Tobacco use remains one of the leading causes of disease and premature death. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – As average income continues to rise, tobacco products have become increasingly affordable and accessible to the community, warned Phan Thị Hải, deputy director of the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund under the Ministry of Health.

Speaking at a tobacco harm prevention workshop held in Hà Nội on Thursday, she said from 2008 to 2019, Việt Nam raised the special consumption tax on tobacco three times. However, these increases were too small and too far apart to significantly impact consumer behaviour.

She said tobacco use remains one of the leading causes of disease and premature death.

Tobacco smoke contains 7,000 chemicals, 69 of which are known carcinogens and contribute to 25 different diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular, respiratory and reproductive health conditions.

According to 2021 data from the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco use in Việt Nam causes approximately 85,500 deaths each year, with an additional 18,800 deaths attributed to secondhand smoke exposure, totaling around 104,300 tobacco-related deaths annually.

Since 2019, Việt Nam has applied a 75 per cent special consumption tax on tobacco products based on factory price.

For instance, a pack of cigarettes retailing for VNĐ10,000 has a factory price of only about VNĐ3,900.

A 5 per cent tax increase results in just a VNĐ300 or 3 per cent rise in retail price—less than the inflation rate (4 per cent) and average income growth (5 per cent), she said, concluding that it has little to no effect on smoking behavior.

Currently, the total tax share in the retail price of cigarettes in Việt Nam is only 36 per cent, far below the WHO’s recommended 70–75 per cent and also lower than regional peers such as Thailand (78.6 per cent), the Philippines (71.3 per cent) and Singapore (67.5 per cent).

“Việt Nam's cigarette prices remain among the lowest globally, making them easily accessible, especially to low-income groups and youth,” she said.

This presents a major obstacle to tobacco control efforts. WHO estimates that a 10 per cent increase in cigarette prices could reduce consumption by 4–5 per cent, and by up to 10 per cent among young people, who are more price-sensitive.

A 2023 survey by the Hà Nội University of Public Health in collaboration with HealthBridge Canada revealed that in Hà Nội and HCM City, there are still about 40 cigarette brands priced below VNĐ10,000 per pack, some as low as VNĐ7,000–8,000.

At such prices, cigarettes are easily accessible even to children and first-time users, and existing smokers have little incentive to quit.

From 2010 to 2022, Việt Nam’s per capita income increased by 203 per cent, while cigarette prices rose only 56 per cent. This disparity has made tobacco increasingly more affordable, encouraging consumption, she said.

Hải emphasised that to effectively reduce tobacco consumption, Việt Nam must reform its tobacco tax policy by implementing a steady tax increase over time. This would ensure that cigarette prices keep pace with income growth and gradually approach the optimal tax level of 75 per cent of the retail price, in line with WHO recommendations.

She proposed introducing an absolute tax of at least VNĐ5,000 per pack by 2026, increasing to VNĐ15,000 per pack by 2030. The roadmap would help reduce the adult smoking rate to below 36 per cent for men and below 1 per cent for women, consistent with the targets of the National Tobacco Control Strategy by 2030. – VNS