INTRODUCTION Worldwide, “overweight/obesity is the main contributor to the burden of disease and disability” [1]. Today, more than 1.5 billion and 500 million adults are overweight/obese, respectively. It causes nearly 3 million deaths per year, more than the number of deaths due to underweight [2]. In Vietnam, the prevalence of overweight among adults is 15.3% in urban areas and 5.3% in rural areas using the Caucasian body mass index (BMI) threshold; 32.5% and 13.8% respectively using the Asian BMI cut-off [3]. Recent evidence has shown that at the same age, sex and BMI, Asians have a higher body fat percentage and risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease than Caucasians [4]. Therefore, using the Asian BMI cutoff is more recommended in order to reveal the true burden of overweight/obesity in Vietnam. The fact that one in three city dwellers (32.5%) is overweight [3] even though they represent approximately 30% of the Vietnamese population [5] constitutes a considerable alarm situation. Moreover, the situation is more alarming if we consider the increasing trend of overweight/obesity over the years. For 10 years, from 1992 to 2002, the overweight rate in Vietnam more or less tripled [3]. From 2002 to 2005, the annual percentage point increase in the prevalence of overweight was 1.9, which is extremely higher than 0.25 in the United States and European countries [6]. Last but not least, being overweight/obesity increases the risk of several noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer [7]. In Vietnam, NCD mortality accounted for 63.3% of all deaths [8]. OBJECTIVES This document aims to assess and understand the most important determinants of overweight/obesity in the middle of the document......Taking these factors into account, the Ministry of Health should consider:  Using mass media campaigns to raise awareness of the adverse effects of overweight/obesity as a preparation for promoting a healthy lifestyle.  Implement health promotion campaigns on a healthy lifestyle, such as exercising in the morning, using a bicycle and playing sports. Along with campaigns, the Ministry of Health should cooperate with other departments to create supportive environments, including bicycle paths, television programs instructing morning exercises, sports/fitness club, public swimming pool/park, etc.  Focus on nutrition and healthy eating education in the school system. Additionally, the nutrition program should be developed and implemented in school meals to familiarize individuals with healthy eating from an early age.  Policies to restrict food advertising to children/adolescents are needed