Journalists hone skills in tobacco reporting

“The media plays a critical role in the anti-tobacco initiative. Journalists have the power and mechanism to reach the public. This is why it is important that they are armed with the right and timely information,” said Dr Jun Nakagawa, Programme Management Officer and Coordinator, Noncommunicable Disease and Health through the Life Course, WHO Viet Nam.


Dr June Nakagawa, WHO Viet Nam, highlighted in his opening speech the importance of tobacco tax reform in the battle against cigarette use in the country. (Photo: Healthbridge)

Dr Nguyen Tuan Lam, Technical Officer, WHO Viet Nam, highlighted in his presentation the harmful effects of smoking and second-hand smoke exposure, as well as the role of tobacco tax as the most effective tobacco control measure. He also shared relevant WHO guidelines and provided concrete recommendations for Viet Nam’s tobacco situation, noting the experience of other countries as examples.

A key reason for high adult male smoking rate in Viet Nam is low cigarette price, attributed to low tobacco tax in the country. Viet Nam has the second lowest tobacco price in the Western Pacific Region. “A tax increase of VND 5,000 per pack will help reduce 1.8 million smokers and will contribute in preventing almost 1 million premature deaths in the future,” Dr Lam stressed in his presentation.

One in two adult males in Viet Nam uses tobacco. Smoking causes 24-28% of premature deaths among Vietnamese males over 35 years old, more than 40,000 deaths each year. Estimates indicate an increase to 70,000 deaths by 2033 unless strong and effective measures are implemented. Tobacco use is estimated to cause an annual loss of more than VND 24,000 billion due to disease treatment costs and productivity losses