Security officers with a man suspected to be behind the trafficking of 227.5kgs of drugs in April 3, 2021/VIETNAM BORDER GUARDVietnam has strict drug laws and a complex relationship with narcotics, shaped by historical, cultural, and legal factors.
While the country has made significant efforts to combat drug trafficking and use, challenges remain, especially with synthetic drugs and cross-border smuggling.
Despite its long history as a producer of opium poppies and a crossroads for the illicit drug trade, it now has some of the most stringent drug laws in the world.
In fact, it has shown some success in reducing the production, trade, and transportation of narcotics.
Possession of these substances will very likely land you in jail, and the country even has the death penalty for serious drug offenses.
In 2021, there were 93 death sentences given to drug offenders in Vietnam, according to Amnesty International.
Statistical data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in 2016, shows that the number of drug-related deaths was more than 2,100, people, around 36 deaths per million people between the ages of 15-64 years.
Vietnam is a Southeast Asian country known for its beaches, rivers, Buddhist pagodas, and bustling cities.
Hanoi, the capital, pays homage to the nation’s iconic Communist-era leader, Ho Chi Minh, via a huge marble mausoleum.
Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) has French colonial landmarks, plus Vietnamese War history museums and the Củ Chi tunnels, used by Viet Cong soldiers.
KENYAN WOMAN ON DEATH ROW OVER SMUGGLING DRUGS
Margaret Nduta Macharia, the 37-year-old Kenyan, was sentenced to death in Vietnam over drug trafficking charges and was due for execution on Sunday, March 16.
She was sentenced by the court in Ho Chi Minh City to death for trafficking over 2 kg of drugs through Tan Son Nhat Airport.
In the open letter, Kisii Senator Richard Onyoka urged the Kenyan government to take immediate action to safeguard Nduta’s fundamental rights, emphasizing the need for humanitarian intervention.
While acknowledging Vietnam’s judicial sovereignty, Onyonka appealed to President Ruto to engage the Vietnamese government, the United Nations, and international human rights organizations to negotiate a more lenient sentence and possible transfer of Nduta to Kenya.
“This distressing development calls for urgent diplomatic intervention to safeguard her fundamental rights and explore the possibility of clemency and repatriation,” Onyonka wrote.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei on Sunday said he held a phone conversation with his Vietnam counterpart over Nduta's situation.
The PS said Vietnam Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang assured him that Kenya’s petition is under consideration.
Sing’oei said Kenya had earlier requested a stay of execution to allow the two countries to find a way to resolve the issue.
“Had a telephone conversation this afternoon with my counterpart, Nguyen Minh Hang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam over the matter of Margaret Nduta. I conveyed to Madam Hang the anxiety of the Kenyan people on the impending execution of our national and reiterated our request for a stay of execution to allow our two countries find a path to resolving the issue,” Sing’oei said.
“I am grateful for Madam Hang’s assurance that our petition is under consideration by her country’s authorities.”
Sing’oei said that in the meantime, the Mission in Bankok is actively following up on the case in situ.
The government’s efforts mark the first official response to growing calls for diplomatic intervention following Nduta’s death sentence for drug trafficking.
THE LANDSCAPE OF NARCOTICS IN VIETNAM
The location of Vietnam in Southeast Asia places it near the notorious "Golden Triangle," a major drug-producing region.
The Golden Triangle is a large, mountainous region of approximately 200,000 km2 in northeastern Myanmar, northwestern Thailand, and northern Laos, centered on the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers.
It has been one of the largest opium-producing areas of the world since the 1950s.
Most of the world's heroin came from the Golden Triangle until the early 21st century, when opium production in Afghanistan increased.
Myanmar was the world's second-largest source of opium after Afghanistan up to 2022, producing some 25 per cent of the world's opium, forming part of the Golden Triangle.
Vietnam's approach to narcotics is shaped by its tough legal framework, international cooperation, and ongoing efforts to curb drug-related crimes.
While traditional substances like opium were historically present, modern drug challenges revolve around synthetic drugs, heroin, and methamphetamine.
Narcotics in Vietnam include opioids like heroin, which remains one of the most commonly trafficked drugs.
Opioids work in the brain to produce a variety of effects, including pain relief.
Synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine and ecstasy have surged in popularity, particularly among younger demographics. Marijuana, while less common than other drugs, remains illegal under Vietnamese law.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND PENALTIES
Vietnam enforces some of the strictest drug laws in the world.
Even small quantities of narcotics can result in heavy fines and imprisonment.
Large-scale trafficking carries severe punishments, including life imprisonment or the death penalty.
The death penalty is carried out by lethal injection, which replaced the firing squad, and it involves several steps.
The process follows a three-drug protocol, consisting of sodium thiopental (or equivalent) that induces unconsciousness, pancuronium bromide, which causes paralysis and stops breathing, and potassium chloride, which induces cardiac arrest.
The government also operates compulsory rehabilitation centers for drug users, though these have been criticised for their conditions.
