Over 1,000 young people run in response to World No Tobacco Day

ABO/NDO- On May 26, in Da Nang, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, held a rally to mark World No Tobacco Day, National No Tobacco Week (from May 25 to 31, 2025), and the run titled “Vietnamese Youth Say No to Tobacco”.

In 2025, the World Health Organization chose the theme “Exposing the false appeal” to expose the tactics of tobacco corporations around the world in false advertising, misleading people that cigarettes are harmless, and to expand the consumer market, especially among young people.

The WHO has affirmed that there is no evidence proving that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. These products contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance that adversely affects health, especially brain development in children and adolescents.

In Viet Nam, according to WHO estimates, tobacco use causes over 100,000 deaths annually. Of these, around 84,500 are due to diseases linked to active smoking, while approximately 18,800 died from diseases related to passive smoking.

Young members of the Youth Union run to show their support for the “Vietnamese Youth Say No to Tobacco” campaign.

In recent years, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union has launched various campaigns and communication activities to prevent tobacco harm, including theatre competitions, social media contests for creative anti-smoking materials, thematic discussions, and awareness-raising training courses. Thousands of articles and reports on tobacco harm prevention have been published to encourage young people to sign pledges to stay smoke-free.

Youth Union branches across the country have implemented a range of smoke-free models, such as “Smoke-Free Offices”, “Smoke-Free Youth Branches” and “Smoke-Free Schools”, which have been widely replicated in many localities.

In the coming time, the Youth Union Central Committee will continue working with the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund under the Ministry of Health, health organisations, and relevant authorities to promote and expand communication models and activities, to strengthen tobacco harm prevention among adolescents and young people. These efforts will contribute to building a modern, progressive, and smoke-free Viet Nam.

On this occasion, the Youth Union also launched the online run “Vietnamese Youth Say No to Tobacco, E-cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products”, with over 1,000 Youth Union members joining a collective run around Youth Park.

(Source: NDO)