VZCZCXRO4539
PP RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #0031/01 0121036
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121036Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8997
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 5465

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 HANOI 000031 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP AND INL 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SNAR VM
SUBJECT: 2008-2009 INCSR PART I -- VIETNAM 
 
¶1.  (U) The following is Embassy Hanoi's submission for the 
narcotics section of the 2008-2009 INCSR. 
 
¶2.  (U) Begin INCSR text: 
 
Vietnam 
 
¶I. Summary 
 
The Government of Vietnam (GVN) continued to make progress in its 
counternarcotics efforts during 2008.  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).  Operational 
cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) 
Hanoi Country Office (HCO) has seen increased levels of improvement 
from prior years, but continued progress is still needed in order to 
meet international expectations.  DEA and the GVN's Ministry of 
Public Security (MPS) maintain a memorandum of understanding 
intended to facilitate operational cooperation between the two 
agencies on transnational counternarcotics matters.  Vietnam is a 
party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. 
 
The Government of Vietnam has not yet published official statistics 
for 2008 and independent research and verification of 
narcotics-related data is extremely limited.  As such, some 
statistics are drawn from the state-controlled media and are 
indicated as such. 
 
II. Status of Country 
 
This year, press reports indicate an increase in the poppy 
cultivation areas, particularly in the provinces of Son La, Lao Cai, 
Yen Bai, Lai Chau, Lang Son, Gia Lai, Dac Lak, Hau Giang and Dong 
Nai.  Official UNODC statistical tables no longer list Vietnam 
separately in drug production analyses.  Cultivation in Vietnam 
probably accounts for only about one percent of the total 
cultivation in Southeast Asia, according to law enforcement 
estimates.  There appear to be small amounts of cannabis grown in 
remote regions of southern Vietnam.  In previous years, DEA has had 
no evidence of any Vietnamese-produced narcotics reaching the United 
States nor was Vietnam a source or transit country for precursors. 
However, recent intelligence information indicates that precursor 
chemicals and Ecstasy are beginning to be shipped from Vietnam into 
Canada for eventual distribution in the United States.  Safrole 
(sassafras oil-From which Ecstasy can be produced) is no longer 
produced in Vietnam, but it 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 2008, the GVN continued to view other Golden Triangle countries, 
primarily Burma and Laos, as the source for most of the heroin 
supplied to Vietnam.  GVN authorities are particularly concerned 
about rising ATS use among urban youth.  During 2008, the GVN 
increased the pace of enforcement and awareness programs that they 
hope will avoid a youth synthetic drug epidemic.  Resource 
constraints in all aspects of narcotics programs are pervasive, and 
GVN counternarcotics officials note that, as a developing country, 
Vietnam will continue to face resource constraints for the 
foreseeable future, despite annual budget increases for 
counternarcotics efforts.  Drug laws remain very tough in Vietnam. 
For possession or trafficking of 600 grams (something more than one 
pound) or more of heroin, or 20 kg (44 pounds) 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 from 
five to 15 individuals (who are often related to each other) usually 
do most narcotics trafficking. 
 
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 2008 
 
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 standing member, has a 
specialized unit to combat and suppress drug crimes.  During 2008, 
many provinces and cities continued to implement 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. 
 
 
HANOI 00000031  002 OF 004 
 
 
The GVN has continued to rely heavily on counternarcotics 
propaganda, culminating in the annual drug awareness month in June 
¶2008.  Officially sponsored activities cover every aspect of 
society, from schools to unions to civic organizations and 
government offices.  The GVN's well-publicized campaign - initiated 
in late 2005 and directed against nightclubs and karaoke bars in Ho 
Chi Minh City, Hanoi and other urban centers at which patrons were 
suspected of using MDMA and other "party drugs" - has carried over 
into 2008.  The MPS also works with relevant agencies to outline a 
national strategy on drug abuse control from now to 2020.  The 
strategy is slated to intensify the crackdown on drug trafficking. 
Alongside this strategy, the MPS also took part in revising and 
supplementing the Law on Anti-Drug Abuse and launched a project to 
collect and process illicit drug-related information.  In 2008, the 
GVN continued 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. 
 
