HANOI: Dinh Tuan Huy, 16, has been, in his own words, fighting a losing battle with his weight since the day in 2024 when he fell off his bicycle and briefly lost consciousness.
Doctors initially linked the episode to fatigue and sleep deprivation from exam stress. After some medical tests at the local clinic in Hanoi, he was advised to lose “at least 15 to 20kg” to restore his health.
Yet over the following 12 months, Huy gained another 12kg. At 178 cm tall and 118kg, he has a body mass index (BMI) of of 37.2 – which classifies him as obese, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Vietnam’s national standards.
“My classmates always teased me, calling me ‘Fatty’, but I didn’t pay much attention because who doesn’t get taunted at school?” said the Hanoi teenager, now in Grade 10, which is equivalent to Secondary 4 in Singapore.
“But this health scare made me realise that maybe I should do something to slim down,” he told The Straits Times.
Huy is one of around 20 million Vietnamese – or roughly 20 per cent of the population – who are overweight or obese.
According to the WHO, overweight is defined as having a BMI of 25 or higher, and obesity as 30 or higher. By Vietnam’s Ministry of Health guidelines, however, the cut-off points are slightly lower, taking into account local health conditions: the range for overweight is 23 to 24.9, while obesity is defined as a BMI of 25 or higher.
That puts Vietnam broadly in line with other South-east Asian countries, where overweight and obesity rates among children and adults generally range from the mid-teens to just over 20 per cent.
Overweight and obesity levels are considerably higher in Vietnam’s two largest cities, particularly among the young: More than half of teenagers in Ho Chi Minh City are overweight or obese, compared with over 41 per cent in Hanoi.
Health experts link this stark geographic gap to urbanites’ higher disposable incomes, sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits in general.
Endocrinologist Tran Quang Nam told ST that rapid urbanisation has transformed daily habits in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
“When people get busier, they start consuming more fast food, which is convenient, instead of home-cooked meals. Their physical activity, meanwhile, is reduced as lifestyles become more sedentary. The result is a much higher risk of obesity,” said Nam, who heads the endocrinology department at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy.
“The Vietnamese government recognises obesity as a disease, not just a state of well-being. Since 2015, the Ministry of Health has incorporated it into the national strategy for preventing non-communicable diseases,” he noted.
In October 2022, the ministry issued its first specialized national guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of obesity, in response to rising rates.
Victim of economic success
Vietnam’s overweight and obesity rates have risen markedly in recent years, reflecting broader lifestyle changes driven by decades of strong economic growth and open-door policies.
This pace of increase has been among the fastest in South-East Asia.
The country’s adult obesity rate rose from 2.6 per cent in 2010 to 3.6 per cent in 2014, an increase of 38 per cent in just four years, according to WHO data.
The World Obesity Federation projects annual growth of 6.3 per cent for adult obesity and 9.8 per cent for child obesity in Vietnam by 2035.
Without early intervention, obesity could cost Vietnam up to US$16.28 billion (S$21 billion) by 2035, or about 2 per cent of GDP, the federation estimates in its 2023 report.
The country’s healthcare costs are projected to jump from US$372 million in 2020 to US$1.27 billion in 2035, the report indicates.
Against this backdrop, local health authorities have warned of the growing medical burden posed by obesity.
The health ministry has warned that obesity increases the risk of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, while also reducing quality of life and social well-being.
Huy, the teenager, said: “You don’t know how much I want to lose weight. Besides health reasons, I want to look good and I want to take part in all the activities my mates are doing.”
Nguyen Trong Hung, a medical doctor who specialises in obesity treatment at the National Institute of Nutrition (NII), said that, like many other developing nations, the Vietnamese have become victims of their own economic success.
“From struggling to feed themselves, people can now afford to eat what they want and as much as they want. The result? They eat a lot!” he said.
Hung, a director at the NII, told ST that only 5 per cent to 10 per cent of obesity cases are linked to endocrine disorders, genetics or medication.
“Most cases result from prolonged energy imbalance, where calorie intake exceeds energy expenditure,” he said, adding that diet, activity levels and living conditions also play a role.
However, he noted growing public awareness of obesity risks, especially among urban and higher-income groups.
In the past, being plump was often associated with wealth and health, with the term “béo tốt” used to describe someone as “nicely fat”.
“Nowadays, more people are seeking help to lose weight as they become conscious of the risks,” he said.
Shortcuts rarely work
For businesswoman Anna Do, 49, maintaining a healthy physique is essential in the cosmetics industry. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022, she gained weight due to “immense business pressure”.
“Many friends of mine also gained weight for the same reasons – we work hard to make money, we have to constantly dine and wine our business partners, and our metabolism slows down with age.”
She later adopted strict dieting and exercise, and “thankfully, lost all the extra weight without any medical intervention”.
“But some friends chose to take slimming pills and even undergo surgical procedures such as liposuction,” she told ST. “Most of them gained the weight back, though. I don’t think there are any quick ways to achieve sustainable weight loss.”
Still, weight loss has become a fast-growing industry in Vietnam, fuelled by social media trends and aggressive marketing of slimming products.
Market research firm IMARC estimates Vietnam’s weight-loss market at US$1.29 billion in 2025, rising to US$2.61 billion by 2034.
It attributes that growth to rising demand for fitness apps, wearable devices and online weight-loss programmes.
The market for other remedies, such as slimming drugs and supplements, is also growing fast.
The broader dietary supplements market is also expanding, estimated at US$1.21 billion in 2025 and projected to reach US$2.31 billion by 2033, according to Grand View Research, another market research firm.
Risks behind quick-fixes
Most weight-loss products in Vietnam are sold as dietary or health supplements rather than medicines. The health authorities have repeatedly warned about unlicensed products containing banned substances such as sibutramine, which carries cardiovascular risks.
“Natural supplements, especially herbal ones or those marketed as traditional medicine, are the most sought-after because people think they are harmless,” said a traditional medicine practitioner who declined to be named due to the sensitive nature of the matter.
“But most are ineffective and can even cause adverse reactions. If they lead to initial weight loss, it is because they contain diuretic compounds, that’s all.”
In 2025, Ho Chi Minh City police arrested an influencer, Vo Thi Ngoc Ngan, for producing and distributing counterfeit “vegetable tablets” for weight loss.
Before that, another influencer, former Miss Grand International 2021 Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, was sentenced to two years’ jail for deceiving consumers with “Kera Supergreens Gummies”, falsely promoted as health products..
Despite enforcement efforts, such supplements remain widely available online.
Endocrine and nutrition expert Hung warned against self-treatment when it comes to weight loss.
“Obesity is an illness and needs professional medical attention,” he said. “Anyone who worries about their weight should seek a doctor’s advice, not just read material on the Internet.”
He added that sustainable weight loss requires long-term changes in diet, lifestyle and exercise.
Sixteen-year-old Huy admits that his weight-loss efforts have not been very successful, “mainly due to daily stress”.
“I have to study very hard because there are only two years left before university exams,” he told ST.
“I also take Japanese and music lessons because my mum wants me to. So I eat to relax.”
With pocket money of 100,000 Vietnamese dong (US$3.88) a week, “all I can afford is fried snacks, crisps and sugary soft drinks,” he said.
As a 2026 New Year’s resolution, he had he signed up for boxing training twice a week.
“Nearly six months in, I am still breathless after 20 minutes and I can only do half of the exercises,” he confessed.
“But I have lost my appetite for fast food and, along with it, 18 kilogrammes,” he grinned.
“Furthermore, I think I may have a girlfriend now.” - The Straits Times/ANN
