Over 100,000 Vietnamese die each year from tobacco use

By Le Nga December 26, 2025 | 06:00 pm PT

A man smokes an e-cigarette in Hanoi. Photo by Khue Lam

The Ministry of Health estimates that tobacco use claims more than 100,000 lives in Vietnam each year, with annual healthcare costs and economic losses reaching approximately VND108 trillion (US$4.2 billion).

These staggering figures were highlighted on Wednesday at the inaugural "Outstanding Smoke-Free Hotels" awards, organized in Hanoi by the Fund for Tobacco Harm Prevention under the Ministry of Health in coordination with Van Hoa (Culture) Newspaper under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Phan Thi Hai, the fund's deputy director, emphasized that these losses underscore tobacco's "serious impact on public health and socio-economic development."

Containing over 7,000 chemicals and at least 70 carcinogens, tobacco smoke remains a leading cause of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and infertility.

A growing concern is the surge in e-cigarette use among adolescents. Hai noted that thousands of young patients have been hospitalized for e-cigarette poisoning, with cases involving comas and severe lung damage—often linked to products laced with narcotics.

Despite these challenges, progress is visible. Following a decade of the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention, smoke-free hotel models have gained traction. According to the 2024 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (PGATS), secondhand smoke exposure in hotels dropped by 14.6% compared to 2020.