The State of Lifestyle-Related Health in Viet Nam 2026: What the Latest National Data Tell Us

The State of Lifestyle-Related Health in Viet Nam 2026: What the Latest National Data Tell Us

Last reviewed: 19 September 2026

Viet Nam is changing quickly, and so is the health of its population. Longer life expectancy, urbanization, economic development, changing food environments and new patterns of work, transport and consumption have contributed to a health landscape that looks very different from that of a generation ago.

Noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease, now account for about 80% of deaths in Viet Nam, equivalent to close to half a million deaths each year according to the World Health Organization.[1]

Understanding what this means for Lifestyle Medicine requires more than quoting one headline number. We need to look at how people eat, move, smoke and drink, how cardiometabolic risk is changing, and where the national evidence remains incomplete.

It is also important to be clear about what “lifestyle-related” means. It does not mean that disease is simply the result of personal choices. Health behaviors are shaped by income, education, working conditions, family life, food availability, commercial influences, transport, housing, urban design, culture, healthcare access and many other factors. Looking at lifestyle-related health should therefore not be an exercise in blaming individuals. It should help us understand where modifiable risks occur and how clinical care, communities, policy and health systems can respond more effectively.

What are the latest national data available?

There is no single national survey conducted in 2026 that measures every area relevant to Lifestyle Medicine. For adults, the most comprehensive nationally representative source currently available is the National Survey on the Risk Factors of Noncommunicable Diseases in Viet Nam, 2021, conducted by the Ministry of Health using the World Health Organization STEPwise approach. Most indicators cover adults aged 18–69 years, while selected tobacco indicators cover people aged 15 years and older. The survey included interviews, physical measurements and biochemical measurements, and its full national report was published in 2025.[2]

Other national sources provide important additional information. The National Nutrition Survey 2019–2020 gives a broader picture of nutrition and childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity. The Viet Nam Youth Tobacco Survey 2022 provides nationally representative tobacco and electronic cigarette data for adolescents aged 13–15 years. More recent publications from the World Health Organization, Ministry of Health and National Institute of Nutrition in 2025 and 2026 help describe current policy developments, health-system responses and changes in the food environment.[3–6]

The “2026 state” of lifestyle-related health should therefore be understood as a synthesis of the latest credible national evidence available as of 2026, rather than as a claim that every figure was measured in 2026. Keeping the year, population and definition attached to each number is essential.

Viet Nam at a glance

The latest nationally relevant evidence shows the scale and diversity of lifestyle-related health risks in Viet Nam. Noncommunicable diseases now account for about 80% of deaths, close to half a million deaths each year. Among people aged 15 years and older, 20.8% were current smokers in 2021, including 41.1% of men and 0.6% of women. Among adults aged 18–69, 36.9% had consumed alcohol during the previous 30 days, rising to 64.2% among men, while 14.7% reported heavy episodic drinking. In the same national survey, 59.0% consumed fewer than five servings of fruit and vegetables per day, estimated mean salt intake was 8.1 grams per day, and 22.2% did not meet World Health Organization recommendations for physical activity.[1,2]

Cardiometabolic risk is also an important part of the picture. In 2021, 19.5% of adults aged 18–69 were classified as overweight or obese using a body mass index threshold of 25 kg/m² or higher, including 2.1% with a body mass index of at least 30 kg/m². Raised blood pressure or treatment for raised blood pressure affected 26.2%, while 7.1% had raised fasting blood glucose or were receiving glucose-lowering treatment. The proportion with total cholesterol of at least 5.0 mmol/L or receiving treatment was 44.1%.[2]

The changes are also visible among younger people and in the wider food environment. National nutrition data showed that 19.0% of children and adolescents aged 5–19 were living with overweight or obesity in 2020, with the figure reaching 26.8% in urban areas. Among adolescents aged 13–15, 3.5% reported current electronic cigarette use in 2022, an important pre-ban baseline because Viet Nam subsequently prohibited electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Meanwhile, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was estimated at nearly 70 liters per person per year in 2023.[3–5]

These figures come from different national surveys and data systems, with different populations and years of measurement. They should therefore be read as complementary snapshots of the national picture rather than combined or interpreted as if they describe the same individuals.

