

The event introduced a short video clip that tells a true story about Le ThiTinh, a woman who was often exposed to second-hand smoke. Her husband andfather in law all died as a result of smoking. Her son has a mental disorder.Tinh has struggled every day with lung cancer and has a very difficultsituation.

Through Tinh's story, the programme aims to increase public awareness,especially among women, about the harmful effects of second-hand smoke as wellas to encourage them to speak up to protect themselves and their loved onesfrom second-hand smoke and advise those around them to give up smoking.

Speaking at the May 14 event, head of the Department of Family and SocialAffairs, Director of the Vietnam Women's Union’s Centre to support women inHIV/AIDS prevention and reproductive health care Truong Thi Thu Thuy said womenwere the most vulnerable to second-hand smoke.

“Therefore, Thuy said, a women-oriented communication programme is to protectthe rights of women and children to live a healthy life, as regulated in theLaw on Prevention of Tobacco Harms 2013. Communication programmes on tobacco harmsfocus on women because the role of women in society is becoming more and moreimportant. Women are not only influenced, but also create a lot of influence onfamily members and other people in the community. They are also inspirationalpeople who change the perception of people around them,” said Thuy.

Thuy added that through the communication programme, the Vietnam Women's Unionwanted to expand access to communication activities on building smoke-freehomes.

Director of the health ministry’s Medical Services Administration, Director ofthe Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control Fund Luong Ngoc Khue said that the fundwill work closer with the Vietnam Women's Union to promote the communicationcampaign on preventing the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, in which thehighlight is the expansion of a smoke-free family home model, therebycontributing to building a smoke-free environment in the community.

Attending the online event, Miss Universe Vietnam H’Hen Nie also called onpeople to give up smoking for the health of them and beloved ones in theirfamily.

According to a survey in 2015, with 45.3 percent of male smokers, Vietnam wasone of the countries with the highest cigarette consumption in the world. Theproportion of exposure to second-hand smoke at homes reached 62 percent, atworkplaces 42 percent and in restaurants 80 percent./.