The Ministry of Health and relevant agencies will launch morecommunications campaigns on legal documents targeting the building of anon-smoking environment, said Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the HealthMinistry’s Administration Department of Medical Services.

After two years of implementation, government regulations on curbingsmoking have taken little effect, as the habit now kills more than 100people per day in Vietnam, fourth times higher than traffic accidents.The statistics, though, are yet complete.

In 2013, alaw on preventing harmful effects of smoking was issued along with adecree regulating violations and fines in the medical sector imposed onsmokers and sellers.

Since then, a pilot non-smokingcity model has been launched across big cities including Hanoi, Ho ChiMinh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Hue and Hoi An.

However, reluctant law enforcers and a low number of law-abidingcitizens have contributed to the negligible overall impact of theseregulations.

According to decree 176/ND-CP,individuals who smoke in public spaces or other no-smoking areas will befined up to 300,000 VND (14 USD). A large number of violators have hadto pay nothing, however, as only the Chairmen of local People’sCommittee, inspectorates and police have the power to fine them.

Cigarettes are now sold everywhere at relatively cheap prices, andsome 15 million Vietnamese are daily smokers, more and more of whom arefrom the younger generation.

In a recent pollconducted by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, Vietnam holds a high rateof passive smoking, with 67.6 percent of non-smokers affected at homeand 49 percent at work.

Those warning figures have ledto another crackdown from the authorities, seen in the recent launch ofan intensive publicity campaign on the adverse effects of smoking and anew attempt to boost law enforcement nationwide.

State agencies at different levels have been urged to put anti-smokingon their agenda, and issue bans on smoking in office spaces.-VNA