The Vietnam Journalists Association and Canada’s HealthBridge Foundation in Vietnam held a seminar on the role of the press in preventing the negative impact of alcohol abuse, in Hanoi on January 8.
Hanoi (VNA)🔯 – The Vietnam Journalists Association, in collaboration with Canada’s HealthBridge Foundation in Vietnam, held a seminar on the role of the press in preventing the negative impact of alcohol abuse, in Hanoi on January 8.
Speaking at the event, HealthBridge Vietnam Director Pham Thi Hoang Anh analysed the impact of wine and beer abuse on poverty, and the characteristics of families with regular use of alcohol.
According to a survey of the foundation, 57.72 percent of Vietnamese families drink beer and wine regularly, with the country spending 16.4 trillion VND (721.6 million USD) annually on alcohol. The money, if used buying rice, could feed nearly 21 million people a year.
Therefore, Anh stated that intensifying communications on the negative impact of wine and beer, on public health and the economy is essential, especially in rural and ethnic-inhabited areas.
Increasing taxes imposed on alcohol drinks and their prices has been proved effective in reducing alcohol consumption around the world, she said; adding that the prevention of alcohol abuse needs to be included in gender equality and poverty reduction programmes.
According to the World Health Organisation, alcohol is a direct reason for 30 diseases and indirectly causes 200 other diseases and trauma.
Vietnam is among a few countries seeing a rise in consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is now the biggest beer consuming market in Southeast Asia and the third in Asia, after Japan and China.
Alcohol is a major killer of Vietnamese men aged from 15-49. It is also a cause for 33.7 percent of domestic violence cases in the country.
At the seminar, participants suggested that Vietnam’s laws related to alcoholic beverages should be amended, to create a better legal framework - to help prevent the negative consequences of excessive drinking on public health, and society in general.-VNA
Local beverage enterprises should have reasonable strategies on production and consumption to gain growth in the situation of high inventory at present, said experts.
An increasing number of young adults in their thirties and forties are suffering from heart attacks, which typically occur in older age, according to the Vietnam Medical Association.
The local beer market is set to face tough competition due to a rising number of foreign brewers moving into the market after Vietnam joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), experts said.
The beverage industry contributed 30 trillion VND (1.3 billion USD) to the State budget last year, according to the Vietnam Beer, Alcohol and Beverage Association (VBA).
The total investment exceeded 319 billion VND (12.2 million USD), including over 261 billion VND from the state budget and 57.5 billion VND mobilised from businesses, organisations, and individuals.
The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang is intensifying efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as part of the country’s goal of having the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning lifted.
Throughout its 80-year history, the VNA has remained at the forefront of information dissemination. It has consistently delivered timely, accurate, and objective reports on both domestic and international events, serving the Party’s leadership, the State’s management, and the public’s demand for official news.
With strong support from local authorities, businesses, organisations, and residents, the province has successfully built or repaired 10,707 homes for disadvantaged households, including war veterans, families of martyrs, ethnic minority people, and low-income residents.
Throughout its resistance against colonialists and imperialists, Vietnam developed a revolutionary press that has served as a benchmark for just and legitimate causes worldwide.
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PM Chinh lauded the press’s historic role in the nation’s fight for independence and its ongoing process of national development, affirming that the Government always highly appreciates the close partnership and steadfast support of press agencies and journalists nationwide.
In recent decades, Vietnam’s mainstream media has become a reliable and persuasive channel for showcasing the nation’s development policies and achievements, especially in economic matters, according to a senior assistant editor at the Times of India.
A hub for sharing best practices, the event aims to forge solutions for financial sustainability, public media contracts, audience engagement, content innovation, and newsroom restructuring. It is also a moment for Vietnam’s media to accelerate its progress and figure out what the “revolutionary press” means in a new era.
From “Thanh nien”, Vietnam’s first revolutionary newspaper founded by Nguyen Ai Quoc (later President Ho Chi Minh) on June 21, 1925, the revolutionary press has remained devoted to its sacred missions -accompanying the nation, serving the Fatherland, and working for the people.
The official launch of Emirates’ Dubai–Da Nang route on June 2 has sparked a “tourism revolution” for Vietnam’s central coastal city. Da Nang is emerging as a top destination for high-end travelers, particularly from the lucrative Middle Eastern market.
Bernama CEO Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin said VNA has been a consistent and reliable partner in OANA, contributing actively to the regional media landscape through content sharing, coordination, and policy discussions. Their coverage of ASEAN and Indochina issues adds valuable perspectives. Bernama appreciates the collaboration with VNA.
In this era of global integration and digitalisation, the press must adopt modern multimedia models to not only meet increasing information and communication demands but also align with the broader socio-economic development of the country.
A master plan on implementation of recommendations accepted by Vietnam under the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) took effect on June 17.
Running until June 21, the festival brings together more than 80 central and local media organisations, featuring nearly 130 exhibition booths that cover the full spectrum of national life, encompassing economy, politics, culture, society, defence, security, and foreign affairs.
As of June 17, Ca Mau province had achieved its target of supporting the construction and renovation of 4,400 homes, with a total budget of over 235 billion VND (about 9 million USD).
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The seminar (Source: VNA)
