Vietnam is one of 15 countries with a high rate of adult men smoking.

The report summarizing 10 years of implementing the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control shows that thanks to many efforts in tobacco harm prevention and control, the rate of regular cigarette use among adult males has decreased by an average of 0.5% per year. The smoking rate among adolescents has also decreased, in which, in the group aged 13 to 17 years old, it decreased from 5.36% in 2013 to 2.78% in 2019; in the group aged 13 to 15 years old, it decreased from 2.5% (2014) to 1.9% (2022).

According to a survey on tobacco use among people over 15 years old in 30 provinces and cities in 2023, the rate of tobacco use among men decreased from 47.4% (in 2010) to 38.9% (in 2023).

With the implementation of solutions to ensure a smoke-free environment, the rate of exposure to secondhand smoke has significantly decreased in households, public places and workplaces. These are very encouraging results in the work of preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco.

It is estimated that the cost savings due to the reduction in smoking rates, which reduces the rate of illness and reduces the cost of treatment for diseases caused by tobacco use in the period 2015-2020 is 1,277 billion VND/year. This cost is much larger than the budget supported by the Fund for tobacco harm prevention activities nationwide.

However, according to assessments, Vietnam is still one of the 15 countries with the highest number of adult male smokers in the world. One of the main reasons for the high and slow decline in smoking rates is that Vietnam's tobacco tax is still very low. Low tobacco prices increase the ability of young people and the poor to access and buy tobacco.

Therefore, tobacco tax is considered one of the most effective measures to prevent young people from starting to smoke and to help smokers quit.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/viet-nam-la-1-trong-15-nuoc-co-ty-le-nam-gioi-truong-thanh-hut-thuoc-la-nhieu-post835508.html