Tuyet Ha-Iaconis (second from left), Vietnam program manager, American Cancer Society, meets with colleagues from a Vietnamese tobacco control NGO.
The American Cancer Society recently collaborated with key nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners in Vietnam to help them develop media communications strategies for tobacco control advocacy in the country. Tuyet Ha-Iaconis, Vietnam program manager, American Cancer Society, gathered information from and provided technical assistance to the Vietnam Steering Committee on Smoking and Health (VINACOSH) and other NGOs by evaluating existing plans for media relations and providing suggestions on how available resources in their organizations might be used to pursue those plans. She also presented plans for future trainings for NGOs and journalists on tobacco control advocacy in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. VINACOSH and other health-related organizations in Vietnam want to create a communications plan that allows them to broadly and effectively disseminate tobacco control messages to a national audience. Vietnam does not have smoke-free laws in effect at the national level. Despite a directive from the prime minister in Vietnam establishing smoke-free areas in workplaces, health facilities, schools, and other public places, compliance is weak. VINACOSH and other NGOs intend to use national communications efforts as part of their efforts to gather the support of government leaders, the media, and the general public for the adoption of strong tobacco control laws and the effective implementation of smoke-free environments.
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