A parade to popularise the harmful impacts of tobacco (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA)𒊎 - The rate of smokers aged 13-15 in Vietnam fell by 1 percent from 3.3 percent in 2007 to 2.5 percent in 2014, according to a related survey by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The figure was revealed by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen at a workshop to build up plans to prevent and control tobacco impacts in Hanoi on December 15.
Up to 90 percent of responded student smokers intended to quit smoking, she added.
Thanks to the support of the Tobacco Control Fund, tobacco control steering committees have been established in 58 cities and provinces.
Counselling for smoking cessation has also been provided at six hospitals across the country and will be expanded at four more hospitals in the near future.
Bach Mai hospital, one of the largest in Vietnam and among these six hospitals, received more than 8,000 calls seeking counselling for giving up smoking from June and October this year.
Several resort cities, such as Hue, Nha Trang, Hai Phong, Ha Long and Hoi An, have been responding to the non-smoking city model.
Local authorities fined 241 organisations and 32 individuals who violated the Law on Tobacco Control for 77 million VND (3,416 USD) in the last two months of 2015.
According to WHO, tobacco kills nearly six million people every year, of which more than 600,000 are non-smokers dying from second-hand smoke.
In Vietnam, tobacco claims more than 40,000 lives and huge healthcare cost. Productivity loss due to smoking are estimated at more than 1 billion USD per year.-VNA
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged Vietnam to fully implement the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on World No Tobacco Day on May 31.
The Ministry of Health and relevant agencies will launch more communications campaigns on legal documents targeting the building of a non-smoking environment, said Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Health Ministry’s Administration Department of Medical Services.
The Ministry of Health organised a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City on May 30 in response to World No Tobacco Day (May 31) and the 2015 National No Tobacco Week (from May 25-31), calling for strong actions against tobacco use harms.
The prevalence of tobacco use in Hanoi is relatively high among men at about 47.4 percent, as many smokers are not aware of the negative health effects of smoking.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
A parade to popularise the harmful impacts of tobacco (Source: VNA)
