Representatives from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam reached consensus on the printing of health damage warning on cigarette packets to make their citizens aware of tobacco's harmful effects in the hope that they will reduce their smoking.

Many experts agreed that this is an effective method as each smoker who consumes one packet per day would have to see warning images at least 7,000 times per year.

Vietnamese tobacco smokers burn US$513 million each year. According to the University of Public Health's recent research, Vietnam has to spend US$50 million or 18 percent of its yearly expenses on health service for treatment of smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer and coronary.

According to a survey by the Vietnam Association of Standards and Consumers Protection, 80 percent of the national population, including smokers and non-smokers, voiced their support for the warning image that is as big as half of the cigarette packet's size.