The project, approved by the government in late 2008, is part of a national programme to prevent HIV/AIDS and common diseases, especially dangerous ones, until 2010.

On addressing the conference, also attended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam, the Director of the National Hospital of Endocrinology Nguyen Van Tien said that diabetes was one of the diseases in the country to have seen a large increase in the numbers of cases.

According to the health official, a survey conducted in 2008 showed that about 5.7 percent of the Vietnamese population have contracted the disease. However, it is completely possible to prevent diabetes at community level, he said.

The project targets a number of goals, including re-training all local health officials taking part in the project, making sure that 100 percent of provincial health officials are able to recognise people at high risk, ensuring that at least 20 percent of all provincial health officials engaged in treating the disease have necessary skills and making sure that 70 percent of high-risk people have a consultation with health officials.

It also aims to step up information campaigns as well as strengthen the community level diabetes prevention network.

In August, the government provided an additional budget of over VND29 billion for the project.