Quitting tobacco for good: Three former smokers in Viet Nam share their stories

Most smokers who are aware of the health risks to themselves and others want to quit. In Viet Nam, 41% of men – around 15 million – smoke. But tobacco kills up to half of its users who do not quit, claiming 100,000 lives in Viet Nam each year, including nearly 19,000 from second-hand smoke. Women, babies, and children are especially vulnerable to second-hand smoke.

Despite strong tobacco control measures, nicotine addiction makes quitting difficult, often requiring several attempts.

Here, three men share with the World Health Organization (WHO) how a health crisis, a doctor’s warning or the desire to protect their children pushed them to quit. They hope their stories inspire others never to start smoking – or if they do, to give up.

After a tragic event, a traditional doctor makes a change for his family

Traditional medicine doctor Nguyen Ngoc Tan, 35, began smoking when he was young.

“I tried one or two cigarettes at first, and it gradually became familiar, then a habit, especially when work was stressful.”

But over more than 10 years of practising traditional medicine, the consequences became harder to ignore.

“After smoking, my breath smelled, and my body carried the odour of tobacco. Sometimes patients would comment on the smell, which was unpleasant.”

At home, there was tension.

“My wife wanted me to quit, but I was stubborn. We argued often,” says the father of two.

Then came the turning point. Dr Tan’s father – a longtime smoker of cigarettes and bamboo pipe tobacco – died of lung cancer.

“After this huge family tragedy, I decided I had to quit smoking. I stopped immediately.”

The first week of quitting was difficult.

“Seeing others smoke made me want to join them,” he admits. “But I resisted – it’s only a habit.”

Soon, the benefits became clear. “My sleep became deep and restful. My appetite improved.”

At home, the change was even more meaningful. “My wife was the happiest. Our relationship improved a lot.”

Dr Tan’s wife is the happiest as her husband quit smoking. Photo: supplied

Dr Tan now speaks directly to others who smoke.

“Honestly, there’s no reason to smoke. It brings no benefits – only financial loss, health damage and even death.”

His message is simple: “I truly hope others quit as soon as possible.”

A doctor’s warning helped a master trumpeter quit smoking to play again

Mr Dan Ngoc Khanh, 71, known to generations of audiences as “Khanh the Trumpeter,” (or Khánh Kèn) has spent his life breathing music into the sona, a traditional woodwind instrument played at festivals, weddings, funerals and theatre performances.

Recently named a People’s Artist, the nation’s highest honour bestowed on living artists, he intends to keep performing as long as he can.

An article titled “Story of Khanh the Trumpeter”. Photo: supplied.

For him, the sona is not just an instrument – it is the meaning of life.

But for many years, smoking threatened both his health and his music.

Like many children, Mr Khánh first picked up cigarettes by imitating adults around him. As he grew older, however, he found himself increasingly out of place. Most of his friends no longer smoked, and at home, his wife and children gently urged him to stop.

“Sometimes they would say, ‘Dad, you shouldn’t smoke,’” he recalls. “I cracked a joke to lighten the mood.” But he knew they were right.

“If I smoked and children were standing next to me, that wasn’t good for them.”

Still, he continued. Three years ago, he began noticing a bitter taste when playing the sona. He sought medical care but didn’t quit smoking.

“I thought that if I smoked and played the trumpet, it wouldn’t affect my lungs,” he says. He kept performing, convinced he was fine.

Then, a year later, everything changed.

Mr Khanh collapsed and was rushed to emergency care. Over the next 21 days, he underwent three major surgeries. Each time he woke up, the doctor delivered the same message: “Uncle, I forbid you two things. First, you cannot smoke. Second, you cannot play the trumpet for six months.”

As someone whose identity was built around music, the second instruction was almost as painful as the first.

Mr Khanh recalls his time in the hospital. Photo: supplied.

During his long recovery, Mr Khanh missed his instrument every day.

“There were times when I sat and cried alone,” he says. He wondered whether he would ever play again – and whether smoking had cost him his beloved vocation.

He committed to protecting his health and the health of the next generation.

“First, I must take care of myself. No one wants to die young,” he says. “Second, quitting is better for the respiratory system of your children. They deserve clean, fresh air, not polluted air.”

Slowly, his strength returned along with his music.

Today, Mr Khanh performs with renewed gratitude. He knows how close he came to losing everything. And he knows that quitting smoking helped give him back his life.

“Let’s try our best to quit smoking. I wish all of you - grandparents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters and children – success in quitting without regret.”

Today, Mr Khanh performs with renewed gratitude. Photo: WHO Viet Nam

If at first you don’t succeed, try again!

Quitting smoking rarely happens on the first try. Nicotine is powerfully addictive, smoking triggers are everywhere and for decades smoking has been seen as normal. As a result, people may need many attempts before they finally stop for good.

Hoang Tuan, 44, knows this well.

When he was young, almost everyone around him smoked, says Mr Hoang, who is the editor-in-chief of Tạp chí Thế giới Điện ảnh (World of Cinema Magazine).

But the habit quickly took over. At the peak of his addiction, Mr Hoang was smoking two and a half packs a day, sometimes staying up all night just to smoke. His fingertips yellowed, his teeth stained and food lost its taste.

It took Mr Hoang Tuan two attempts before he could quit smoking for good. Photo: WHO Viet Nam

The turning point came unexpectedly. After a two-hour film screening, Mr Hoang stepped outside for a cigarette. As he lit up, a pregnant woman walked past. She instinctively shifted away and covered her nose. That small gesture hit him hard.

“I looked at my girlfriend and thought, I want to start a family. If I keep smoking like this, what kind of future will my children have? Will they grow up in an environment filled with cigarette smoke?”

In that moment, he pictured the future clearly – and decided to quit.

The first weeks were brutal.

“It was exhausting, even worse than smoking,” he says.

He felt sluggish, irritable, and constantly on edge. The cravings were strongest after meals or when drinking with friends.

“It felt like every neuron in my body was screaming, ‘Smoke!’”

But he held on. Slowly, over the course of a year, his body adjusted to life without nicotine.

For five years, Mr Hoang stayed smoke free. Then stress crept in. He was overwhelmed, tired and one night, while drinking with friends who smoked, he gave in.

“When I felt sad and nothing stopped me, I picked up smoking again,” he says.

A year and a half later, he caught himself wondering why he had returned to something he had already overcome. That question pushed him to try again.

The second attempt was easier. The bitterness in his mouth and the restlessness returned, but they were weaker this time.

He has stayed smoke-free ever since.

Staying smoke-free allows Mr Tuan to run for 90 minutes without feeling tired. Photo: supplied.

“Now I can run for 90 minutes without feeling tired,” he says.

His lungs feel clearer, his stamina stronger. His clothes no longer carry the stale smell of smoke. He no longer needs cigarettes to stay alert.

Mr Hoang’s message to others?

“Come on - it's the modern age. Why are we still smoking?”

In Viet Nam, WHO works on tobacco control with the Ministry of Health, and with the support of partners including Bloomberg Philanthropies, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), Vital Strategies and HealthBridge Viet Nam.