Direct and indirect costs of smoking in Vietnam

Abstract

This study was designed to overcome limitations of two previous investigations by calculating both direct and indirect health costs of five smoking-related diseases that are responsible for almost 75% of all smoking-related deaths in Vietnam: lung cancer, cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart disease and stroke. Understanding the healthcare system is crucial for calculating the actual cost of smoking in Vietnam. The total estimated economic cost of smoking for five smoking-related diseases was 24 679.9 billion VND (US$1173.2 million), not taking into account exposure to second hand smoke.