More than 40,000 Vietnamese die from smoking-related diseases each year, quadruple the number of traffic fatalities, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned at the start of the national No Smoking Week.
Tobacco-related deaths in Vietnam are forecast to climb to 70,000 by 2030, WHO representatives told a press conference in Hanoi on Monday to mark Vietnam’s No Smoking Week from May 25 to 31.
The annual cost of treating lung cancer, coronary thrombosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the most common diseases caused by smoking, is estimated at more than VND1 trillion (US$56.2 million), equivalent to 20 percent of government spending on public health.
According to the WHO, Vietnam has one of the highest smoking rates in the world with 56.1 percent of men and 1.8 percent of women being active smokers.
The WHO blamed the high smoking rate on the cheap price of cigarettes in Vietnam, where tobacco taxes are much lower than in other Asian countries, such as Singapore and Thailand.
Most shops, cafes and restaurants sell imported packets of 20 cigarettes for VND14,000 to VND15,000 (70 to 84 cents), while a similar-sized pack of Vietnamese-made smokes is only VND3,500 (20 cents).
The space dedicated to health warnings on Vietnamese cigarette packets is too small to display effective warnings about the harmful effects of tobacco, according to the WHO.
The Vietnamese Health Ministry is drafting a law to ban smoking in schools, kindergartens, health clinics, factories and all indoor workplaces. Under the draft law, entertainment centers, hotels and restaurants will also be required to zone off areas for smokers.
During No Smoking Week, meetings and marches will be held in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, the central city of Danang and northern Thai Binh Province. Two TV reports on non-smoking working environment and the dangers of smoking will also be broadcast nationally.
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