Deputy Minister of Health: Nutrition is a decisive factor in the productivity of each country.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan (second from right) presses a button on the screen to open Vietnam Community Nutrition Day on the morning of May 11 in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: NH

On the morning of May 11, at the 4th Vietnam Community Nutrition Day organized by the Health and Life newspaper, Mr. Tran Van Thuan - Deputy Minister of Health - said that nutrition is not only the foundation of personal health but also the pillar of population quality, a decisive factor in the stature, physical strength, intelligence and labor productivity of each country.

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food

According to the Deputy Minister of Health, during the working session with the Party Committee of the Ministry of Health on February 24, 2025, and through the article "Future for the rising generation", General Secretary To Lam also clearly affirmed the key role of nutrition in improving population quality, in disease prevention and physical improvement, serving the country's sustainable development.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also affirmed: "Proper nutrition is a core factor in reducing the burden of disease, improving the quality of life, and achieving sustainable development goals."

Similarly, the famous scientist Hippocrates said "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food".

"These words remind us that scientific nutrition not only prevents disease but is also the key to sustainable development. Or as the ancients often say, "disease comes from the mouth". Proper nutrition not only prevents disease but is also the key to sustainable development", the Deputy Minister of Health affirmed.

According to Mr. Thuan, nutrition work has achieved many remarkable achievements in recent times. The rate of stunting in children under 5 years old has decreased to 19.6% in 2020 - the average level according to WHO classification. Per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables has improved significantly.

Overweight and obesity are increasing rapidly.

"However, we are also facing a new and very worrying challenge such as the rapidly increasing situation of overweight and obesity.

In just 10 years, the rate of overweight and obesity in children aged 5-19 has more than doubled in a decade, from 8.5% in 2010 to 19% in 2020, and about 25% of Vietnamese adults are overweight and obese.

These are very alarming numbers because being overweight and obese not only reduces health, mobility, and labor but also causes many diseases, especially non-communicable diseases such as metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases...", the Deputy Minister of Health warned.

Mr. Thuan also emphasized that improper nutrition and unsafe nutrition also cause many types of cancer.

"People's health is a priceless asset and the foundation for national prosperity. Therefore, I call on each individual, each family, each agency and unit to start with practical and simple actions, such as having nutritious and diverse meals, limiting processed foods; maintaining regular physical exercise to join hands to create a healthy, developed and long-lasting Vietnam," he called.

The Ministry of Health has issued "10 tips for proper nutrition by 2030"

The Ministry of Health has implemented a series of practical and synchronous solutions. The National Nutrition Strategy for the 2021-2030 period focuses on improving healthy diets, ensuring food safety and increasing physical activity for all subjects, especially children, pregnant women, and vulnerable groups in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

The program "Nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life" helps children develop comprehensively both physically and mentally.

The ministry has also issued "10 tips for proper nutrition by 2030", calling on people to limit fast food and sugary soft drinks, increase consumption of vegetables, fruits, fish, and maintain physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day.

Vietnam has also made strong commitments internationally through its participation in the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement since 2014 and the ASEAN Joint Declaration on Ending Malnutrition in 2017.

These efforts affirm a strong commitment to implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially goal number 2: "End hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030".

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THUY DUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thu-truong-bo-y-te-dinh-duong-la-nhan-to-quyet-dinh-den-nang-suat-cua-moi-quoc-gia-20250511092845654.htm