INTRODUCTION Worldwide, “overweight/obesity is the leading cause of disease burden and disability” [1]. Nowadays, over 1.5 billion and 500 million adults respectively suffer from overweight/obesity. Every year it causes almost 3 million related deaths, a higher number than deaths due to underweight [2]. In Vietnam, the prevalence of overweight in adults is 15.3% in urban areas and 5.3% in rural areas if using the Caucasian body mass index (BMI) cut-off; 32.5% and 13.8% respectively using the Asian BMI cut-off [3]. Recent evidence has shown that, given the same age, gender and BMI, Asians have a higher body fat percentage and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease than Caucasians [4]. This is why it is more advisable to use the Asian BMI cut-off to reveal the real burden of overweight/obesity in Vietnam. The fact that one in three urban residents (32.5%) is overweight [3] while they represent approximately 30% of the Vietnamese population [5] constitutes a situation of considerable alarm. Furthermore, the situation is even more alarming if we consider the growing trend of overweight/obesity over the years. During the 10 years from 1992 to 2002, the overweight rate in Vietnam more or less tripled [3]. From 2002 to 2005, the annual percentage increase in the prevalence of overweight was 1.9, which is extremely higher than the 0.25 in the United States and European countries [6]. Last but not least, overweight and obesity increase the risk of contracting several non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer [7]. In Vietnam, mortality due to non-communicable diseases accounted for 63.3% of all deaths [8]. OBJECTIVES This document aims to evaluate and understand the most important determinants of overweight/obesity i...... half of the document ......Taking into account these factors, the Ministry of Health should consider:  Use of media campaigns to raise awareness of the harmful effects of overweight/obesity as a preparation for promoting healthy lifestyles.  Implement health promotion campaigns on healthy lifestyles such as morning exercise, cycling and playing sports. Along with campaigns, the Ministry of Health should cooperate with other departments to create supportive environments including bicycle paths, TV programs teaching morning exercises, sports/fitness clubs, public swimming pools/parks, etc.  Focus on nutrition and healthy eating education in the school system. Furthermore, the nutrition program should be developed and implemented in school meals to familiarize individuals with a healthy diet early in life.  Policies are needed to limit food advertising aimed at children/adolescents