VZCZCXRO8565
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHHI #2800/01 3070957
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 030957Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3896
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 2081
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 HANOI 002800 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP AND INL 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PGOV KCRM VM
SUBJ:  2006-2007 INCSR PART I -- VIETNAM 
 
REF: STATE 155088 
 
HANOI 00002800  001.2 OF 005 
 
 
¶1.  The following is Embassy Hanoi's submission for the narcotics 
section of the 2006-2007 INCSR. 
 
¶2.  Begin INCSR text: 
 
Vietnam 
 
¶I. Summary 
 
The Government of Vietnam (GVN) continued to make progress in its 
counternarcotics efforts during 2006. Specific actions included: 
sustained efforts of counternarcotics law enforcement authorities to 
pursue drug traffickers; increased attention to interagency 
coordination; continued cooperation with the United Nations Office 
on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); increased attention to both drug 
treatment and harm reduction; continued public awareness activities; 
and, additional bilateral cooperation on HIV/AIDS. The United States 
and Vietnam continued to implement training and assistance projects 
under the counternarcotics Letter of Agreement (LOA), and signed an 
amendment to the LOA in April to provide additional training 
assistance to the GVN. Operational cooperation with DEA's Hanoi 
Country Office (HCO) continued to lag behind expectations. DEA and 
the GVN's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) continue to negotiate a 
memorandum of understanding intended to facilitate operational 
cooperation between the two agencies on counternarcotics matters. 
Vietnam is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. In 2005, Vietnam 
was removed from the list of major drug-producing countries because 
actual drug cultivation clearly fell below the 1,000-hectare 
threshold for Majors. 
 
II. Status of Country 
 
This year, the GVN claims about 170 hectares of opium under 
cultivation nationwide and official UNODC statistical tables no 
longer list Vietnam separately in drug production analyses. 
Cultivation in Vietnam probably accounts for about one percent of 
the total cultivation in Southeast Asia, according to a law 
enforcement estimate; DEA has no evidence of any Vietnamese-produced 
narcotics reaching the United States. There appear to be small 
amounts of cannabis grown in remote regions of southern Vietnam. 
Vietnam has not been considered a confirmed source or transit 
country for precursors.  However, one precursor of concern to DEA 
that has historically been produced in large quantities in Vietnam 
is sassafras oil.  This precursor to MDMA production continues to be 
imported into Vietnam for re-export to third countries. The 
potential for diversion of sassafras oil into clandestine MDMA 
production remains an area of concern for DEA. In an effort to 
support Vietnam's efforts to enhance its precursor control capacity, 
the GVN and UNODC are cooperating on a project titled "Interdiction 
and Seizure Capacity Building with Special Emphasis on ATS and 
Precursors." Implementation of that project continued successfully 
into 2006 with the deployment of counternarcotics interagency task 
forces in six "hotspot" provinces. 
 
In 2006, the GVN continued to view the Golden Triangle as the source 
for most of the heroin supplied to Vietnam. The GVN also perceives 
close connections between Vietnamese and foreign traffickers. GVN 
authorities are particularly concerned about rising ATS use among 
urban youth. During the reporting period, the GVN increased the 
tempo of enforcement and awareness programs that they hope will 
avoid a youth synthetic drug epidemic. Despite some high-profile 
successes in 2006, lack of training, resources, special-purpose 
counternarcotics staff and experience, both among law enforcement 
and judicial officials, continues to plague Vietnamese 
counternarcotics efforts. Resource constraints are pervasive, and 
GVN counternarcotics officials note that Vietnam, a developing 
country, will face resource constraints for the foreseeable future. 
Drug laws remain very tough in Vietnam. For possession or 
trafficking of 600 grams or more of heroin, or 20 kilograms of opium 
gum or cannabis resin, the death penalty is mandatory. Foreign law 
enforcement sources do not believe that major trafficking groups 
have moved into Vietnam. Relatively small groups comprised of 
between 5 to 15 individuals (who are often related to each other) 
usually do most narcotics trafficking. 
 
