Drug addiction sees numbers rising to 28,500 in HCMC

By Trung Son November 13, 2021 | 07:30 pm PT

Drug users are transported to a rehabilitation center in Ho Chi Minh City in 2014. Photo by VnExpress/Duy Tran

Over 28,500 people in HCMC are drug addicts, a 4.3 percent increase from late 2020, according to the municipal People's Committee.

A document regarding narcotic control sent by Deputy Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Ngo Minh Chau to the Ministry of Public Security revealed the southern metropolis now has around 12,600 drug addicts at home, 13,260 in rehab and over 1,600 imprisoned or detained for criminal activities.

Vietnamese law requires addicted adults who have failed with rehab at home to enter mandatory rehab facilities as decided by local People's Committees.

Earlier this year, the HCMC Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs proposed to expand two social centers to receive 600-1,000 homeless drug addicts: one in Hoc Mon District and the other in Cu Chi District.

HCMC is a frequent location for drug-related crimes, owing to its socio-economic development status and high population. Most narcotics arrive here via the Golden Triangle, an intersection of China, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar and the world's second largest drug producing area behind the Golden Crescent in South Asia..

Drug trafficking and consumption have persisted and worsened in Vietnam though it has some of the world’s toughest laws.

For instance, those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin face the death penalty.