Chronic disease is now central to the health of Viet Nam

The fact that noncommunicable diseases account for around four in every five deaths has major implications for the country's health priorities. Viet Nam continues to face infectious diseases, maternal and child health needs and other public health challenges, but cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease now account for a dominant share of mortality.[1]

Many of the risks contributing to these conditions accumulate gradually and may remain silent for years. The national data make this particularly visible. In 2021, 26.2% of adults aged 18–69 had raised blood pressure or were taking medication for raised blood pressure, compared with 18.9% in 2015. Among adults aged 50–69, the figure reached 51.9%. The increase between 2015 and 2021 was statistically significant.[2]

Raised fasting blood glucose or use of glucose-lowering treatment also increased significantly, from 4.1% in 2015 to 7.1% in 2021. The proportion with total cholesterol of at least 5.0 mmol/L or receiving cholesterol-lowering medication increased from 30.2% to 44.1% during the same period. Overweight and obesity, using the survey threshold of body mass index of at least 25 kg/m², rose from 15.6% in 2015 to 19.5% in 2021, also a statistically significant increase.[2]

Taken together, these changes suggest that cardiometabolic risk needs to be addressed more systematically across prevention, primary care and chronic disease management.

Diet presents a more complicated picture than “eat healthier”

Vietnamese food culture has many strengths, including the traditional use of vegetables, herbs and fresh foods. At the same time, national data show important dietary challenges, and the food environment itself is changing.

In 2021, 59.0% of adults consumed fewer than five servings of fruit and vegetables per day, compared with 57.2% in 2015. Importantly, the national report found that this difference was not statistically significant, so it should not be interpreted as evidence of a clear deterioration between the two surveys.[2]

Salt intake provides a different picture. Estimated mean salt consumption declined significantly from approximately 9.4 grams per person per day in 2015 to 8.1 grams in 2021. This represents meaningful progress, but the 2021 level remained well above the World Health Organization recommendation of less than 5 grams of salt per day.[2]

At the same time, newer dietary pressures are becoming more visible. In September 2026, the World Health Organization Representative in Viet Nam highlighted increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods, fast foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, many of which are high in salt, sugar or unhealthy fats.[6] Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption reached nearly 70 liters per person in 2023, approximately four times the level reported in 2009.[5]

The National Institute of Nutrition's updated Recommended Dietary Allowances for Vietnamese People 2026 was published in the context of major changes in eating habits, lifestyles, physical activity and patterns of disease. The Institute continues to describe Viet Nam as facing a double burden of malnutrition, with overweight, obesity and nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases increasing while undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies remain important in some populations and disadvantaged areas.[7]

This is why dietary change cannot be reduced to individual knowledge or willpower. Price, convenience, marketing, school and workplace environments, food availability, cultural habits and time all influence what people eat.

Physical activity has improved, but the national average hides important differences

Physical activity is one area where the national survey recorded measurable improvement. The proportion of adults not meeting World Health Organization recommendations for physical activity fell significantly from 28.1% in 2015 to 22.2% in 2021.[2]

The 2021 average, however, hides important differences. Insufficient physical activity affected 28.3% of women compared with 16.1% of men, and 28.3% of people living in urban areas compared with 19.1% in rural areas.[2]

These differences illustrate why simply telling everybody to “exercise more” is not enough. Occupational activity, commuting, access to safe public space, working hours, caregiving responsibilities and the built environment all affect how realistic regular physical activity is for different people. As Viet Nam continues to urbanize and many forms of work become less physically demanding, the environments in which people live and work are likely to become increasingly important.

Tobacco shows progress, but the details matter

In 2021, 20.8% of people aged 15 years and older were current smokers, including 41.1% of men and 0.6% of women. The corresponding overall figure in 2015 was 22.5%, while smoking among men was 45.3%. Although the point estimates were lower in 2021, the national report found that the reductions in overall and male smoking prevalence between 2015 and 2021 were not statistically significant.[2]

There was clearer progress in exposure to second-hand smoke at home. This declined from 59.9% in 2015 to 37.3% in 2021, and the change was statistically significant. Even so, more than one in three respondents in 2021 had been exposed to tobacco smoke at home during the previous 30 days.[2]

Younger people present a different challenge. The 2022 Viet Nam Youth Tobacco Survey found current use of any tobacco product among 2.9% of adolescents aged 13–15, while 3.5% reported current electronic cigarette use.[4] These figures are particularly useful as a pre-ban baseline.

Since 1 January 2025, Viet Nam has prohibited the production, trade, importation, storage, transportation and use of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Future national surveys will therefore be important for assessing how use among young people changes after implementation of the ban.[8]

Alcohol use remains highly gendered

Alcohol consumption declined between the 2015 and 2021 surveys, but use remained particularly high among men. In 2021, 36.9% of adults aged 18–69 had consumed alcohol during the previous 30 days, including 64.2% of men and 9.8% of women. The overall prevalence was 43.8% in 2015, and the decline between surveys was statistically significant.[2]

Heavy episodic drinking, defined in the survey as consuming six or more standard drinks on at least one occasion during the previous 30 days, was reported by 14.7% of adults, including 28.5% of men and 1.0% of women.[2]

These differences matter in practice. A national average can conceal very different levels of exposure between population groups, which has implications for screening, prevention and behavior-change support.