Law Enforcement Efforts 
 
According press reporting, there were 12,850 drug cases involving 
20,268 suspects in 2008.  Out of that number, there were 61 cases 
involving 127 foreigners.  Total seizures include 156 kg of heroin, 
19 kg of opium, 8,657 kg of cannabis, 44,054 ATS tablets, and 13,543 
tablets and 1,188 ampoules of addictive pharmaceuticals.  The 
numbers of cases and traffickers during 2008 represent an increase 
of 3,900 cases (43.6 percent) and 6,700 suspects (49.4 percent) 
percent compared with 2007. 
 
Foreign law enforcement representatives in Vietnam acknowledge that 
operational cooperation on counternarcotics cases is limited largely 
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. 
Changes in Vietnamese law to allow the establishment of a legal and 
procedural basis for Vietnam's cooperation with foreign law 
enforcement agencies are necessary to reach international standards, 
rather than the current situation where operational "cooperation" is 
determined on a case-by-case basis.  USG law enforcement agencies 
noted that the development of agency-to-agency agreements have 
improved the cooperation climate.  During 2008, cooperation levels 
between GVN law enforcement authorities and DEA's HCO continued to 
improve.  DEA agents have experienced a few incidents where they 
have been officially permitted to work directly with GVN 
counternarcotics officials.  While cooperation was limited to 
receiving information and investigative requests from DEA, the GNV 
counternarcotics department was more interactive and demonstrated 
more progressive thinking in response to DEA requests.  Thus far, 
counternarcotics police have not shared detailed investigative 
information with DEA, providing only the investigative basics. 
During 2007, DEA received operational cooperation on a 
money-laundering investigation in which MPS assisted in the receipt 
of alleged drug money that was remitted to Vietnam through a money 
laundering organization in the United States, and in 2008 were 
granted approval to conduct an additional investigation.  However, 
despite requests made by DEA, MPS provided little investigation 
information on the organizations or businesses that facilitated the 
illegal money remittance in Vietnam. 
 
Corruption 
 
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 demonstrated willingness to prosecute officials, although 
the targets were relatively low-level. 
 
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 Corruption Convention and the UN Convention 
against Transnational Organized Crime. 
 
Cultivation/Production 
 
No specific data for 2008 is available on re-plantation or 
cultivation; however, estimates suggest that opium poppy cultivation 
remains sharply reduced from an estimated 12,900 ha in 1993, when 
the GVN began opium poppy eradication.  There have been recent 
confirmed reports that ATS and heroin have been produced in Vietnam. 
 Local ATS production relies on ATS powder brought from outside the 
country, which is then processed into pills. GVN law enforcement 
 
HANOI 00000031  003 OF 004 
 
 
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 to eradicate poppies when found and to 
implement crop substitution.  There were, however, some reports of 
trafficking in heroin among hill tribes along the border with Laos. 
 
Drug Flow/Transit 
 
Law enforcement sources and the UNODC believe that significant 
amounts of drugs are transiting Vietnam.  Generally, 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 2008 
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, Ecstasy, and especially 
"ice" methamphetamine (crystal methamphetamine), and other drugs 
such as diazepam and Ketamine continue to worry the government. 
Such drugs are most popular in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other 
major cities.  During 2008, numerous cases involving ATS trafficking 
and consumption were reported in the media, including mass arrests 
following raids on popular nightclubs.  DEA has received recent 
information on Vietnam based organization beginning to ship Ecstasy 
from Vietnam into Canada for the eventual distribution in the United 
States. 
 
Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction 
 
According to press reports, by the end of November 2008, there were 
180,712 officially registered drug users nationwide, an increase of 
13,881 addicts over last year.  Included in that figure are 120,445 
addicts living in the community, and 31,446 and 28,821 other addicts 
living, respectively, in MPS (Ministry of Public Security) prisons 
and MOLISA (Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs) 
treatment centers. Vietnam has 87 provincial-level treatment centers 
providing treatment to about 58,000 drug addicts annually, a 
six-fold increase compared with 2001. The number of "unofficial" 
(i.e., not acknowledged officially) drug users is at least 1.5 times 
higher. Ministries distributed hundreds of thousands of 
counternarcotics leaflets and videos, and organized counternarcotics 
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 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 strives to integrate 
addiction treatment and vocational training to facilitate the 
rehabilitation of drug addicts.  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. 
 