With the exception of the recently amended counternarcotics LOA, the 
USG has no extradition, mutual legal assistance or precursor 
chemical agreements with Vietnam. The original LOA included three 
specific counternarcotics training projects. The amendment to the 
LOA, signed in April, provided funding for additional training 
projects. 
 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2006 
 
Policy Initiatives. The structure of the GVN's counternarcotics 
efforts is built around the National Committee on AIDS, Drugs and 
Prostitution Control (NCADP), which includes 18 GVN ministries and 
people's organizations as members. In addition, MPS, as NCADP's 
 
HANOI 00002800  002.2 OF 005 
 
 
standing member, has a specialized unit to combat and suppress drug 
crimes. The GVN continued to intensify its attention to the drug 
issue in 2006, including increased attention from the 
State-controlled media and additional GVN-funded training courses. 
Many provinces and cities implemented their own drug awareness and 
prevention programs, as well as demand reduction and drug treatment. 
The GVN continues to view drug awareness and prevention as vital 
tools and significant objectives in its fight against drugs, as well 
as integral parts of its effort to comply fully with the 1988 UN 
Drug Convention. The GVN has continued to rely heavily on 
counternarcotics propaganda, culminating in the annual drug 
awareness month in June 2006, as well as other intensified law 
enforcement campaigns throughout the year. Officially sponsored 
activities cover every aspect of society, from schools to unions to 
civic organizations and government offices. In 2006, the GVN 
extended its ongoing effort to de-stigmatize drug addicts in order 
to increase their odds of successful treatment, and to help control 
the spread of HIV/AIDS. Since the national law on drug suppression 
took effect in 2001, the GVN has issued 12 decrees, seven decisions 
and six circulars to regulate implementation of the law. According 
to the GVN Standing Office on Drug Control (SODC), these measures do 
not address the use of investigative techniques, such as controlled 
deliveries, informants or undercover officers by law enforcement 
authorities. However, in practice, these techniques have been used 
by GVN officials. 
 
According to MOLISA (Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs), the drug 
addiction recidivism rate after treatment is still high, between 70 
and 80 percent. By the end of June, there were 159,305 officially 
registered drug users nationwide, with 84 provincial-level treatment 
centers providing treatment to between 55,000 and 60,000 drug 
addicts annually. The number of "unofficial" (i.e., not acknowledged 
officially) drug users is at least 1.5 times higher. Heroin accounts 
for 83 percent of drug use, followed by opium (13.9 percent), 
cannabis (one percent), ATS (1.5 percent) and other types of drugs 
(0.6 percent). MOLISA reports 80 percent of drug addicts are 
intravenous users. 
 
In March 2005, then-Prime Minister Phan Van Khai approved the 
national drug control master plan through 2010. Under the master 
plan, there are six areas of priority technical assistance, 
including law enforcement, treatment, demand reduction, supply 
reduction, legislation and capacity enhancement, as well as building 
the legal framework on money laundering and precursor control. The 
GVN continues to look for assistance from foreign donors in these 
areas. As in past years, observers agreed that overall lack of 
resources and staff continued to be a major constraint in 
counternarcotics activities. According to the MPS Counternarcotics 
Department, less than half of the country's district and 
commune-level counternarcotics offices are fully staffed. 
 
