NARCOTICS CERTIFICATION FOR VIETNAM FOR 2005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 HANOI 001430

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR INL/AAE; EAP/BCLTV; INR/EAP/SEA; L/LEI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR PREL PGOV KCRM PINS VM CNARC
SUBJECT: NARCOTICS CERTIFICATION FOR VIETNAM FOR 2005

Ref: A. SECSTATE 94578; B. Hanoi 0001; C. 03 Hanoi 3156; D.
03 Hanoi 3288; E. 03 Hanoi 0353; F. 03 Hanoi 0549; G. 04
Hanoi 2734; H. 04 Hanoi 663.


1. (SBU) Summary and Comment: Vietnam has made substantial
progress on the key metric of opium poppy cultivation and
heroin production. Interagency Mission consensus is that
Vietnam now has less than 200 hectares of opium under
cultivation, and that represents a shifting patchwork of
small fields used by ethnic minorities in remote areas for
local consumption and is not refined into heroin. This
assessment is also shared by the UN Office of Drugs and
Crime (UNODC) and by the members of the Mini Dublin Group.
No individual or agency inside or outside the USG considers
Vietnam to have more than trace amounts of opium under
cultivation. Vietnam's presence on the "Majors List" as a
"major drug-producing country" is based on a five-year old
imagery survey which is universally considered out of date.
A scheduled full poppy cultivation estimate in 2002 was not
completed, but an official USG report states that "it is
likely that opium poppy cultivation in Vietnam is less than
1,000 hectares." Moreover, Vietnam has successfully
completed a USG-funded, UNODC-administered crop substitution
program in Ky Son District. Based on the above, Mission
Vietnam recommends removing Vietnam from the Majors List in

2005.


2. (SBU) Summary and Comment continued: The GVN continues
to focus intensively on battling its primary drug problem -
domestic consumption of imported heroin - and to develop its
understanding of the emerging amphetamine-type stimulant
(ATS) threat. Corruption remains a problem in narcotics
enforcement (as it does in many other areas),but the
authorities, including the National Assembly, the Prime
Minister and the Communist Party, are making efforts to
address it. New legal instruments to tackle drug use and
trafficking, and internationally funded training of
Vietnamese counterdrug personnel (including U.S. training)
have contributed to a substantial increase in the quantity
of drugs seized in the past year, and, the GVN has told us,
a major increase in the wholesale price of heroin in Ho Chi
Minh City. The GVN has also created new laws to combat
money laundering, a key component of its bid to join the
World Trade Organization (WTO). Within the limits of its
relatively ineffective public service infrastructure, the
GVN is doing a decent job of fighting narcotics and exhibits
serious political will to confront traffickers. Limited
capacity and widespread corruption are the main obstacles to
continued success in counternarcotics efforts.


3. (SBU) Summary and Comment continued: The GVN could
accomplish more in its domestic counternarcotics efforts and
contribute more effectively to regional and international
efforts if it would relax legal and policy restrictions
against operational cooperation with international law
enforcement representatives in Vietnam. Existing legal and
procedural prohibitions prevent Vietnamese counterdrug
forces from sharing information deemed "sensitive" (which
includes some important data, including the outcome of
informant-assisted drug investigations that could validate
sources of counternarcotics intelligence) and from
cooperating directly with foreign counterparts. The
bureaucratically cumbersome process of working through
liaison offices sacrifices investigative momentum and
deprives Vietnamese and foreign investigators of the
benefits of creative problem-solving. Senior U.S.
officials, including the Ambassador and high-ranking
visitors from the United States, have raised this issue with
Vietnam's political leadership, which has in the past
insisted that only formal legal treaties and agreements
(such as an MLAT) can resolve this dilemma. The Embassy
remains actively engaged in working with the GVN to solve
this problem. End Summary and Comment.


4. (U) In response to incoming request (Ref A),post is
providing responses keyed to 2005 certification instruction
points as follows:


5. (U) Implementation of the counternarcotics Master Plan
for 2001-2005 in coordination with the United Nations Office
of Drugs and Crime (UNODC):

-- This is an ongoing activity that continues to make slow
but steady progress. Since the last report, UNODC has
continued its support with a USD 276,000 project designed to
help the GVN finalize the plan (which now is extended to
2010). The USG contributed USD 100,000 to the project.
According to Bui Xuan Hieu, Section Chief, Vietnam Standing
Office for Drug Control (SODC),Prime Minister Phan Van Khai
approved the national drug control masterplan through 2010
on March 10, 2005. The Government is now working to
implement the plan.


