Speech by Dr Angela Pratt at a workshop for journalists on sugar-sweetened beverages

28 April 2025

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Let me start by thanking the Department of Legislation at the Ministry of Health for organizing this important workshop in collaboration with Health Bridge Viet Nam and WHO. 

As journalists, you are key partners. When journalists report in ways that are accurate, engaging, timely, and easy to understand, you help the public and policy makers take decisions that promote health, prolong lives, and protect economic development.

So, today, I’d like to share two key messages from the campaign we’re launching today – 

The first message is: choose healthy drinks to protect your health. 

And second: tax helps protect our health by reducing the consumption of sugary drinks.

Let me explain. 

There’s now strong evidence that people who regularly drink sugary drinks face an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. These are Viet Nam’s biggest killers. The habit is also linked to weight gain and obesity in both children and adults, which are major risk factors for many diseases, and especially unhealthy for children. 

However, there’s a proven solution that can help: use a price signal, that is, a tax to make these drinks more expensive and thereby lower consumption. 

Around the world, about 110 governments now tax sugary drinks. 

The experience from all these countries shows that this tax is win-win - a win for health and reduced health-care costs, and a win for government revenue.

So, how can you help? Firstly, you can help share credible facts about sugary drinks and their harm. 
For example, not many people know that a single 330 ml can of a sweet fizzy drink can contain as much as 10 teaspoons or 40 grams of sugar.

WHO guidelines say that each day, people should consume no more than 50 grams of sugar from all food and drinks – but from an optimal health perspective, it should be even less. 

Unfortunately, in Viet Nam, consumption of these drinks is high and increasing. People in Viet Nam drank four times as many sugary drinks in 2023 as in 2009. 

On average, every person in Viet Nam is drinking nearly 70 litres of sugary drinks a year – or one and a third litres every week. 

Please look for opportunities to share facts like this and how tax can help. Your work has the power to improve knowledge and influence healthier behaviors. 

Also, be alert for attempts by the beverage industry to oppose, delay or weaken any tax. 

For example, the industry claims that a tax would cause economic loss. 

But evidence from other countries shows this is not true. In fact, consumers shift to other, healthier drinks. Smart manufacturers reformulate their products to match new demand. 

As you work, please consider entering the competition as we want to recognize and celebrate excellence in reporting on sugary drinks. 

Soon, we will introduce you to our campaign developed with partner Vital Strategies, and with support from the National Institution of Nutrition. From today, this campaign will be reaching the public and policy makers with our two key messages - choose healthy drinks to protect your health, and that tax helps protect our health by reducing the consumption of sugary drinks.

WHO is proud to work with partners to support Government efforts to reduce the toll of sugar on people in Viet Nam, and we look forward to your support. 

Together, we can create a healthier and safer Viet Nam. 

Xin cảm ơn!