Foreign law enforcement representatives in Vietnam acknowledge that 
real operational cooperation on counternarcotics cases is minimal 
due to legal prohibitions and policy restrictions that preclude 
Vietnam's drug enforcement authorities from sharing information and 
supporting bilateral investigations with foreign police agencies. 
Without changes in Vietnamese law to allow the establishment of a 
legal and procedural basis for Vietnam's cooperation with foreign 
law enforcement agencies, operational "cooperation" will remain 
limited and largely determined on a case-by-case basis. USG law 
enforcement agencies hold out some hope that the development of 
agency-to-agency agreements will slightly improve the cooperation 
climate. During 2006, cooperation between GVN law enforcement 
authorities and DEA's HCO continued to improve marginally, although 
DEA agents have not been officially permitted to work with GVN 
counternarcotics investigators. Cooperation was limited to receiving 
information and investigative requests from DEA, holding occasional 
meetings and providing limited responses to DEA's requests. Thus 
far, counternarcotics police have declined to share detailed 
information with DEA or cooperate operationally. During the 
reporting period, DEA did receive cooperation on one undercover 
money laundering operation in which MPS provided an undercover 
officer to pick up alleged drug money that was remitted to Vietnam 
through a money laundering organization in the United States. 
However, despite requests made by DEA, MPS provided no investigation 
information on the organizations or businesses that facilitated the 
illegal money remittance in Vietnam. 
 
Law Enforcement Efforts. According to GVN statistics, during the 
first six months of 2006, there were 5,362 drug cases involving 
8,259 traffickers. Total seizures include 104.2 kilograms of heroin, 
47.55 kilograms of opium, 549.2 kilograms of cannabis, 35,068 ATS 
tablets and 1,185 ampoules of addictive pharmaceuticals, and 5,188 
kilograms of precursor chemicals. The number of cases and 
traffickers represents increases of 3.7 and 6.5 percent, 
respectively, compared with the same period of 2005.  During the 
reporting period, law enforcement authorities nationwide raided and 
closed-down 507 locations related to illegal drug transactions. 
During the first six months of 2006, courts throughout the country 
tried 6,205 traffickers in 4,595 cases, and handed down 46 death 
 
HANOI 00002800  003.2 OF 005 
 
 
sentences, 73 life sentences and numerous other lengthy sentences. 
During the five years since the Anti-Drug Law took effect in June 
2001, the country's law enforcement forces have investigated 64,660 
cases involving 102,660 traffickers, representing 34 and 18 percent 
increases, respectively, compared with the preceding five-year 
period. Also during this five-year period, law enforcement officials 
seized 1,005.23 kilograms of heroin, 1,584.45 kilograms of opium, 
6,411.35 kilograms of cannabis, and 737,731 ATS tablets, and raided 
3,000 locations related to narcotics trafficking. 
 
Corruption. During 2006, the GVN demonstrated an increased 
determination to combat corruption. In Prime Minister Nguyen Tan 
Dzung's inaugural address, he said that Vietnam is "determined in 
our fight against corruption, waste, and bureaucracy - the very top 
priority in the Government's agenda in the months and years ahead." 
In early October, the GVN debuted its Anti-Corruption Committee 
headed by the Prime Minister. At the Committee's inaugural meeting, 
the Prime Minster said its anti-corruption mission is backed by "the 
entire political system" and gave instructions to resolve 
high-profile corruption cases such as those involving Project 
Management Unit 18 (PMU-18), the Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation and 
the Coal and Minerals Corporation. In connection with the PMU-18 
case, General Cao Ngoc Oanh, Deputy Director, MPS General Department 
of Police and a primary point of contact for DEA and other foreign 
law enforcement agencies in Vietnam, was implicated in the ongoing 
corruption scandal involving the embezzlement of millions of dollars 
by high-ranking officials within Vietnam's Ministry of 
Transportation. While General Oanh has yet to be charged with 
criminal wrongdoing as the result of his involvement in the 
corruption scandal, in May 2006 his sponsorship for membership in 
the Communist Central Party Committee was cancelled, and his 
possible promotion to Vice Minister of Public Security has been 
derailed. The Prime Minister stressed the role of the press in 
building a strong country and healthy society, and asked the 
committee to work closely with the press to combat corruption. 
According to a government report, authorities have uncovered 1,728 
corruption cases during the first nine months of 2006. As a matter 
of GVN policy, Vietnam does not encourage or facilitate illicit 
production or distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or 
other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from 
illegal drug transactions. No information specifically links any 
senior GVN official with engaging in, encouraging or facilitating 
the illicit production or distribution of drugs or substances, or 
the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. 
Nonetheless, a certain level of corruption, both among lower-level 
enforcement personnel and higher-level officials, is consonant with 
fairly large-scale movement of narcotics into and out of Vietnam. 
The GVN did demonstrate a willingness in 2006 to prosecute 
officials, although the targets were relatively low-level. In late 
2005, six Hanoi policemen were arrested for their alleged role in 
protecting a drug trafficking ring. The director of the police 
department issued a decision to expel the officers from the force. 
In February 2006, the chief police investigator in Hanoi's Hai Ba 
Trung District was arrested for allegedly taking a bribe in exchange 
for the release of a drug trafficker. The outcome of that case is 
pending. Vietnam has signed, but not yet ratified, the UN Convention 
against Corruption. 
 
