Speaking at the event, LokkyWai, World HeathOrganisation's Representative to Vietnam said that losses caused by tobacco use has reached beyond the scale of community heath as it has also become a barrier to sustainable development in such fields as food security, gender equality, education, economic growth and environmental protection.

He reported that losses caused by tobacco use in Vietnam accounted for nearly 1% of the country’s GDP each year, emphasising that if the losses are controlled, they can help to reduce poverty, increase productivity and boost national development.

He suggested the Vietnamese Government and related partners make joint efforts to reduce tobacco use through tobacco tax increases, which can help reduce the demand for tobacco products while ensuring the health of Vietnamese people.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien called on people, particularly the youth, to say no to cigarettes in order to preserve their health as well as safeguard people around them and the environment.

She also urged ministries, sectors and local authorities to strictly observe the The Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control and disseminate the law to the public in order to raise awareness of the impacts of tobacco use on people’s health and the country’s sustainable development.