6. (U) Continued focus on narcotics-related corruption,
including policy statements that make it clear that
narcotics-related corruption will not be tolerated and will
be severely punished, including the removal and prosecution
of corrupt officials, when found:

-- Corruption has become a hot topic for debate in Vietnam,
especially during the ongoing summer National Assembly
session. Corruption is one of six other issues that has
gained more attention from the citizenry nationwide in
advance of National Assembly hearings. Vietnam's first anti-
corruption Law is expected to be passed during the June 2005
session;

-- The UN, law enforcement agencies and the GVN view
corruption in Vietnam as an endemic problem that exists at
all levels and in all sectors. In its public statements,
the GVN takes a strong stand against corruption in general,
but has not singled out narcotics-related corruption for
specific attention. In early 2005, the Government
Inspectorate proposed eight additional acts of corruption in
the draft corruption law, making a total of 15. Prime
Minister Phan Van Khai declared in his proposal for the
creation of an anti-corruption agency, "anyone in any
position who commits or shelters corruption would be dealt
with publicly by the law". In addition, 2005 saw the case
of former Vice Minister of Trade Mai Van Dau, arrested for
further investigation into claims of corrupt activities in
connection with quota allocation for garment exports. Dau
was relieved of his post by a decision from the Prime
Minister (Ref B). Another case involved La Thi Kim Oanh
(Ref C),a former official of the Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development. She was sentenced to death for
misappropriating USD 4.9 million and causing a loss of USD
2.2 million to the state budget; two Vice Ministers were
found guilty of related charges, although their sentences
were suspended upon appeal. There have recently been a
number of other corruption cases.

-- In a May 2005 case, Tran Nghia Vinh and Ho Manh Quan,
Petrolimex Joint Stock Company (PJICO) General Director and
Deputy General Director, were arrested for bribery.
According to the police, Vinh and Quan accepted about USD
120,000. The case is under further investigation. Also in
May, Tang Ba Trang, Chief Investigator, Hai Duong Provincial
Police, was arrested in a separate case for bribery.
According to the MPS investigation office, Trang asked for
and accepted about USD 11,000 from a number of mobile phone
shops. In a separate case in 2004, Nguyen Quang Thuong,
Deputy Director of Petrol Vietnam, along with eight other
individuals, was arrested for taking a USD 3 million bribe.
Also in May, Nguyen Hoang Duong, Officer from Uong Bi Town
People's Court in Quang Ninh, was arrested in a drug-related
corruption case. Duong, according to initial investigation
reports, acted as a middleman for bribes in a Vietnam - Laos
drug case. In another case, four policemen from Ha Giang
Province were arrested in June, 2005. The State
Inspectorate reported 257 corruption cases in 2003
throughout the country involving 556 individuals, causing a
loss of USD 104 million. In 2004, there were 185 corruption
cases;

-- Senior GVN officials continue to speak out against
corruption. Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said during the
Government's January 2005 meeting that, in 2005, Vietnam
"declared war" against corruption. Separately, in a meeting
with voters, Khai called for the people's combined efforts
against corruption. In January, during a conference on
state inspection, State President Tran Duc Luong called for
stepping up the combat against corruption. Furthermore,
President of the Vietnam Journalists' Association Hong Vinh
urged local reporters to provide in-depth coverage of the
fight against corruption;

-- In addition to a 2002 bilateral anti-corruption agreement
between Vietnam and Sweden providing about USD 2.7 million
to fund research on socio-economic policy and anti-
corruption measures over a three-year period, Ms. Maria
Norrfalk, SIDA General Director, said in November 2004 that
the next priority for Sweden's development assistance in
Vietnam is to aid Vietnam's combat against corruption.


