Smoke- free website by students launched in Vietnam

A smoke-free website developed by voluntary students, was launched on Thursday, aiming to provide information relating to exchange activities and campaigns for a smoke-free environment, Vietnam news agency reported.

According to Ha Anh Tuan, ambassador of the Vietnam Steering on Smoking and Health (VINACOSH), the website www.clickkhongthuocla.vn is expected to help young people, especially students, to achieve a better awareness of the harms of smoking.

Meanwhile Head of the Health Ministry's Therapy Department Luong Ngoc Khue said that Vietnam is one of the countries with the highest rate of male smokers, at 56 percent.

The rate tends to become larger among younger age groups, Vietnam news agency said.

Every year, tobacco-users in Vietnam spend more than 820 billion VND (US$43.86 million) on smoking, which is equivalent to 2.4 million tonnes of rice.

The amount of money is also enough to feed 15.6 million people for a year, Khue said.

Smoking is not only harmful to health but also causes negative impacts on the economy, he said, adding that cigarettes cause non-infectious diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems.

Vietnam has to spend 1.1 trillion VND (US$53.86 million) each year to treat lung cancer, ischemic heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which are the consequences of smoking.

According VINACOSH's statistics, at least 100 people in Vietnam die of tobacco-related diseases every day, or 40,000 a year, higher than the total fatalities from traffic accidents and HIV/AIDS combined.

As a result, the Vietnamese government ratified the UN framework convention on tobacco control in 2004.

Regulations prohibiting smoking in public places came into effect as of Jan 1, 2010. A bill on tobacco harm prevention is being compiled for submission to the National Assembly next year.