Cardiovascular risk rarely occurs one factor at a time

One of the most useful messages from the STEPwise survey is that risk factors frequently occur together. In 2021, 15.8% of adults aged 18–69 had three to five of five major cardiovascular risk factors, while 66.7% had one or two. The five factors used in this analysis were daily smoking, fewer than five servings of fruit and vegetables per day, insufficient physical activity, overweight or obesity, and raised blood pressure.[2]

Among adults aged 40–69, 15.3% had either an estimated ten-year cardiovascular disease risk of at least 20% or existing cardiovascular disease. Only 40.8% of eligible individuals were receiving drug therapy and counseling, including glycemic control where appropriate, to help prevent heart attacks and strokes.[2]

This matters for Lifestyle Medicine because real patients rarely present with one isolated behavior. A person may simultaneously have hypertension, overweight, low physical activity, poor diet quality and tobacco or alcohol exposure. Effective care therefore requires coordinated assessment and management rather than treating each behavior as a separate educational message.

The change is already visible in children and adolescents

Lifestyle-related health is not only an adult issue. According to the National Nutrition Survey 2019–2020, overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 5–19 increased from 8.5% in 2010 to 19.0% in 2020. In 2020, prevalence was 26.8% in urban areas, 18.3% in rural areas and 6.9% in mountainous areas.[3]

At the same time, undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies have not disappeared. National nutrition data show that Viet Nam continues to face multiple forms of malnutrition, with overweight and obesity increasing while stunting and micronutrient deficiencies remain important in some groups and regions.[3,7]

Different communities in Viet Nam can therefore face very different nutritional problems. In some settings, undernutrition and overnutrition may coexist within the same province, community or family. A single national message such as “people are eating too much” would not reflect this reality.

What do the national data not tell us?

The gaps in the evidence are almost as important as the figures that are available. The national STEPwise survey provides strong information on tobacco, alcohol, diet, physical activity, body measurements, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol and salt intake. It does not provide an equally comprehensive nationally representative picture of several other areas important to contemporary Lifestyle Medicine, including restorative sleep, chronic stress, social connection and the availability or quality of behavior-change support.[2]

This does not mean those areas are unimportant. It means national prevalence figures should not be inferred from small or local studies and then presented as representative of the country.

Timing also matters. The main adult STEPwise data describe 2021, while the national nutrition survey discussed here largely reflects 2019–2020. More recent information, such as sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, comes from other data systems. For that reason, the scientifically accurate wording is “the latest available national evidence shows...”, rather than describing these figures as “Viet Nam's 2026 prevalence.” The year 2026 in the title refers to the date of this evidence review.

What has changed by 2026?

Although the major national prevalence surveys predate 2026, the policy and health-system environment has changed significantly.

The Law on Disease Prevention No. 114/2025/QH15 took effect on 1 July 2026. Its scope includes prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases, prevention and control of mental disorders, and nutrition in disease prevention. The Law also includes state policy to encourage healthy lifestyles and specifically recognizes communication aimed at changing behaviors and lifestyles for disease prevention.[9]

For noncommunicable diseases, the Law identifies risk factors related to unhealthy behaviors and lifestyles, metabolic disorders and environmental pollution. It also provides for early detection, counseling, follow-up and preventive treatment for people at risk, together with management and control of aggravating risk factors and prevention of complications for people already living with noncommunicable disease.[9]

These provisions are highly relevant to many of the issues addressed by Lifestyle Medicine, but they should not be interpreted as establishing Lifestyle Medicine as a legally recognized medical specialty in Viet Nam. They form part of the broader national framework for prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases.

Viet Nam has also changed its approach to taxation of products associated with health risks. The Law on Special Consumption Tax No. 66/2025/QH15 took effect on 1 January 2026. The new framework keeps the percentage tax on tobacco while introducing additional absolute tobacco taxes from 2027, increases alcohol and beer tax rates progressively, and brings specified beverages containing more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters into the special consumption tax system at 8% from 2027 and 10% from 2028.[10]

Changes are also occurring in healthcare delivery. In September 2026, the World Health Organization reported that a large-scale Ministry of Health initiative supported by the World Health Organization and Resolve to Save Lives was screening around 10 million people each year for hypertension and diabetes, with more than 2 million people brought into treatment. Among people participating in the program, blood pressure control increased from 53% in 2022 to 72% in 2025.[1]

These developments do not tell us that national disease prevalence has already improved. That requires new representative surveillance. They do show, however, that Viet Nam is moving toward a stronger prevention, early-detection and primary-care response.

