Ministry of Health organized on May 30 the meeting in response to World No Tobacco Day and the national non smoking week (from May 25 to 31) in HCMC. Health deputy minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen said the long term national strategy for Tobacco Harm Prevention to 2020 is to increase tobacco taxes, aiming to decrease the country’s smoking rate.

Since 2014 to date, Vietnam has implemented many taxation changes on tobacco from 55 percent to up to 65 percent. By January 1, 2016 special consumption tax on cigarettes will increase up to 70 percent and it is expected to rise to 75 percent in 2019.

According to tobacco harm prevention program, Vietnam targets to reduce the smoking rate among adult males to 47.4 percent down 39 percent by 2020.