7. (U) Developing and implementing regulations enabling the
tools provided in the new counternarcotics law to be used
fully and effectively to investigate major drug-trafficking
groups:

-- The National Assembly passed a comprehensive
counternarcotics law on December 9, 2000, which came into
effect on June 1, 2001. The GVN directed the Ministry of
Public Security (MPS) and other ministries, including the
Ministry of Justice (MOJ),to agree on a common approach for
implementation. In addition, MOJ was tasked with working
with MPS and other relevant agencies to review existing
counternarcotics legal documents and make appropriate
amendments to facilitate implementation of the new law.
There is now a donor coordination group consisting of
Sweden, Denmark and the USAID-funded Support for Trade
Acceleration (STAR) project that meets once a month to
discuss legal issues; however, the focus is not specifically
on narcotics;

-- Between 1953 and 2004, Vietnam passed more than 70
decrees and legal documents concerning drug issues. More
recently, the GVN has made public eight decrees related to
the counternarcotics law. These decrees:

a. list narcotic substances and precursor chemicals;
b. guide the control of lawful drug-related activities in
Vietnam;
c. stipulate the rehabilitation schedule, procedures and
regimes for drug addicts assigned to compulsory
rehabilitation centers;
d. designate and define "family organization" and
"community-based" rehabilitation;
e. prescribe the regime of compensation and allowances for
individuals, families, agencies and organizations suffering
life, health and property damage while participating in drug
prevention activities;
f. stipulate the rewards and commendations for individuals,
families, agencies and organizations recording achievements
in drug prevention;
g. assign responsibility on international cooperation in
the field of drug prevention. (Note: According to DEA's
Hanoi Country Office, this decree contains no concrete
formulation for creating a framework to allow for
information sharing and/or cooperative law enforcement
efforts. The decree also does not provide implementing
regulations for international controlled deliveries, which
is mentioned in the 2001 drug law); and,
h. regulate the management of private treatment centers and
stipulate conditions and procedures to grant and revoke
working licenses for such centers.

-- An eighth (and key) decree, concerning law enforcement,
has apparently been issued, but according to an MPS
official, it has not been made public due to its
"sensitivity."

-- A preliminary analysis by a UNODC legal official
concluded that the decrees are "insufficient in terms of
establishing a proper drug control legal system." The
decrees tend to focus on drug control areas, which are
"generally less complex and controversial," the official
added. There is still a need for "new and proper" legal
instruments in areas such as procedures, conditions, systems
for investigations, international cooperation, extradition,
controlled delivery and maritime cooperation, according to
the analysis;

-- Another problem is Vietnam's lack of judicial capacity.
UNODC's Chief lamented that this issue is "still not
adequately addressed" by the donor community. Without
improved judicial capacity, concrete progress in this area
"will be difficult," she opined;

-- While not directly related to the drug law, on May 29,
2003, the GVN issued Decree 58, which deals with the control
of import, export, and transit of drug substances,
precursors, additive drugs, and psychotropical substances.
According to the decree, only businesses authorized by the
Ministries of Health, Industry and Public Security can
import/export drug substances, precursors, addictive drugs
and psychotropical substances for specific, licit purposes.
The GVN has tasked MPS to coordinate with other concerned
ministries and agencies to manage and control the
import/export of these narcotic substances;

-- While the counternarcotics law allows for law enforcement
techniques such as controlled deliveries, the GVN appears
reluctant to engage in this area and/or meaningfully
cooperate with DEA's Hanoi Country Office or other law
enforcement entities in Hanoi. DEA has informed MPS'
counternarcotics unit (C-17) about several major heroin
shipments transiting Vietnam. C-17 officials did not
noticeably respond or react to the DEA-provided information,
or did not share information about its follow-up. According
to DEA, a willingness on the part of MPS to coordinate
investigative action could have resulted in major seizures.
MPS has declined to accept DEA offers to fund operations.
Furthermore, MPS continues to maintain that it is unable to
share operational information with DEA due to "national
security considerations" (Ref D).


8. (U) Increased seizures of opium, heroin and amphetamine-
type stimulants (ATS),followed by increased investigations
and prosecutions of traffickers:

-- The GVN continued to arrest and prosecute drug
traffickers in 2004 and 2005 (Refs G and H). According to
SODC, in 2004, there were 12,000 drug cases with 18,260
offenders arrested. The seizures include 239.4 kilograms of
heroin, 58.6 kilograms of opium, 1,021 kilograms of
cannabis, 21,543 doses of unspecified drugs, 39,467 ATS
pills and 5,528 vials of addictive pharmaceuticals. To
compare with 2003, heroin seizure was up by 57.4 percent,
synthetic drugs by 46 percent and cannabis by 39.2 percent,
but opium was down by 79 percent. Seizures of heroin,
opium, ATS, addictive pharmaceuticals and cannabis in 25
border provinces respectively accounted for 82 percent, 94
percent, 78 percent, 83 percent, and 96 percent of the
country's total volume. According SODC, there were 170,400
drug abusers by the end of 2004, an increase of 9,700 people
(six percent) as compared to 2003. ATS use, especially
ecstasy among teenagers, continued to soar. During early
2005, police in major cities have discovered cases involving
significant ecstasy use. In a single case, HCMC police
raided a karaoke bar in Binh Thanh District to arrest 148
users and seize 30 ecstasy pills and 5 packages of ketamine.
In another case, Hanoi police arrested members of an ecstasy
trafficking ring in Hai Phong and seized 2,750 ecstasy pills
(959.246 grams of MDMA) with a value of USD 51,000;

