Firstly, let me thank the Viet Nam Administration of Disease Prevention (VADP) at the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH) for organizing this important workshop in collaboration with HealthBridge and WHO Viet Nam.
Secondly, I would like to thank all of you, the media participants, for attending – you are our key partners in promoting healthier diets and food environments.
Vietnamese cuisine is famous for its variety of fresh fruit and vegetables and great flavours. And we know that a healthy diet plays a critical role in shaping our health and well-being throughout our lives.
But unfortunately, we are currently witnessing a worrying trend towards higher consumption of very unhealthy foods – which in turn is contributing to one of the greatest health challenges facing Viet Nam today.
Like many other countries, Viet Nam is experiencing a growing burden of noncommunicable diseases - including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory disease. These are now the biggest causes of death.
A major driver of this disease burden is unhealthy diets, including diets high in ultra-processed and fast foods (which tend to be high in fat, salt and sugar), and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).
In the face of these kinds of shifts, the Government has set a clear direction for public health – from treating disease to preventing disease and promoting good health.
While this is not something the Government can do alone (as it requires the involvement of multiple sectors and stakeholders), in recent years the Government has introduced several important measures to promote healthy diets which WHO is proud to have supported.
For example:
- The National Assembly agreed in 2025 to approve the revised Excise Tax Law, introducing a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. This is a WHO-recommended instrument to raise prices and send a signal that will prompt people to drink less. It's a proven solution already being used by about 110 Governments around the world.
- WHO has also worked with the Ministry of Health to provide technical support for the development of Circular 30/2026, which makes it mandatory to declare nutritional components and nutritional values on food labels – an important foundation for front-of-pack labelling, which I will come back to in a moment.
- VADP Guidelines have established salt benchmarks across different food groups and sub-groups – which create an important incentive for food producers to reformulate their food with less salt.
- And finally, we are now working together to developing a Nutrition Profiling Model for Viet Nam. This model will set clear limits for nutrients of concern like fat, sugar and salt for pre-packaged foods, which will support the adoption of front-of-pack food labels and other interventions to improve nutrition.
So, since this is a journalist workshop, how can you in the media contribute to improving people’s nutrition and therefore their health?
Let me suggest three actions.
First, you can help share credible facts about sugary drinks, salt, physical activity and other topics – in ways that are understandable and relatable to the public.
[For example, not many people know that a single 330 ml can of a sweet fizzy drink can contain the equivalent of 10 teaspoons (40g) of sugar, or nearly the entire WHO-recommended maximum daily intake for an adult (of 50g).]
Your work has the power to improve people’s knowledge and influence healthier behaviours.
Secondly, you can inform yourself about policy measures that are recommended by health experts to empower consumers and protect children – and cover these in your reporting. Policy makers read your work too.
For example, there is evidence that front‑of‑pack nutrition labels, when designed well, help to support healthier decision‑making – by turning complex nutrient information into clear, visual warnings that show when a product is high in salt, sugar or unhealthy fats.
Another example is protecting children from the harmful impact of food marketing.
Around the world and in Viet Nam, children are being exposed to powerful food marketing promoting foods high in saturated fatty acids, trans-fatty acids, free sugars and/or salt, often through misleading advertising claims and marketing strategies that are likely to appeal to children. This is concerning because it can shape children's food preferences that last throughout their lives – and influence their health, long term.
The third area in which we need your help, and I can’t emphasise this enough, is to be alert for attempts by the food and beverage industry to oppose, delay or weaken any changes. We have seen this from the tobacco industry, expect to see it from the food industry too.
Later today, we will share some common myths promoted by the food and beverage industry – and the truth about them, which we hope you will share with your audiences.
Your help in each of these areas will help in building public understanding and trust of the issues.
I sincerely hope you come away from today’s workshop with new knowledge about nutrition, the latest policy updates, and practical tools to support your reporting.
When journalists report in ways that are accurate, engaging, timely, and easy to understand, you help the public and policy makers take decisions that promote good health, prolong lives, and protect economic development.
In closing, let me just say that WHO is proud to work with partners to support Government efforts to improve the nutrition – and health – of people in Viet Nam, and we look forward to your support, to help create a healthier and safer Viet Nam.
Xin cảm ơn!