Improved living standards have been accompanied by a surge in drinking liquor and beer, which has not only harmed many people’s health but has also led to more traffic accidents, fires, drownings, violence, murders, suicides, social disorders, family break-ups and work problems.

The medical institute says as high as 69 percent of boys and 28 percent of girls aged 14-15 start trying alcohol. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization warns that excessive consumption of alcohol at a young age could stunt the development of their brains.

Dr Sally Caswell of the WHO says that the harmful effect of alcohol is even greater than that of tobacco, because it can bring about social disorders and a negative impact on economic growth, especially in developing countries. Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen says the total cost of manufacturing alcoholic beverages and dealing with the problems they cause accounts for 2 to 8 percent of GDP.

Vietnam has already introduced a host of measures to prevent the abuse of alcohol. But there are reasons to be cynical about the drinks industry as it has continued to grow and flourish over the past 10 years.

The National Assembly Committee for Social Affairs has sent a letter warning of the dangers of drinking to the government and related ministries. The Vice Chairman of the Committee, Nguyen Van Tien, says it’s now urgent to provide hard evidence of harmful effects suffered by drinkers and put in place an effective policy to battle alcoholism.

The Ministry of Health has recently organized a conference to share views with the WHO and other participants on the need to push for anti-alcoholism schemes.

Dr Martin Wall of the WHO says the consumption of liquor and beer drop when their prices are pushed up, adding that the state can work out new regulations regarding the production and sale of alcoholic beverages and the legal drinking age.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen says that in 2009 her ministry will submit to the government a draft bill on preventing the abuse of alcohol in the 2010-2020 period, including a ban on advertising and promoting drinking in all forms./.