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Good morning and Xin chao!
It is a privilege to be with you here at Bach Mai Hospital on this important occasion – World COPD Day 2025 – and I’d like to start by acknowledging your strong commitment to reducing the burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease here in Viet Nam.
The World COPD Day theme for 2025 is “Short of Breath, Think COPD”. This theme highlights the impact of COPD, encourages prevention, and emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and management.
COPD is not just a medical issue – it is also a social, economic, and developmental issue that affects families, communities, and health systems, and requires strong collective action across multiple sectors to better prevent, diagnose and manage the disease.
One of the most equitable and cost-effective ways to expand access to care is to integrate COPD management into primary health care facilities close to where people live – in alignment with the Government’s aspiration to strengthen grassroots care.
But we know that prevention is always better than cure, and so as well as strengthening treatment and management of COPD, we also need to do everything we can to prevent COPD occurring in the first place.
WHO estimates that at least 75% of COPD cases are attributable to smoking. Lungs can be damaged not only by traditional tobacco, but also by e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products – an issue of serious concern, especially for young people.
This is one of the many reasons why WHO fully supports the Ministry of Health’s strong stance on tobacco control in Viet Nam.
At last year’s COPD meeting on 15 November, we made two strong recommendations – firstly to increase the tobacco tax – to make smoking much less affordable, and secondly – to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (known as HTPs).
Thanks to the bold and decisive action by MoH leadership and the National Assembly, I am so happy to say that both recommendations are now becoming reality.
On 30 November last year, the National Assembly issued Resolution 173, banning e-cigarettes and HTPs. And on 14 June this year, the National Assembly approved the revised excise tax law, with a roadmap for tobacco tax increases from 2027 to 2031.
These measures will bring significant benefits, especially for youth.
Early impact of the ban of new tobacco products is already visible: data from the Poison Control Center here at Bach Mai already show an almost 70% reduction in emergency cases associated with the harmful usage of these products, in particular among young people.
Once the ban on new tobacco products has been fully implemented and enforced, we will see even greater impacts, with benefits for years to come.
For tobacco tax, WHO modelling projects that the implementation of the reforms will help 2.1 million people quit or avoid smoking by 2031, and prevent 700,000 premature deaths in the coming decades. Two million fewer smokers means two million people spared from the risk of a smoking-related illness or death – including from COPD. That is huge.
Unsurprisingly, the tobacco industry continues to challenge these measures. So this year, we are calling for the National Assembly’s ban on e-cigarettes and HTPs to be fully reflected in other relevant laws and policies – including the Investment Law currently being reviewed by the National Assembly. For our friends in the media, we will have more to say on this topic next week.
Friends and colleagues, the fight against COPD is challenging, but by reducing the risk factors for COPD – including those posed by smoking and vaping – we can also significantly reduce the burden placed on lives and the health system.
Let us make World COPD Day 2025 not just a moment of reflection, but a catalyst for action towards healthier lungs and a safer and stronger Viet Nam.
Thank you again for the opportunity to speak. I wish you all a successful and positive World COPD Day.
Xin cảm ơn!