-- Drug crimes in the southwest continue to be thorny.
Since 2001, authorities detected 1,158 cases, arrested 2,573
offenders, and seized 22.7 kilograms of heroin, 1.2 kilogram
of opium, 1987.5 kilograms of cannabis, 52,549 ATS pills and
314,672 vials of addictive pharmaceuticals. The number of
cases and offenders was up respectively by 169 and 319
compared with the 1998 - 2000 period;

-- Strengthened suppression in HCMC led to a sharp increase
on the heroin price, from USD 21,000/kilogram in 2003 to USD
36,000/kilogram in 2004, according to SODC's "monthly
journal." In 2004, the city authorities discovered 1,135
cases, arrested 2,326 suspects and seized 22.9 kilograms of
heroin, 2.7 kilograms of opium, 14 kilograms of cannabis,
2,000 ATS pills and other evidence;

-- Concerning prosecutions, the GVN, according to law
enforcement sources, moves fairly vigorously to prosecute
those arrested. As noted above, those prosecuted are
generally street-level dealers. GVN law enforcement
authorities have not demonstrated the will or ability to use
street-level arrests to pursue higher-level narcotics
traffickers, according to DEA;

-- Vietnam's threshold for the death penalty is among the
lowest in the world and drug sentences tend to be harsh.
Possession of 100 grams of heroin or 20 kilograms of opium
can result in the death penalty, according to SODC.
Although the number of offenses subject to the death penalty
has been reduced from 44 to 29 in the Revised Penal Code, in
recent years, most of the death sentences were handed down
on drug traffickers, according to MFA Spokesman Le Dung.
Substantial cases, and sentences, develop in all parts of
the country. According to recent press accounts, HCMC
People's Court handed down at the end of a five-day trial on
January 10, 2005, death sentences to six traffickers, and
life sentences to five others. Ringleader Cu Thi Ngoc Hanh
and accomplices were convicted of trafficking 2.8 kilograms
of heroin and 2,430 ATS pills on Saigon River in 2002. In
Haiphong, the City People's Court sentenced early in the
year Dinh Thi Xuan to death for trafficking 1.5 tons of
cannabis. Xuan had already received two sentences worth 16
years in jail by the People's Courts in HCMC and Quang Ninh
province for drug trafficking in 2003 and 2004. Most
recently, on May 25, 2005, HCMC People's Court handed down
in the country's biggest ever case 16 death penalties, nine
life sentences and other lengthy prison terms for
trafficking an accumulated amount of 820 kilograms of heroin
and possessing weapons.


9. (U) Productive cooperation with regional neighbors,
including Laos, the PRC, Burma and other countries, to
reverse threatening trends in narcotics trafficking:

-- During late 2003 and throughout 2004, Vietnam continued
efforts in regional and international cooperation.
According to press reports, a November 16 - 19 trilateral
meeting on Drug Control Cooperation among Cambodia, Laos and
Vietnam was held in Phnom Penh under the chairmanship of
Teng Savong, Cambodian Deputy Minister of Interior and Chief
of the Office of the National Committee on Drugs.
Vietnamese Vice Minister of Public Security Le The Tiem, who
headed the Vietnamese delegation, said during the meeting
(while acknowledging increased drug trafficking along the
Vietnam-Cambodia border),that enhanced counternarcotics
coordination by the police, customs and border army forces
between the countries had created strength and effectiveness
in drug control, particularly along the borders. Vice
Minister Tiem urged the three countries to sign "many more"
counternarcotics agreements both at the sub-regional and the
international level. In 2004, the law enforcement forces of
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia detected 2,100 cases with 3,200
offenders, and seized 100 kilograms of heroin, 63 kilograms
of opium, 940 kilograms of cannabis, 25,000 ATS tablets and
3,800 vials of addictive pharmaceuticals.

