Men on the other side of Vietnam, the average life expectancy is indeed lower than the global level, according to the latest data, in 2023 Vietnam's overall average life expectancy is 73.6 years, but men are only about 71 years old, women can reach 76 years old, this gap is not a joke.
The global average life expectancy is now 73 years old, Vietnamese men have pulled down a lot, mainly because of lifestyle and environmental factors.Sister said, her father and the surrounding uncles, many people in the age of four and fifty have problems, to live to sixty are counted high life, this is not the fate of the day, but the daily accumulation of the root.
According to the World Health Organization, Vietnam is one of the countries with the highest rate of smoking in the world, with the proportion of adult men smoking up to 37.8 per cent in 2022, which is much higher than the global average.
Think about smoking two out of five men a day, and the nicotine and magnesium in the tobacco is not a joke about the damage to the lungs and heart. Every year, more than 40,000 people die in Vietnam from tobacco-related diseases, mainly lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Her sister mentioned that her neighboring men smoked a bunch of cigarettes at work, a pack of cigarettes a day is the starting price, and the long-term lung is black like a coal ball. Drinking is also fierce, Vietnam's beer sales are in the top three in Asia, 2023 per capita beer consumption is about 40 liters per year per person, the largest proportion of men.
According to the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, more than 70% of adult men have alcohol consumption habits, many of whom drink harmful levels per week, with an average daily alcohol intake of 30-50 grams, equivalent to 4-5 bottles of beer. This alcohol is a burden on the liver and can easily lead to fatty liver, hepatic sclerosis and liver cancer.
A survey in 2021 showed that Vietnam’s alcohol-related mortality rate ranks in Southeast Asia, with men accounting for more than eight per cent. The data also showed that tobacco combination was more deadly and the risk doubled, and the proportion of tobacco combination in Vietnamese men was not low, leading to a direct reduction in life expectancy of 5-10 years.
In addition to personal habits, living environment and medical conditions also pull back. Vietnam is a developing country, the economy is taking off, but many places are still lagging behind, especially in rural and industrial areas. Air pollution is severe, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi these major cities, PM2.5 concentration is constantly exceeded, the World Air Quality Report of 2023 lists Vietnam as one of the major disaster zones, industrial emissions and traffic exhaust gases are the main culprits.
Men work more in factories or outdoors, inhaling these particles, easy to breathe diseases and cancers. tropical climate increases, more mosquitoes, dengue fever, malaria these infectious diseases yearly outbreaks, in 2022 Vietnam dengue cases more than 300,000, death rate although low but weak people are hit.
According to World Bank data, Vietnam’s rural medical coverage is only about 70%, many grassroots clinics are poor, there are fewer doctors, men who get sick tend to be delayed, fear of spending money and fear of delaying work.
The nutritional aspect is also good, although the economy has improved, but many men eat a single diet, rice and sausage are normal, lack of vegetables and proteins, and malnutrition rates are not low in Southeast Asia.
UNICEF reports that among Vietnamese adult men, the proportion of microelement deficiency is 15%, which weakens immunity and is prone to premature decline. These environmental factors are not single, pollution and infectious diseases are added to medical shortages, layers are overlayed, so that men's life is worse.
Social pressure here is not to be ignored, Vietnamese men are usually the top pillar of the family, the burden of the household burden on the shoulder. Vietnam Labour Ministry data, 2023 male labor participation rate is 82%, 10 percent higher than women, many hard work or long hours of work. Factory flow lines, construction workshops these places, the work intensity is large, 10-12 hours a day is normal, less rest, less exercise time.
The International Labour Organization reports that the pressure on the workplace in Vietnam is in the top five in Asia, the competition is fierce, the unemployment rate is low but the salary is not high, the average monthly salary is $500-600 and it is hard to maintain a family. men also have to take care of the family, marry and have greater responsibilities, educate children, care for the elderly, all rely on one.
Following mental health problems, a 2022 survey by the Ministry of Health of Vietnam showed that men's depression rates rose to 12%, but the rate of seeking help was low because they felt embarrassed. These stresses led to insufficient sleep, irregular diet, and further aggravated the harm of tobacco.
Research shows that high-intensity work combined with bad habits can shorten life by three to five years.The sister said that her father was like that, working until bleeding was not resting, and as a result, the body collapsed.
Smoking and drinking relieves stress, but aggravates the health burden; poor environment makes disease prone, and medical care cannot keep up with the snow; social roles force men to work hard, and there is no room to maintain the body.
The World Health Organization’s 2023 Global Health Report states that Vietnamese men’s life expectancy is five years shorter than women’s, largely due to preventable factors such as tobacco and occupational exposure.
The government also realized that the smoking ban law was introduced in 2010 and alcohol control was strengthened in 2021, but the enforcement was weak at the grassroots level, and the effect was limited. Education propaganda was better in the cities, and rural men were still old. International aid helped, like the World Bank’s project to improve healthcare, but coverage was small. In the long run, economic re-development, medical escalation, habits change, to reverse the situation.
The data also showed that Vietnam's male cancer mortality rate is high, and the 2022 Global Cancer Observatory that lung cancer and liver cancer are the number one killers, smoking is directly related. cardiovascular disease is also severe, accounting for 30% of total deaths, high blood pressure and obesity are rising rapidly among men.
Traffic accidents are another invisible killer, more motorcycles in Vietnam, more than 7,000 deaths in 2023, and men make up 70 percent, many due to drunk driving or fatigue. These are not isolated, all connected lifestyle. Sister stressed that the surrounding men do not pay attention to medical examinations, feel hard to carry on, resulting in small illnesses. Prevention medicine spread slowly in Vietnam, screening rates are low, only urban white collars participate more.
Compared to neighboring countries, Thailand’s male life expectancy is 74, Indonesia’s 72, Vietnam’s 71, and the reason for the drop is tobacco and the environment. The Philippines is similar, but healthcare is a little better. The global trend is life expectancy is extended, but Vietnamese men are behind, mainly due to unequal development.
Urban men live longer, average 73 years old, rural only 69 years old, the gap is obvious. The level of education impact is large, high-skilled men smoke less, life is more 2-3 years. The sister's family is rural background, her father did not go to college, early work, fall into the trap.
At the policy level, the Vietnamese government’s 2020-2030 health plan targets men’s life expectancy to 75 years, measures including smoking control, alcohol restriction and environmental improvement. But the challenge is big, the tobacco industry is an economic pillar, lobbying is strong, regulations are slow.
The public awareness is low, and many men feel that smoking is the taste of men, drinking is dating friends. The sister appeals, starting with the family, women urge men to do less, but the effect is limited. Community intervention is effective, like some NGO projects teach health knowledge, and participate in improving men's life expectancy indicators.
Data updated to 2024, the Ministry of Health of Vietnam that the male tobacco use rate dropped to 35%, but alcohol consumption was stable at 70%. After the outbreak, health attention rose, but rebounded rapidly. Under economic pressure, men prioritize earning money and putting health behind. International comparison, Vietnam is far from developed countries, U.S. men are 78 years old, Japan 82 years old, the gap in habits and medical development. Countries such as India men are 70 years old, similar problems.
In short, this is not a matter of life, but a choice and the environment. Vietnamese men want to live longer, have to start with smoking cessation, alcohol restriction, the government invest more in medicine, social pressure reduction. The sister's words awakened a lot of people, the reality is there, do not change to look at themselves. Hopefully the future data will improve, do not let more families lose the pillar early.