This event marks the beginning of a series of activities that will continue in the key tourism destinations, including Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Khanh Hoa, aiming to build a civilized, friendly, and safe tourism environment.
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| The launching ceremony of the campaign to strengthen the implementation of smoke-free environments in restaurants, hotels, and public places |
Attending the launching ceremony were Dr. Ha Anh Duc, Vice Chairman of the National Medical Council, Director General of the Department of Medical Services Administration, and Director of the Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control Fund; Ms. Nguyen Thi Ai Van, Standing Committee Member of Hue City Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hue City; along with representatives of local departments and agencies, tourism service businesses, as well as a large number of youths and students in the area.
The campaign aims to strengthen the enforcement of the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and Control in restaurants and hotels, while encouraging businesses in the service and tourism sectors to proactive in creating smoke-free spaces. It also conveys a message of calling for greater awareness among local residents and tourists about the right to breathe clean, smoke-free air; contributing to promoting the image of Hue in particular, and Vietnam in general, as a more civilized and friendly destination. Notably, the campaign is accompanied by singer Dinh Dung, who serves as an Ambassador, helping to spread the message to the wider community.
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| Following the launching ceremony was a mobile publicity cycling program across the city’s streets |
At the launching ceremony, a series of activities were carried out, including the official call for restaurants and hotels to join hands in building a smoke-free environment; a mobile cycling campaign across the city’s streets; and the placement of ‘No Smoking’ signs at more than 200 hotels and restaurants in Hue.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Ha Anh Duc noted that in recent years, the efforts on tobacco harm prevention and control in Vietnam have achieved many positive results. The smoking rate among men decreased from 45.3% (2015) to 38.9% (2023), helping to prevent hundreds of thousands of tobacco-related illnesses and deaths. However, passive smoking in restaurants remains high, at 67.3%, and in coffee shops at 59.2%. “Today’s campaign is a continuing step, stronger and broader, to create an environment where every citizen and every visitor can breathe clean, smoke-free air in any restaurant, hotel, or public place,” Dr. Duc emphasized.
He also called on restaurants and hotels to consider the work of maintaining a smoke-free environment as a service standard, not only for public health but also to protect their own employees. “Each citizen should become a “smoke-free ambassador”, speaking up and protecting clean shared spaces for themselves and the community,” he said.
Immediately after Hue, the campaign will continue in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Khanh Hoa, with the expectation of creating a sustainable movement that contributes to building Vietnam’s image as a civilized, smoke-free tourist destination.