-- At the 3rd Meeting of the ASEAN Inter-Parliament
Organization (AIPO) Drugs Investigation Board May 6-9,
Nguyen Thi Hong Xinh, member of the National Assembly's
Commission on Social Affairs, presented Vietnam's
achievements in its fight against drugs. Representatives of
eight member-states including Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao,
Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore participated in
the meeting, which was organized in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

-- The Republic of Korea pledged USD 534,000 to help
Vietnam's anti-drug efforts. A two-year project was signed
on July 27 by representatives of SODC and the Korean
International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The project will
develop an Intranet system linking the three major cities of
Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City to modernize the
administrative network and provide training to Vietnamese
officials. This is the first program of international
cooperation between the two countries in the field of drug
control;

-- During the official visit by Burmese Prime Minister Khin
Nyunt to Vietnam on August 9, Vietnamese Public Security
Minister Le Hong Anh and Burmese Interior Minister Tin Lang
signed an agreement on cooperation in crime prevention;

-- Police Colonel Pham Ho, Chief of Interpol Vietnam, led
the Vietnamese delegation to the 24th meeting of the ASEAN
Police Chiefs on August 16 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Representatives of ten ASEAN member countries, the
International Police General Secretary and observers of
police services from Australia, New Zealand and East Timor
discussed the establishment of an ASEAN police information
center to fight economic, cyber and hi-tech crimes and drug
trafficking;

-- Vietnamese and Thai security forces plan to set up a
hotline to exchange information about regional drug
trafficking. An agreement on the hotline was reached on
September 13 during the first Vietnam - Thailand Bilateral
Meeting on Drug Control Cooperation in Ho Chi Minh City;

-- During the September 27 - October 2 visit to Vietnam by
Mr. Kideng Thamavong, Vice Chairman of Lao Commission of
Drug Control, Police General Le The Tiem, Vice Minister of
Public Security had a meeting with the commission to discuss
the implementation of the bilateral agreement on drug
control cooperation signed in July 1998;

-- According to SODC, for the entire year of 2004, there
were 32 counternarcotics visits with about 200 officials to
and 26 from Vietnam. Simultaneously, Vietnam held during
the year 17 training courses for more than 400
counternarcotics officers. Concerning counternarcotics
cooperation projects, Vietnam continued to implement seven
national projects and two regional ones with a total value
of USD 4.5 million. Vietnam has existing counternarcotics
MOUs with China, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Hungary,
Russia and the United States.


10. (U) Continued eradication of domestic illicit poppy
cultivation and support of crop-substitution projects to
eliminate it completely:

-- The USG officially estimates that there are about 2,300
hectares of opium poppy under cultivation in Vietnam.
However, there has not been a satellite-based opium yield
survey since 2000. This estimate is considered high by the
GVN, UNODC and law enforcement sources. The Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reported that in
the 2003 - 2004 season, local authorities found and
eradicated 35 hectares of poppy, a reduction of 73 hectares
or 69 percent as compared to the 2002 - 2003 crop, primarily
in six provinces in the north and central regions, including
Cao Bang (0.15 ha),Lao Cai (0.5 ha),Son La (25.36 ha),
Dien Bien (5.4 ha),Yen Bai (0.45 ha) and Thanh Hoa (0.6
ha). No poppy was found in Nghe An, though during the last
season authorities detected 15 hectares regrown. SODC
confirmed that "when we find poppy cultivation, we eradicate
it." Based on numerous provincial visits by Embassy
officers, there appears to be a sincere effort to eradicate
poppy, when found. However, GVN officials have admitted
that complete eradication is unrealistic, given the
remoteness of mountainous areas in the northwest and extreme
poverty among ethnic minority populations who still use
opium for traditional and medicinal purposes. Regrowth in
remote areas, particularly in the northwest, remains a small
but persistent problem, as does limited cannabis growth in
areas near the Cambodian border;

-- In addition to the successful Ky Son alternate
development project in Nghe An (with significant USG
support),the MARD has continued to support projects in
various provinces. The GVN, through MARD, independently
supports crop substitution projects in other provinces,
including Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Ha Giang, Cao Bang and Lang
Son. The GVN has tasked MARD to develop a national crop
substitution proposal to include in the GVN's 2006-2010
Master Plan. To avoid indirectly encouraging poppy
cultivation through subsidies for eradication, the GVN has
placed all crop substitution subsidies under national
programs to alleviate poverty in poor, mountainous regions.


