The project ʺReducing the social acceptability of smoking in Viet Namʺ was initiated and undertaken by HealthBridge and the Viet Nam Public Health Association (VPHA) from January 2005 to December 2008 with financial support from Atlantic Philanthropies. The project aimed to decrease the social acceptability of smoking in Viet Nam and to build the capacity of the Viet Nam Public Health Association to engage in tobacco control. In doing so, the project’s activities focused on women, encouraging them to speak out against second-hand smoke exposure and to provide them with skills to effectively dissuade men from smoking in front of others.

• Improved awareness among the target population of the health consequence of smoking and passive smoking
• Increased public support for smoke-free policy implementation
• Increased public and media attention to TC
• Effective, evidence-based, culturally-specific media products developed for use in tobacco control in Viet Nam
• Increased positive behaviours among smokers and non-smokers in intervention areas
• Reduced public exposure (particularly among women and children) to second-hand smoke in the intervention area
• Improved VPHA capacity and capability in tobacco control
• Relationship developed between VPHA and media