Last 5 July 2013, the “Workshop on the Regional Experience on Tobacco Tax” was held at Halong, Quang Ninh, Vietnam. In collaboration with the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) and HealthBridge Foundation of Canada, through its Southeast Asia Initiative on Tobacco Tax (SEATCA/SITT), the Ministry of Finance organized a one-day workshop to share the experience of tobacco tax policies and control of tobacco smuggling in some countries in the ASEAN in order to provide the lessons and information for tobacco tax policy formulation in Vietnam.

Dr. Cris Tunon, WHO Country representative to Vietnam and Dr. Somsak Chunharas, Chair of the SITT Steering Committee, gave the welcome remarks, while Mr. Nguyen Van Pheung, Vice-Director General of the Dept. of Tax Policy, MOF chaired the workshop.

Other participants were from the SEATCA/SITT Steering committee, Vietnam’s Department of Tax Policy, Department of Legislation, Department of Budgeting, General Department of Taxation – Ministry of Finance, VINACOSH, Ministry of Health, Department of Legislation, Department of Economics – Government Office, Department of Legislation, Department of Social Affairs, Department of Finance and Budget – National Assembly, Department of Criminal and Economic Law – Ministry of Justice, Department of Foreign Relations – General Custom Department, the Country Representative of the World Health Organization and the World Bank.

For more information: Contact Ms. Le Thi Thu, SITT Vietnam Project Coordinator, lethu@healthbridge.org.vn