Vietnam's thirst for beer raises health concerns
Play
Hanoi (dpa) - Vietnam's growing thirst for beer is causing increasing health problems, from traffic accidents to various forms of cancer, local media reported Friday.
With draft beer often cheaper than bottled water, Vietnam's per capita beer and wine consumption has almost doubled over the last decade, a health expert said at a conference to confront alcohol-related problems on Thursday.
The global per capita rate had remained level during that time, Vu Thi Minh Hanh, deputy head of the Hanoi-based Health Strategy and Policy Institute, said at the gathering, according to newspaper Tuoi Tre. Vietnam has been Southeast Asia's leading beer consumer since 2010.
The Vietnam Beverages Association recently reported that 3.14 billion litres of beer were consumed in 2014 by this nation of 90 million people.
In a separate interview with dpa, Khuat Viet Hung, vice chair person of the National Traffic Safety Committee, said the growth of beer and wine consumption "relates to the increasing rate of traffic accidents compared to past years."
The hazard posed by drunk drivers, Hung said, is most obvious during public holidays like Tet, the lunar new year holiday. In February officials proposed confiscating vehicles from drunk drivers, after fatal traffic accidents increased 13 per cent year-in-year over Tet.
