Trendy Vietnamese women light up butts

Phan Kim Anh, 24, from Hang Bai Street in Ha Noi sits in the room and within five minutes of arrival, she needs a cigarette. Her boyfriend takes a pack of Drum from his pocket and opens it for her. Taking o­ne, she puts it in her mouth and lights it. Smoking o­nly half, she stands up and goes out because she wants to have stronger cigarette like a Sobranie.

Kim Anh is o­ne of many young women who enjoy smoking. They make up two per cent of Vietnamese women, according to the latest survey from Viet Nam Women’s Association; not yet a large number.

But in the past, it was rare to see a woman smoking because people always looked down o­n them. Traditionally the women who smoked were divided into two kinds, a tobacco addict or a lady with a reputation for loose living.

Now this has changed and smoking has become fashionable for smart young women. Everyday Kim Anh smokes about o­ne pack of Sobranie costing VND37,000, but she always has five or six others brands such as Furong, Jewel and Menthol. "I always have several kinds of cigarettes not because I’m an addict but due to trends," said Kim Anh who wants to show off her brands as fashionable accessories.

Not many women are like the young and stylish Kim Anh. She isn’t married and spends more money o­n her personal habits which most other women couldn’t afford. These brands are expensive and not easy to buy as they are imported and illegal because no tax has been paid.

She is not an exception. More and more modern women smoke cigarettes to make a statement about their strong character and there’s always several kinds of cigarettes in their hand bags to show off to others.

Style is not o­nly a brand-name but an image they wish to portray. They have to learn smoking techniques, such holding a cigarette, opening and flicking the lighter, blowing smoke or flicking ash. And they have to avoid coughing, which is not very chic.

For some women though, smoking is not just about fashion. Hoang Thanh Thuy, 29, smokes to relax after work at a supermarket because she would get so stressed. She has since quit her job but it is not sure she will quit smoking.

Not all men like women who smoke, especially conservative people. "Women smoke to prove that they are equal with men," according Le Nam Anh, 34, working at the Ministry of Industry.

One time I supported my wife when she wanted to try smoking but I would not like it if she became a permanent smoker." However he believes that smoking is not a good way to show how stylish you are because it damages the health.

This is a burning issue. About 30,000-40,000 Vietnamese people die every year due to smoking-related diseases, according to website vinacosh.gov.vn. Women’s gynaecological health is especially affected and fertility rate is 30 per cent less than non-smokers and they are much more vulnerable to cancer. Their skin ages faster so they end up looking older much quicker.

Despite the damage to her health, another smoker Le Thu of Truong Dinh Street in Ha Noi reveals that she smokes many different brands of cigarettes. "It’s not fashionable to smoke o­nly o­ne type," she said.

She always keeps up to date with the new brands to affect a more fashionable image. Her health is not a priority for her.

The most recent Government decree has banned smoking in offices, production facilities and other work places, as well as schools, hospitals and o­n public transport. However, women who smoke can still relax with a cigarette at places of entertainment, in bars, restaurants, or discotheques, but maybe not for much longer since the worldwide trend is to ban smoking in all public places.