Alcohol reform in Viet Nam: Confronting rising consumption, injury and harm

Alcohol consumption has been identified as an important risk for chronic disease and injury, with an estimated 3.8% of all global deaths and 4.6% of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributed to alcohol.[1] A recent burden of disease study conducted in Viet Nam suggests that alcohol was a contributing risk factor in 5%of the total disease burden and the leading cause of disability among males.[2] Alcohol is also a key contributor to road traffic injuries, which ranked second in terms of Viet Nam’s burden of disease. A recent study of male accident victims due to traffic injuries indicated that 60.4% of patients admitted to the emergency department at a central Viet Nam hospital had a blood alcohol concentration level over the legal limit