Suicide prevention in Vietnam

Abstract

Although the highest suicide rates are currently found in Eastern Europe, the largest number of suicides take place in Asia (Bertolote 2001). Unfortunately, in Vietnam, as in many other Asian countries, national strategies for suicide prevention have not yet been developed. Suicide was among the ten leading causes of death in Vietnam during 2002, and according to the Ministry of Health, the estimated suicide rate (based on hospital records of mortality is 0.98/100,000 (Ministry of Health in Vietnam 2002). The real suicide rate in Vietnam is still unknown, because the number of deaths reported by the Ministry of Health is based only on hospital data. However, most suicides occur outside the hospital system. There is no national system to monitor causes of death, including suicide, in Vietnam.