Agreements/Treaties. Vietnam is a party to the 1988 UN Drug 
Convention, the 1961 UN Single Convention as amended by the 1972 
Protocol and the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. 
Vietnam has signed, but has not yet ratified, the UN Convention 
Against Corruption. 
 
Cultivation/Production. Despite eradication efforts, the GVN 
reported small amounts of opium regrown during 2005-2006 growing 
season in hard-to-reach upland and mountainous regions of some 
northern, northwestern and central provinces, especially Son La 
(26.9 ha), Dien Bien (7,905 m2), Yen Bai (137.2 ha), Lao Cai (0.2 
ha) and Nghe An (5.4 ha). There were also minimal, scattered amounts 
regrown in the southern provinces of Binh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, Dak 
Lak, Khanh Hoa, Tay Ninh and Kien Giang. Poppy recultivation in 2006 
showed a significant increase over the previous year, 170.8 hectares 
versus 19 hectares, most likely due to more accurate reporting in 
¶2006. The total number of hectares under opium poppy cultivation 
remains sharply reduced from an estimated 12,900 hectares in 1993, 
when the GVN began opium poppy eradication. UNODC and law 
enforcement sources do not view production as a significant problem 
in Vietnam. There have been recent confirmed reports that ATS and 
heroin have been produced in Vietnam. GVN law enforcement forces 
have seized some ATS-related equipment (i.e., pill presses). As part 
of its efforts to comply fully with the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 
GVN continued in 2006 to eradicate poppies when found and to 
implement crop substitution. GVN officials have admitted that 
complete eradication is probably unrealistic given the remoteness of 
mountainous areas in the northwest and extreme poverty among ethnic 
minority populations who sometimes still use opium for medicinal 
purposes. The GVN's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 
(MARD) continues to support crop substitution projects in various 
provinces. 
 
HANOI 00002800  004.2 OF 005 
 
 
 
Drug Flow/Transit. While law enforcement sources and the UNODC 
believe that significant amounts of drugs are transiting Vietnam, 
DEA has not yet identified a case of heroin entering the United 
States directly from Vietnam. More commonly, drugs, especially 
heroin and opium, enter Vietnam from the Golden Triangle via Laos 
and Cambodia by land, sea and air, making their way to Hanoi or Ho 
Chi Minh City, either for local consumption or transshipment to 
other countries such as Australia, Japan, China, Taiwan and 
Malaysia. The ATS flow into the country during 2006 continued to be 
serious and not limited to border areas. ATS can now be found 
throughout the country, especially in places frequented by young 
people. ATS such as amphetamine, diazepam, ecstasy, ketamine and 
especially "ice" methamphetamine continue to worry the government. 
Such drugs are most popular in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other 
major cities. During 2006, numerous cases involving ATS trafficking 
and consumption were reported in the media. 
 
Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction. The GVN continues to view 
increased public awareness as an important preventive measure and 
strategic key to reduce the number of addicts. According to the 
GVN's 2006 - 2010 Master Plan for Drug Control, the Ministry of 
Culture and Information (MOCI) remains responsible for public drug 
control information and education among the general population. 
During 2006, MOCI continued to coordinate with other ministries and 
organizations to conduct awareness campaigns on HIV/AIDS and drugs. 
June was declared the "anti-drug month," during which hundreds of 
large-scale awareness meetings were held in localities throughout 
the country.  In Hanoi, MPS, MOCI and MOET co-hosted awareness 
meetings and exchanges with the participation of government leaders 
and more than 3,000 city students. In addition, the ministries 
distributed hundreds of thousands of anti-drug leaflets and videos, 
and organized anti-drug painting contests for children. The Ministry 
of Education and Training (MOET) carries out awareness activities in 
schools. Counternarcotics material is available in all schools and 
MOET sponsors various workshops and campaigns at all school levels. 
The border forces continued to play an "active role" in raising 
awareness of the risks of drug use and disseminating 
counternarcotics information to border villages and communes. The 
UNODC assesses GVN drug awareness efforts favorably, but considers 
these efforts to have had minimal impact on the existing addict and 
HIV/AIDS population. 
 
Vietnam has a network of drug treatment centers. There are now 84 
centers at the provincial level, including a new one designed for 
post-treatment vocational training and employment in Hanoi. Vietnam 
has also strived to integrate addiction treatment and vocational 
training to facilitate the rehabilitation of drug addicts. Ho Chi 
Minh City is the pioneer in this campaign, followed by Tay Ninh 
Province. In 2006, the GVN approved the addition of five other 
provinces under this campaign including Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Quang Ninh, 
Long An, Binh Duong and Hanoi. These efforts include tax and other 
economic incentives for businesses that hire recovered addicts. 
Despite these efforts, only a small percentage of recovered addicts 
find regular employment. Under instructions for the Ho Chi Minh City 
municipal authorities, businesses in the Nhi Xuan industrial zone 
are expected to employ between 5,000 and 10,000 recovered addicts 
out of a total 17,000 workers. 
 
HIV/AIDS is a serious and growing problem in Vietnam. The epidemic 
is closely related to intravenous drug use and commercial sex work. 
Injection drug users (IDUs), commercial sex workers (CSWs), CSWs who 
are also IDUs, men who have sex with men and sex partners of IDU and 
CSWs are the most-at-risk populations in Vietnam. At least 60 
percent of known HIV cases are IDUs. The result from a 2004 national 
sentinel surveillance indicated a 29 percent HIV prevalence among 
IDUs. However, in some provinces, the HIV prevalence is reported at 
higher than 70 percent among IDUs. The Vietnamese National Strategy 
for HIV Prevention and Control, launched in March 2004, presents a 
comprehensive response to the HIV situation. Based on a 
"Information-Education-Communication" approach, major components of 
the strategy include risk reduction, condom promotion, clean needle 
and syringe programs, voluntary counseling and testing and HIV/AIDS 
treatment and care. In September 2006, MPS and the Ministry of 
Health adopted a counternarcotics and HIV/AIDS prevention 
coordination plan to help reduce the country's HIV/AIDS contraction 
rate through drug injection. As of September, the GVN reported a 
total of 112,880 HIV cases in the country. Out of that number, 
19,261 are AIDS patients. The actual figure is believed to be three 
times higher. 
 
In June 2004, Vietnam was designated the 15th focus country under 
the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). USG FY06 
funding, about 34 million dollars, is distributed through key PEPFAR 
agencies such as USAID, HHS/CDC, and the US Department of Defense. 
Through PEPFAR, the USG supports the Vietnam National HIV/AIDS 
Strategy of Prevention, Care and Treatment for People Living with 
HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The majority of USG support targets six current 
focus provinces (Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Can 
Tho and An Giang) where the epidemic is most severe; however, PEPFAR 
 
