Vietnam Makes Significant Breakthrough in Tobacco Control Policies

Vietnam's Minister of Health, Dao Hong Lan, has praised the country's progress in tobacco control policies, stating that the country has achieved significant breakthroughs in the international community. Vietnam has become the 47th country to early approve the Tobacco Control Framework Convention, and the country has enacted the Tobacco Harm Prevention Law to combat tobacco-related diseases. The Ministry of Health collaborates with various departments, social and political organizations, and provincial and municipal people's committees to implement the law and measures to mitigate tobacco hazards. However, Vietnam still faces challenges, including high smoking rates among males aged 15 and above, widespread secondhand smoke contamination, and low tobacco taxes in the ASEAN region. The emergence of new tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn cigarettes, has also impacted anti-smoking efforts. The World Health Organization (WHO) urges Vietnam to increase cigarette taxes and prices, and calls on the Vietnamese parliament to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.