11. (U) Continued focus on creating a legal framework to
address money laundering and other forms of financial
crimes:

-- There is a growing awareness and concern among officials
in the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) and the Ministry of
Public Security about the issue of money laundering and
financial crimes in general. A year ago the prevailing view
within the GVN was that the relatively closed financial
system prevented money laundering. Now the GVN recognizes
the need for additional controls in the system to prevent
money laundering and that steps to prevent money laundering
in the informal inflows from abroad are also necessary.
Various donors including the World Bank, IMF and ADB have
been actively providing advice in this area.

-- Currently no specific law in Vietnam covers money
laundering, although it is mentioned in other laws such as
the comprehensive counternarcotics law, the Penal Code
Article 251 (definition) and the Law on Credit Institutions.
However, in June 2005 the government issued a decree on
money laundering, to take effect on August 1. Under the
decree, information about suspected transactions will be
transferred to the Money Laundering Prevention Center in the
SBV and police for investigation. The decree also spells
out the responsibilities of financial institutions,
organizations and individuals in the anti-money laundering
effort in the country. ADB funded an expert to help Vietnam
draft its money laundering decree.

-- A handful of State owned commercial banks dominate
Vietnam's banking sector. While there are private banks,
including foreign banks, their share of the market is less
than ten percent. However, the banking system in Vietnam is
segmented and lacks real, transparent and easily verifiable
controls. Although banks are under the supervision of the
State Bank, that supervision is minimal. Vietnam is in the
process of implementing financial sector reform as part of a
loan from the World Bank and other donors. At the
insistence of the bilateral donors, the GVN is placing
greater emphasis on this area of reform. Some of that
reform is relevant to these issues (increased transparency,
more effective regulation and overall stability of the
banking system). It will be critical that law enforcement
training regarding financial crimes accompanies reform of
the banking system.

-- The DEA Hanoi Country Office has documented in recent
years that U.S.-based ethnic Vietnamese drug traffickers
have been laundering millions of dollars in drug proceeds
back to Vietnam; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and
Australian Federal Police, among other international law
enforcement agencies, have reported a similar trend among
ethnic Vietnamese drug traffickers located elsewhere. These
drug traffickers typically employ wire transfers,
underground bankers, real estate purchases and simple cash
smuggling to move millions of dollars into Vietnam, and from
Vietnam to third countries. It has been the HCO's
experience that, at this time, the Vietnam Ministry of
Public Security possesses no practical ability to support
international money laundering investigations in conjunction
with DEA or any foreign law enforcement agency.


12. (U) Increasing efforts to support drug awareness and
prevention, demand reduction and treatment of drug users and
addicts:

-- The GVN views drug awareness and prevention as a
significant objective in its fight against drugs as well as
an integral part of its efforts to comply fully with the
1988 UN Drug Convention. The GVN has continued a steady
drumbeat of anti-drug propaganda, culminating in a drug
awareness week every June. During the week, youth and mass
organizations engage in various activities to spread the
anti-drug message. These include art contests, speeches,
posters, slogans and meetings. National and local
television and radio stations have broadcast more than 1500
counternarcotics news items. In June 2004, Vietnam
Television covered various programs concerning drug use
among teenagers and the compulsory and community treatment
model in Tuyen Quang;

-- By the end of 2004, official GVN statistics reported
170,407 registered addicts, a six percent increase against
last year. The UN and other agencies suspect the actual
number is substantially higher. During 2004, 32 out of 64
provinces and cities throughout the country witnessed a
total increase of 8,240 addicts. 28 other provinces had
their numbers reduced by a total of 9,075. 1,451 addicts
died of drugs, accounting for 0.8 percent of Vietnam's
official addict population. According to GVN statistics,
3,017 government employees are addicts, including 299
teachers. 85 percent of all officially recorded drug use is
heroin. According to Nguyen Vi Hung, Director of the Hanoi
Department for Social Evils Prevention, there were 15,697
drug users in Hanoi by December 2004. The number of drug
users receiving treatment in 2004 was 6,600; of that number,
6,000 were in compulsory treatment. 80 percent of known sex
workers used drugs and between 40 and 50 percent were
infected with HIV. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and
Social Affairs (MOLISA) is the GVN ministry tasked with
providing drug treatment services. Since 2001, Emboffs have
visited most drug treatment centers in northern Vietnam as
well as some in the south (Ref E). According to SODC, there
are now more than 100 big and small centers at the
provincial level, which have a capacity of between 100 to
1,000 addicts each. There are also 700 centers at lower
levels. Provincial authorities run most centers, but some
are supported by mass organizations, such as the Youth
Union. Most drug treatment centers are basic and suffer
from a lack of physical and material resources. The addict
population is a combination of those who enter voluntarily
and others who are undergoing compulsory treatment. Drug
treatment, as with other public sector services in Vietnam,
suffers from a lack of resources. However, the GVN has
continued efforts to expand drug treatment in 2005.
According to SODC, as of 2005, of 170,407 addicts,
approximately 35,795 had been assigned "compulsory"
treatment;

