Civil servants and young people are the biggest drinkers in Vietnam, according to a recent survey by the Institute of Sociology in Hanoi.

The institute on Wednesday released the results of the survey, conducted in Hanoi and Lao Cai Province in the north, Da Nang City in the central region and Long An Province in the south between March and May, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

Dang Nguyen Anh, a researcher, said 38 percent of the surveyed civil servants, 38 percent of blue-collar workers and 26 percent of young people said they usually drank beer and liquor.
The three groups, not businesspeople and farmers, are the most frequent drinkers in Vietnam, he said.

Up to 67 percent said beer and liquor are good for their health, according to the survey. The prices of beer and liquor are also cheap and they are easy to buy in Vietnam, the survey said.

The survey may help explain why beer consumption in Vietnam is growing. According to official figures, Vietnam’s beer production volume is expected to reach 7 million by 2025, more than doubling the number in 2011.

Around 13 percent of the new survey’s respondents said they usually drive after drinking, and more than 35 percent said they occasionally drive after drinking.

Currently, drunk driving is the third biggest reason for road crashes, after wrong lane driving and speeding.