Cigarette prices are cheap, the area of graphic health warnings on the packaging is very small, and advertising is not tightly controlled… making reducing smoking in Vietnam still challenging.
Ms. Tan Yen Lian, Knowledge and Information Manager of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), assessed that there are still many barriers that make the rate of Vietnamese smokers still high. One of the biggest challenges Vietnam faces is the very low price of cigarettes. According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, the average price of a pack of cigarettes in Vietnam (the most popular brand) was less than 1 USD/pack, half compared to other countries. . This makes cigarettes accessible to many people, including young people.
In the region, Thailand has the highest proportion of taxes on cigarette retail prices (81.3%), followed by Singapore (70.7%) and Brunei (62%). Vietnam is among three ASEAN countries along with Laos, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, with the lowest proportion of taxes on cigarette retail prices (less than 35%) in the region.
“These countries need to regularly increase tobacco taxes to keep up with the pace of economic development and income growth,” Ms. Tan said at the Workshop on sharing experiences on tobacco control of ASEAN countries, on November 4.
Cigarette smoke causes many dangerous diseases. Image:Scientificamerican.
Many countries in the region such as Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have implemented comprehensive smoking bans in workplaces and public places. Vietnam still allows smoking in designated smoking areas at airports, hotels, bars/pubs and public transportation. A comprehensive smoking ban will be more effective in protecting people from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke.
Many countries also implement pictorial health warnings in sizes considered best practice by international standards. In particular, Thailand is leading with the largest area of visual health warnings in the region at 85%, followed by Singapore, Brunei, Laos and Myanmar with 75%. In Vietnam, the area of visual health warnings accounts for 50% of the main face of cigarette packaging, among the countries with the smallest area of visual health warnings in the region.
In particular, Vietnam still allows the tobacco industry to participate in humanitarian sponsorship and only limits the promotion of these activities on mass media. Vietnam also allows the display of no more than one pack or carton or box of a cigarette brand at the point of sale.
“This is a form of advertising that increases the rate of tobacco access among teenagers. To minimize the influence of the tobacco industry, it is necessary to issue a ban on advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco.” comprehensive leaf,” Ms. Tan said.
In order to limit the number of smokers, WHO in Vietnam recommends strong reform of cigarette taxes, adding an absolute tax rate of at least 5,000 VND/pack by 2026 and gradually increasing to 15,000 VND/pack by 2030. , in addition to the current tax rate.
Ms. Bungon Ritthiphakdee, Senior Advisor to the Tobacco Control Alliance in Southeast Asia, said that applying tobacco taxes helps countries achieve three major benefits including reducing the rate of tobacco use; generate higher tax revenues to allocate to other government development priorities, and generate additional revenue to fund tobacco control and health promotion programs.
Ms. Tan Yen Lian, Knowledge and Information Manager of Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance. Image: N. Nhien
In addition to imposing taxes and banning e-cigarettes and heated cigarettes, experts recommend that Vietnam needs to protect the apparatus and policies to prevent and control the harmful effects of tobacco from the intervention of the drug industry. leaf.
“Eight ASEAN countries have laws to protect their public health policies from tobacco industry interference. Vietnam should also develop and implement a similar national policy,” Ms. Tan said. .
Dr. Nguyen Trong Khoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, Ministry of Health, said it is estimated that Vietnam has 16 million adult smokers. Tobacco use causes losses of about 108.2 million VND each year due to medical costs and reduced labor productivity caused by tobacco.
Each year, more than 100,000 deaths are recorded from tobacco-related diseases, 10 times higher than deaths caused by traffic accidents. There are 25 diseases related to tobacco use such as stroke, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer… which are the leading causes of death. A study by K Hospital showed that the rate of lung cancer patients who smoke is up to 96.8%.