Vietnam’s food environment is changing fast. Policy needs to catch up

More than half of the world’s population could be living with overweight or obesity by 2035, with a rapidly growing share in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It is also estimated that the global economic impact could top US$4 trillion by that time. These trends are closely tied to the rise of obesogenic food environments; settings where unhealthy food options are cheap, ubiquitous, and heavily promoted.

Walk into any Hanoi convenience store and you will see “Mua 1 tặng 1” (buy-one-get-one) banners on sugary drinks. These promotions are not background noise; they shape habits. In Ho Chi Minh City, over a third of adolescents report drinking at least one sugary beverage every day.