2008-2009 INCSR PART I -- VIETNAM

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.


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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

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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

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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