VietNamNet Bridge – Up to 44,000 Vietnamese die of cigarettes each year. The percentage of young smokers is on the rise, according to a seminar held in Hanoi on May 5.

VietNamNet Bridge – Up to 44,000 Vietnamese die of cigarettes each year. The percentage of young smokers is on the rise, according to a seminar held in Hanoi on May 5.

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According to Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, chief of the Health Examination and Treatment Department under the Health Ministry, Vietnam is among the countries with the highest number of smokers, with 56 percent of men being smokers.

These findings are from a survey that was conducted as part of a national mass media campaign by the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Lung Foundation (WLF) to build support for a smoking ban in the workplace, indoor public areas and on public transport.

The survey was conducted with the participation of over 2000 smokers and non-smokers in Hanoi, HCM City, Da Nang, Dong Thap and Thai Binh in February 2010.

According to the survey, 77 percent of Vietnamese people who had seen anti-smoking material oppose being exposed to second-hand smoke in public places. The figure is 14 per cent higher than that of people who had not seen the material. This significant difference shows that more people would support a smoking ban if they had a better understanding of the harmful effects of smoking and passive smoking.

The survey also found that more than 80 percent of smokers said they were very concerned about their own heath and that of their family members after seeing the anti-smoking campaign. Seventy-five per cent of smokers said that they were more likely to quit.

“Around 50 percent of adults in Viet Nam smoke, the equivalent of 17 million people. We should not let more than 60 million people be exposed to second-hand smoke,” said Khue.

The campaign, entitled “Cigarettes Are Eating You Alive”, is being presented via different media such as television, newspapers and posters.

“This campaign used strong imagery to communicate that tobacco smoke harms those who inhale it directly and those who are exposed to it second-hand, especially children,” said WLF Senior Vice President of Communications Sandra Mullin.

The campaign aired nationally for five weeks, from December 2009 to January 2010. The ads were shown 245 times across Viet Nam, and 70 per cent of people interviewed recalled seeing the ads. The TV campaign was followed by more than 5,000 posters in provinces across the country, including hospitals, offices and transportation facilities.

The Ministry of Health says around 40,000 Vietnamese people die each year of smoking-related illnesses and that Vietnamese people spent more than US$730 million on cigarettes in 2007.

PV