A meeting about smoke-free cities ASEAN network (SCAN) took place in Hoi An city on November 20. It aimed to recognize and propagate smoke-free tourism sites in ASEAN and Asia-Pacific region.
Full view of the meeting.
The meeting drew nearly 100 international delegates from smoke-free tourism cities in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Mongolia and international organizations for smoking prevention.
Smoke-free strategy in Hoi An
The model of smoke-free tourism has widely become pervasive in Vietnam. It started in Hoi An city (Quang Nam province) in 2009. Since then, the model has been expanded to other places including Ha Long, Hue, Nha Trang, and Hai Phong. Accordingly, smoking has been banned in restaurants, hotels, historical and cultural sites, schools, hospitals and offices. As a result, they have become the images of green - clean - beautiful tourism, contributing to people’s health protection.
In Hoi An, the strategy to develop Hoi An to become a smoke-free city has been very successful, contributing to protecting and bettering the locals’ health, providing visitors with a safe, friendly and civilized tourism environment.
The propaganda against smoking in Hoi An.
According to Vice Chairman of Hoi An city People's Committee Nguyen Van Son, to raise the locals’ awareness of the harm of cigarette smoking, the city’s authorities have promulgated the regulations against smoking in public places and in festivals which the locals and visitors have ardently responded.
Kate Lannan from the World Health Organization in the Western Pacific believed in Hoi An’s prosperity and civilization because it is a smoke-free city. Hoi An will be a worth-living city.
Participants at the meeting.
Integration
Due to the harm of smoking, tobacco harm prevention is prior all over the world. Some solutions to this problem are implementing 100% smoke-free environment, using larger graphic health warnings on standardized cigarette packs, increasing tobacco taxes, and banning tobacco advertising. However, the model of a smoke-free city is becoming a contemporary trend in many countries.
Visitors to Hoi An – a smoke-free city.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien stated that the tobacco control law has initially been effective, contributing to a cleaner, healthier and more civilized life.