HIV/AIDS is a serious and growing problem in Vietnam and addressing 
the HIV prevention needs of injecting drug users (IDU) remains the 
foremost priority in Vietnam's efforts to combat HIV/AIDS.  UNAIDS 
reports a total of 132,000 HIV cases in the country, a figure 
considered accurate by both the GVN and the USG.   More than 60 
percent of known HIV cases are IDUs, with many additional infections 
resulting from transmission to the sexual partners and children of 
these individuals.  The Vietnamese National Strategy for HIV 
Prevention and Control, launched in March 2004, presents a 
comprehensive response to HIV, including condom promotion, clean 
needle and syringe programs, voluntary counseling and testing and 
HIV/AIDS treatment and care. 
 
In June 2004, Vietnam was designated the 15th focus country under 
the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).  USG FY08 
funding, $88.5million, is distributed through key PEPFAR agencies 
such as USAID, HHS/CDC, and the U.S. Department of Defense.  The 
majority of USG support targets seven current focus provinces 
(Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, An Giang 
and Nghe An) where the epidemic is most severe; however, PEPFAR also 
supports HIV counseling and testing and community outreach for drug 
users and sex workers in 30 provinces.  The Methadone Maintenance 
Therapy (MMT) program for IDU is currently operational in three 
sites in HCMC and three sites in Hai Phong, with plans to expand the 
program to Hanoi in the near future. 
 
The concentration of HIV infection in IDU populations in Vietnam has 
spurred the PEPFAR program to focus HIV prevention, care, and 
treatment efforts in these key urban settings and along drug 
transport corridors to prevent the continued spread of HIV.   Even 
in focused settings, stigma and discrimination against IDU in 
Vietnam - exacerbated by historical campaigns characterizing drug 
use as a "social evil" - have made it difficult to obtain accurate 
IDU population size estimates and to expand access to needed 
services.  The GVN has officially "registered" more than 180,000 IDU 
 
HANOI 00000031  004 OF 004 
 
 
nationally, but the actual size of this population is estimated to 
be many times higher.  In addition, using even the most conservative 
estimates of population size, coverage of basic prevention services 
remains low.  For example, PEPFAR-supported outreach efforts only 
provided education to a maximum of 4 percent of the estimated number 
of IDU in Hanoi, and a maximum of 40 percent of the estimated number 
of registered IDU in Ho Chi Minh City.  The successful referral of 
these individuals to HIV counseling and testing and other care and 
treatment services also remains an essential priority given the 
burden of HIV infection among IDU, but continues to be a challenge. 
According to the latest PEPFAR program reports, a maximum of 5 
percent of the number of IDU in Hanoi, and a maximum of 13 percent 
of the number of IDU in Ho Chi Minh City, have received HIV 
counseling and testing. 
 
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
Policy Initiatives 
 
Under the Vietnam-U.S. Counternarcotics Assistance LOA, U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection delivered contraband enforcement training to 
GVN customs, border guards, and maritime administration officials. 
This training included three field visits for GVN officials to U.S. 
ports to observe best practices and three in-country training 
courses held in major port cities.  During July and August, DEA and 
JIATF-W sponsored two-week Officer Tactics and Safety training 
seminars for MPS and Border Army officials in Hanoi and HCMC, and a 
three-week Small Craft Maintenance and Training Seminar for MPS in 
HCMC.  The USG also provided port security and vulnerability 
assessment and container inspection training to Vietnam.  The USG 
also contributed to counternarcotics efforts in Vietnam through the 
UNODC. 
 
The Road Ahead 
 
The GVN is acutely aware of the threat of drugs and Vietnam's 
increasing domestic drug problem.  However, there is a guarded 
approach to foreign law enforcement assistance and/or intervention 
in the counternarcotics arena. During 2008, 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.  The GVN continued to show a willingness to take unilateral 
action against drugs and drug trafficking, and began to reach out 
for assistance from foreign law enforcement organizations.  Vietnam 
still faces many internal problems that make fighting drugs a 
challenge.  USG-GVN operational cooperation is on the rise. 
However, such cooperation will remain limited until the development 
of a legal framework to allow some manner of involvement of foreign 
law enforcement officers in law enforcement investigations on 
Vietnamese soil, or the signing of a bilateral agreement between the 
United States and Vietnam to create a mechanism for the joint 
investigation and development of drug cases.  The November 2006 
Memorandum of Understanding between DEA and the GVN's Ministry of 
Public Security (MPS) was a first step in this direction, but this 
non-binding agreement directly addresses law enforcement cooperation 
on a case-by-case basis and only at the central government level. 
 
End text. 
 
MICHALAK