Facing drug addiction: Vietnam’s struggle with opioids

Abstract

Drug addiction is a historical issue in Vietnam. Although Vietnam has a long history as a producer of opium poppies and crossroads for the illicit drug trade, it is now has some of the most stringent drug laws in the world. Vietnam has shown some success in reducing the production, trade, and transportation of narcotics. There has also been a shift in the attitudes of lawmakers and government authorities toward viewing drug abuse as a health problem rather than a social vice. Educating and encouraging citizens to collaboratively reduce drug use has also proven effective. However, despite these changes, the number of people who use drugs has increased in recent years. The US, too, has also experienced an increase in illicit opioid use. The Trump administration declared opioid addiction a public health emergency and has established goals to address the crisis. The results of these efforts have also been uneven. This article reviews Vietnam’s efforts to tackle its opioid epidemic, with the goal of identifying areas where Vietnam’s approach to opioid addiction may be improved. A brief overview of efforts by the U.S. government, an important foreign partner for Vietnam in the control of illicit opioids, serves to demonstrate the difficulty of treating opioid use in different political systems.

Opioid relapse and its predictors among methadone maintenance patients: a multicenter, cross-sectional study in Vietnam

“…In addition, Dien Bien and Son La are two mountainous provinces bordering Laos. In these provinces (especially border areas), geographical barriers and rough terrain can facilitate unlawful activities such as growing poppy plans, drug trafficking, and smuggling [ 38 , 39 ]. Patients also can be influenced by their peer drug users and relapse into opioid use since many people are using drugs in these two provinces.…”

Opioid harm reduction and stigma: proposed methods to improve the perception of people with addiction

“…Currently, there is a huge gap in terms of quality education and communication on the principles of harm reduction, stigma, and prevention of drug use ( 24 ). The government tries to justify its fight against drug use with zero tolerance and, second, with massive media campaigns.…”

Police-mediated legal and social assistance to people who use drugs in two districts in Hanoi, Vietnam

“…Data from MOLISA (Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs) in April 2020 indicated that Vietnam has 97 public drug detoxification facilities, treating 34,982 patients, plus 16 additional approved voluntary drug detoxification facilities countrywide. So far, there are only 13 provinces and cities in Vietnam where family-and community-based detoxification exist (Hieu et al, 2021).…”