Alcohol consumption behaviours and attitudes in Vietnam: An exploratory analysis

Alcohol-related problems have long been recognised as a major public health problem in the western world, but more recently increased attention has been paid to the role of alcohol as a public health problem in developing countries including Vietnam (Giang et al., 2008). Over recent years Vietnam has experienced sustained economic growth. This has led to an increase in the overall standard of living for the broader community, and with that an increase in the purchase and consumption of alcohol (Giang et al., 2008; Jernigan, 2001; Luong, 2009; Rehm et al., 2003). The purpose of this study is to provide a current state-of-play of available research into alcohol consumption behaviours and attitudes in Vietnam, with a view to uncovering the key issues and to posit possible future directions for research in this field. Existing research into alcohol in Vietnam can be grouped under three main issues: excess alcohol consumption, alcohol as a contributing factor to risky sexual activity and alcohol as a contributing factor to risky driving behaviour.