What do these data mean for Lifestyle Medicine in Viet Nam?

The national evidence supports an important role for evidence-based Lifestyle Medicine, but not simply in the form of telling more people to “live healthier.”

Viet Nam has substantial exposure to tobacco, alcohol, excessive salt intake, inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, insufficient physical activity and increasingly common cardiometabolic abnormalities. These factors often occur together. At the same time, people's ability to change is shaped by very different economic, social, cultural, occupational and environmental circumstances.

For healthcare professionals, this supports a more systematic approach to assessing lifestyle factors, identifying cardiovascular and metabolic risk, supporting sustainable behavior change, making appropriate referrals and providing longitudinal follow-up. Lifestyle interventions should complement, not replace, medical treatment when treatment is indicated.

For hospitals and clinics, there are opportunities to integrate lifestyle assessment and intervention into chronic disease pathways, obesity care, cardiometabolic management, tobacco and alcohol treatment, rehabilitation, prehabilitation and other services. Outcomes should be measured rather than assuming that giving advice automatically produces meaningful or sustained change.

For universities and health professional education, the evidence supports building practical capability in nutrition, physical activity, sleep, behavior change, tobacco and alcohol management, person-centered communication and the social and environmental conditions that influence health.

At the population level, the data also remind us that health cannot be created entirely inside the consultation room. Food systems, taxation, education, workplaces, transport, urban design, marketing and community environments all help determine whether healthier choices are realistic and sustainable.

A more useful question for Viet Nam

Rather than asking simply whether Vietnamese people are living “healthy lifestyles,” a more useful question is how Viet Nam can make healthier behaviors easier to adopt, support people who want to change, identify risk earlier and integrate evidence-based lifestyle interventions into everyday healthcare.

The latest national evidence shows both progress and warning signs. Physical inactivity and salt intake declined significantly between the national surveys, and alcohol use also decreased significantly. Smoking prevalence was numerically lower, although the reduction between 2015 and 2021 was not statistically significant, while exposure to second-hand smoke at home fell substantially. At the same time, overweight and obesity, raised blood pressure, elevated blood glucose and abnormal cholesterol became more common, while changing food environments are creating additional pressures.[2]

Lifestyle Medicine can contribute to Viet Nam's response, but its credibility will depend on how the field is developed. It should remain grounded in national data, distinguish evidence from assumption, account for social and environmental barriers, respect professional scope, work alongside established medical care and measure whether interventions actually improve health.

Viet Nam does not need another message simply telling people to try harder to be healthy. It needs healthier environments, better support for sustainable behavior change, earlier identification of risk and a healthcare system increasingly capable of addressing chronic disease before complications accumulate.

References and further reading

1. World Health Organization Viet Nam. Strengthened grassroots health care brings noncommunicable disease services to 10 million in Viet Nam. 8 September 2026.

2. Ministry of Health of Viet Nam and World Health Organization. National Survey on the Risk Factors of Noncommunicable Diseases in Viet Nam, 2021. World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific; 2025.

3. Ministry of Health of Viet Nam, National Institute of Nutrition. National Nutrition Survey 2019–2020. National results announced in 2021.

4. World Health Organization. WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025: Country Profile, Viet Nam. 2025.

5. World Health Organization Viet Nam. World Health Organization: It is time for Viet Nam to tax sugary drinks. 12 June 2025.

6. World Health Organization Viet Nam. Speech of Dr Angela Pratt at KOL Workshop on Nutrition and NCDs. 15 September 2026.

7. National Institute of Nutrition, Ministry of Health. Những điểm cập nhật về nhu cầu dinh dưỡng khuyến nghị cho người Việt Nam. 3 August 2026.

8. World Health Organization Viet Nam. Breaking Free in Viet Nam: Former Vapers Share Their Path to Health. 14 August 2026.

9. National Assembly of Viet Nam. Law on Disease Prevention No. 114/2025/QH15. Adopted 10 December 2025; effective 1 July 2026.

10. National Assembly of Viet Nam. Law on Special Consumption Tax No. 66/2025/QH15. Adopted 14 June 2025; effective 1 January 2026.

Data and interpretation note: This resource summarizes the latest nationally relevant evidence identified and reviewed as of 19 September 2026. The year in the title refers to the date of this evidence review, not the year in which every underlying measurement was collected. Survey populations, definitions and measurement methods differ across sources, so figures should be interpreted within their original methodology. This resource is intended for professional education and general information and does not provide individualized medical advice.

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