1,000 young people spread the message of living without smoke

On the morning of May 26, in Da Nang City, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union coordinated with the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund (Ministry of Health) to organize a rally in response to World No Tobacco Day and National No Tobacco Week with the theme "Exposing false appeal".

Delegates, union members and young people enthusiastically participated in the race. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

In Vietnam, according to the World Health Organization, tobacco use causes more than 100,000 deaths each year. The economic loss caused by tobacco is estimated at 108,000 billion VND each year. This figure is 5 times larger than the contribution of tobacco tax revenue to the national budget.

Delegates launch response to World No Tobacco Day and National No Tobacco Week. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

Dr. Angela Pratt, WHO Representative in Vietnam, expressed her delight at the decision of the Vietnamese National Assembly to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. This is an important step to protect public health. These products contain toxic chemicals that can cause cancer, heart and lung disease and seriously affect the brain development of children.

At the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, emphasized that this year's theme is a strong warning, especially to young people, against the "camouflage" of new tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

The program attracted 1,000 union members and young people in Da Nang City to participate. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet also hopes that each union organization, union member, and youth will transform awareness into action, become a shining example of saying no to tobacco in all circumstances; proactively promote and mobilize friends, family, and the community to say no to tobacco; actively participate in sports activities, exercise, and build healthy living habits; join hands to build and maintain a smoke-free learning and living environment through models such as "Smoke-free schools", "Smoke-free families", "Smoke-free agencies"...

After the rally, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union launched the online race “Vietnamese Youth Say No to Cigarettes, Electronic Cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products” with the participation of 1,000 union members and young people. In addition, the race was deployed on the Strava application, starting from May 26 to June 26 for Vietnamese people of all ages.

XUAN QUYNH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/1000-ban-tre-lan-toa-thong-diep-song-khong-khoi-thuoc-post796827.html