HANOI 00002800  005.2 OF 005 
 
 
also supports HIV counseling and testing and community outreach for 
drug users and sex workers in nearly 40 provinces. At present, more 
than 3,000 people receive lifesaving anti-retroviral drugs provided 
by the USG and the PEPFAR team plans to provide ARV treatment for 
22,000 people by the end of the 2008 fiscal year. Because the 
majority of HIV infections in Vietnam are attributed to drug 
injection, the PEPFAR team works closely with the Ministry of 
Health, Ho Chi Minh City Provincial AIDS Committee (PAC) and others 
to develop effective substance abuse treatment and HIV prevention 
programs targeting drug users. In 2005 and 2006, USG-supported 
programs have trained nearly 30 substance abuse counselors who work 
in Hai Phong and HCMC. In cooperation with the HCMC PAC, the PEPFAR 
team is piloting a comprehensive program to assist former 
rehabilitation center residents prevent relapse, stabilize their 
lives and access appropriate care for HIV disease. As this program 
shows success, it will be expanded to assist drug users in provinces 
beyond HCMC. 
 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
In 2003, Vietnam and the United States completed and signed a 
bilateral counternarcotics agreement (LOA), which came into force in 
¶2004. It represents the first direct bilateral counternarcotics 
program assistance to Vietnam. In April, an amendment to the LOA was 
signed to provide USD 500,000 in additional training assistance to 
Vietnam. In June, USG trainers presented counternarcotics training 
in Hanoi under the LOA. In September, a GVN drug law enforcement 
delegation was sent to the U.S. for training under the amended LOA. 
This will be followed by additional training in Ho Chi Minh City in 
December. During 2006, the USG continued to fund training for some 
GVN law enforcement officers and other officials involved in the 
legal arena for courses at the International Law Enforcement Academy 
(ILEA) in Bangkok. Between January and October 2006, using State 
Department law enforcement assistance, 51 Vietnamese law enforcement 
officers attended the Academy for various types of training. DEA 
sponsored mid- and high-level law enforcement officials from MPS to 
attend three Regional International Drug Enforcement Conferences 
and, using State Department law enforcement assistance, the main 
International Drug Enforcement Conference. Additionally, DEA's 
International Training Unit conducted in-country seminars titled 
"Tactical Safety & Survival" and "Advanced Drug Enforcement." The 
USG also contributed to counternarcotics efforts through the UNODC. 
An ongoing example of the USG's contribution through UNODC is the 
G55 project titled "Interdiction and Seizure Capacity Building with 
Special Emphasis on ATS and Precursors," which established six 
Vietnamese interagency task forces at key border "hotspots" around 
the country. Effective operational cooperation between DEA and MPS 
continued to be lacking. In early 2006, DEA submitted to MPS a draft 
MOU, which is awaiting the GVN's response, to allow more-in-depth 
cooperation. 
 
The Road Ahead. The GVN is acutely aware of the threat of drugs and 
Vietnam's increasing domestic drug problem. However, there is 
continued suspicion of foreign law enforcement assistance and/or 
intervention, especially from the United States, in the 
counternarcotics arena. During 2006, as in previous years, the GVN 
made progress with ongoing and new initiatives aimed at the law 
enforcement and social problems that stem from the illegal drug 
trade. Notwithstanding a lack of meaningful operational cooperation 
with DEA,the GVN continued to show a willingness to take unlateral 
action against drugs and drug traffickin. Vietnam still faces many 
internal problems thatmake fighting drugs a challenge. With the 
amendmnt to the counternarcotics LOA, the USG can look frward to 
continued cooperation in the area of asistance to Vietnamese law 
enforcement agencies. perational cooperation, however, remains on 
hold ending the development of a legal framework in Vienam to 
allow foreign law enforcement officers tocarry out operations on 
Vietnamese soil, or the igning of a bilateral agreement between the 
Unitd States and Vietnam that would create a mechanism or the 
joint investigation and development of drg cases. 
 
End text. 
 
MARINE