On the morning of June 3, the Department of Chi Newspaper - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism organized a workshop to provide information on tobacco harm prevention and control with the theme: "Fabricate Tax and Sustainable Development".
Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Dang Khac Loi - Deputy Director of the Department of Press, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism - said: In Vietnam, with more than 15 million smokers, our country is suffering a huge health and economic burden, with more than 100,000 deaths each year due to active smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke. At the same time, medical costs and economic losses are estimated at VND108,000 billion per year, equivalent to about 1.1% of GDP.
"This is a threat to the country's economic and social development. In recent times, although the smoking rate among adult men in Vietnam has decreased from 47.4% in 2010 to 41.1% in 2021, this decrease is still modest. Currently, Vietnam is still in the group of 15 countries with the highest rate of adult male smokers in the world and ranked 3rd in the ASEAN region" - Mr. Loi informed.
Mr. Loi said that one of the main reasons for the decrease in tobacco use is too cheap tobacco price, because tobacco tax is still low. According to the World Health Organization's report, in 2022, the density of taxes on Vietnam's tobacco retail price was only 36%, lower than the average of the national group with average income (59%) and belonging to the lowest tax group in the ASEAN region, while people continue to increase rapidly, making cigarettes increasingly accessible, with even the group without income as children.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank have recommended that the proportion of tax on retail prices should be at least 75% to effectively reduce consumption of this harmful product.
According to the Deputy Director of the Press Department, in recent times, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam has directed press and media agencies to provide more information about content related to the harmful effects of tobacco and taxes on tobacco.
"According to our statistics, from January 1, 2025 to May 31, 2025, there were 11,327 articles and papers from press agencies informed about this content, especially on tobacco tax content with 1,537 articles and papers; on tobacco harmful content with 2,003 articles and papers; on Tobacco Tax and Sustainable Development content with 709 articles and papers, the press agencies informed a variety of information such as posting analysis articles, infograpphic, interviews with experts, talks, radio programs, TV programs, thereby aiming to raise awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco, encourage people to quit smoking and protect public health.
Press agencies that provide a lot of information such as Vietnam Television, Nhan Dan Newspaper, Lao Dong Newspaper, Thanh Nien Newspaper, Tuoi Tre Newspaper, Thanh Viet and Life Newspaper, Vietnam Law Newspaper, Dau Tu; Law Life Magazine, Brand and Public Opinion Magazine..." - Deputy Director of the Department of Journalism.
Implementing policy communication work, in order to provide information on the harmful effects of tobacco on health, economy and sustainable development, as well as discuss the important role of tax policies in tobacco control, the Press Department in coordination with HealthBridge in Vietnam organized a Workshop to provide information on tobacco harm prevention with the theme "F major and Sustainable Development".
At the workshop, experts from the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health will discuss reforming Special Consumption Tax on cigarettes to improve health and sustainable development; Special Consumption Tax on cigarettes - fiscal policy to support economic growth; Ministry of Health's view on Tobacco Tax in the draft Law on Special Consumption Tax (amended)...
Every year, cigarettes take the lives of more than 8 million people, including nearly 7 million who are and have been smoking, and 1.3 million people who do not smoke but are exposed to the smoke of others. The number of deaths from smoking is higher than the total of deaths from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.