-- Under the new Master Plan, between now and 2010, the
government aims to reduce the number of drug users by
between 20 and 30 percent as compared with 2001; 70 percent
of the communes, city wards and townships are to become both
drug abuse and drug crime free; 90 percent of the
workplaces, schools and armed force units will be certified
drug free; and treatment will be provided to 80 percent of
the entire addict population. By the end of 2004, 5,093 out
of 11,000 communes and wards declared themselves drug free.
Upgrading existing treatment facilities and building new
ones including three regional model centers in HCMC, Hanoi
and Nghe An are also included under the plan;

-- In addition to drug treatment centers, those with less
severe addictions may be treated under a community-based
treatment scheme (Ref F). Despite apparently good
intentions, it appears that implementation is rather thin
and uneven, with "peer pressure" the main component of
treatment following detoxification. Community-based
treatment nonetheless at least provides addicts with a
supportive infrastructure (and limited vocational training)
that would otherwise not be available;

-- During its June 2003 session, the National Assembly
approved a five-year pilot project on post-treatment
vocational training and employment developed by the HCMC
People's Committee. Nguyen Minh Triet, Chairman of Ho Chi
Minh City Party Committee and CPV Politburo member, said "I
would bet my political career on the success of this
program." The one-to-three year program is compulsory for
those judged at high risk for returning to drugs. It is
voluntary for others who have finished their compulsory
treatment and judged less at risk. According to Nguyen
Hoang Mai of the National Assembly's Social Affairs
Committee, the goal of the program is to try to reduce the
relapse rate (generally estimated at about 85 percent,
similar to western countries) by providing recovering
addicts with skills that will enable them to assume
"productive lives after treatment." The pilot project is
now underway in HCMC. Le Thanh Hai, Chairman of the HCMC
People's Committee, pointed out that vocational training and
employment opportunities for addicts is among eight major
issues to be "definitely solved" in 2004. As a result of
the project, 200 former drug users who have completed drug
rehabilitation and vocational training have started work at
a plastics production factory, which opened on April 20 in
HCMC's Cu Chi District. As part of the effort, more than 50
enterprises in HCMC have invested about USD three million to
provide vocational training and jobs to over 10,000 drug
addicts who are now undergoing treatment at the city's
treatment centers. To encourage businesses to employ
recovering addicts, Nguyen Thanh Tai, Vice Chairman of the
HCMC People's Committee, suggested preferential policies for
the businesses and enterprises, including incentives for
employers who hire recovering drug addicts. The city will
also pay social and health insurance fees to all recovering
drug addicts employed by State and private factories.
Eligible enterprises will be exempt from paying land rent
for three years and receive a 15-20 percent reduction in
land rental if they rent land in local industrial parks in
the city if 50 percent of their staff are either former drug
addicts or those who are under treatment. In March 2004,
the Youth Brigade held a groundbreaking ceremony at Nhi Xuan
industrial park in Hoc Mon district, HCMC. According to the
plan, the park will provide jobs to 10,000 workers, of whom
between 5,000 and 6,000 are former addicts. In early 2004,
HCMC had a total of 2,846 registered addicts, and by the end
of 2004, the number was down to 2,162, the city claims, as a
result of their "three reductions" program.


13. (U) With a narcotics agreement signed between the United
States and Vietnam, closer counternarcotics cooperation in
the form of training and assistance to Vietnam is expected
to improve, especially as the two countries began
implementation of the projects. Cooperation in the form of
joint development and investigation of drug cases, and in
terms of effective sharing of information about drug
trafficking, is currently rudimentary. Activities of all
foreign law enforcement officers are severely constrained.
Improving the climate for operational law enforcement
cooperation remains a major unmet goal in the bilateral
relationship.

MARINE