Highlighting harm of e-cigarettes, Homsavanh School wins World No Tobacco Day speech competition

In celebration of World No Tobacco Day 2025 and its theme of “Unmasking the appeal: Exposing industry tactics on tobacco and nicotine products,” an inter-school speech competition was held in Vientiane. Homsavanh School was judged the winner after several competitive rounds discussing ways to reduce e-cigarette use among young people, judged by a group of officials, including the Lao Minister of Health.

The competition was jointly hosted by the Lao Ministry of Health’s Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion, and the World Health Organization, with four teams participating from Vientiane, Phia Wat, Chanthabouly, and Homsavanh schools. Topics included the dangers of e-cigarettes, the shared responsibility and roles of young people and government in ensuring a tobacco-free future, and the role of social media in reducing e-cigarette use.

"Our youth are the future, and safeguarding them from the dangers of e-cigarettes is critical," said H.E Dr Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, Minister of Health. "The winning team did an excellent job of exposing the way these products and advertising target young people, as well as highlighting the often-underestimated risks of e-cigarettes, and discussing potential solutions. Their thought-provoking presentation truly emphasized the crucial role we all play in protecting the next generation."

“Now in its second year, the World No Tobacco Day inter-school speech competition has been a successful platform for educating youth, promoting critical thinking, and inspiring them to become advocates for a tobacco-free future in Lao PDR.”

The winning team from Homsavanh School, delivered a compelling speech highlighting the unrecognized health threat of e-cigarettes, the underhanded marketing of them targeting young people, and the importance of fighting misinformation about these products.

"We've unmasked the appeal of e-cigarettes – they lure young people with flavors and clever online marketing, but really it is just big tobacco trying to get new customers, and get kids hooked, by hiding the real dangers,” said the winning team from Homsavanh School. “It's time to fight the misinformation and protect our friends and community. We believe that by exposing these tactics and sharing the truth about addiction and health risks, we can work together to create a tobacco-free future."

“The number of lives lost to tobacco and e-cigarettes must come down,” said Dr. Timothy Armstrong, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Lao PDR. “Young people are one of our most important groups to protect, as the tobacco industry aggressively targets them.”

“The tragic loss of life from tobacco and e-cigarettes demands our urgent attention," Dr. Timothy Armstrong emphasized. "Youth are a vital group to shield, as the tobacco industry's aggressive tactics specifically and unethically target them. Even with Lao PDR's commendable ban on e-cigarettes, their availability online and in markets shows we can't let our guard down. We cannot allow health-threatening products to be marketed to children, allow distributors to import or sell them, or let suppliers mislead the public with false health claims."

The global market for e-cigarettes is growing rapidly, increasing from US$ 7.8 billion in 2015 to US$ 22.4 billion in 2022, with the Asia Pacific region experiencing faster growth in sales than other regions. E-cigarettes offer the most flavors among nicotine and tobacco products, many of which appeal to young people. This aggressive targeting of young people through flavors, social media marketing, and creative, toy-like designs makes e-cigarettes particularly concerning.

“We must remain vigilant in enforcing our laws by applying various measures against e-cigarettes and other harmful tobacco products to protect our children's health from these addictive substances, as they are our nation's future," emphasized Dr Phonepaseuth Xayamoungkhoun, Director General of the Ministry of Health’s Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion.

E-cigarettes emit toxic substances, including carcinogens, and are associated with various health risks such as lung disorders and negative cardiovascular effects. They contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance that can adversely affect fetal development in pregnancy as well as negatively affect brain development in children and adolescents.