Vietnamese Men Lead World In Smoking

Nearly 73 percent of Vietnamese men are smokers, the highest rate in the world, according to research to be published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

While consistent with previous reports showing very high smoking rates among Asian men compared with the rest of the world, the Vietnamese figures are especially alarming, said Christopher N.H. Jenkins of the University of California, San Francisco, who supervised the research, because they reflect the impact of intense marketing campaigns by both Vietnamese and international tobacco companies.

Vietnam has tougher restrictions on tobacco advertising than many countries. It also bans cigarette imports, forcing multinational companies to enter joint ventures with the state-owned Vietnam National Tobacco Corp.

But that has not discouraged international tobacco companies from investing in the booming market.

Among the tactics described in today’s article are widespread distribution of T-shirts, umbrellas and other items with brand logos; sponsorship of sports and cultural events, and the hiring of young women to distribute free samples in hotels and at public events.