Around 40,000 people in Vietnam die because of smoking annually, equivalent to the death cases caused by HIV/AIDS until March 2008. The figure will increase to 70,000 people a year by 2030. The risk has been warned but people still smoke, even at public sites, where smoking is banned.

According to the Ministry of Health’s Program against Harmful Impacts of Cigarettes, since Vietnam banned smoking at public sites (January 1, 2010), only the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai have fined ten violators, totaling VND1.5 million ($70).

More than 47 percent of men and 1.4 percent of women in Vietnam smoke. There are 33 million people who are negative smokers since they live and work in the smoking environment.

Vietnam has at least 20 million smokers who spend VND14 trillion (US$680 million) on tobacco products every year.

 Research conducted by the Hanoi School of Public Health last year, showed that around 95 per cent of the tobacco merchants surveyed in 10 provinces and cities in the city had violated regulations that ban tobacco advertising and promotion as well as sponsorships. Most of the merchants and residents said they did not know about the regulations.