Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính speaks at a conference on implementing the National Target Programme on Drug Prevention and Control until 2030. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has urged the country to launch an uncompromising war on drugs, calling for a nationwide campaign to curb drug-related crimes and build drug-free communities from the grassroots level upward.

Chairing a national online conference on Thursday to implement the National Target Programme on Drug Prevention and Control until 2030, the PM said the campaign must become a long-term, collective effort involving every level of administration and every citizen.

"To build drug-free provinces and cities, each commune, ward and special administrative area must first be drug-free," he said.

The conference was connected to 34 provinces and cities, as well as 3,321 communes, wards and local units.

A growing threat

The PM warned that Việt Nam faces an increasing risk of becoming a hub for international drug production, storage and trafficking due to its proximity to the so-called Golden Triangle – one of the world’s largest drug-producing regions.

Drug-related crimes in Việt Nam have grown more sophisticated, he said, while domestic drug consumption has also risen. The number of addicts now accounts for about 0.3 per cent of the population – lower than the Southeast Asian average of 0.61 per cent – yet still represents a major threat to public security and social stability.

According to the Ministry of Health, three out of four synthetic drug users suffer from mental disorders or loss of behavioural control, heightening the risk of violent incidents and community insecurity.

Each year, spending on drug use is estimated at around VNĐ11 trillion (US$417.5 million), in addition to the substantial cost of rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation management.

PM Chính said that drug prevention should not be seen solely as a law enforcement issue, but as a vital effort to safeguard the safety, happiness and future of the people.

Clear targets and principles

Under the new programme, Việt Nam aims for 20 per cent of communes, wards and special zones to be declared drug-free by 2025, and at least 50 per cent by 2030. Between 15 and 20 per cent of provinces and cities are also expected to achieve drug-free status by the end of the decade.

The Government has set out three key goals, including reducing drug supply, reducing demand, and reducing harm while increasing law enforcement efficiency, resource allocation and digital management.

The implementation process will follow the principle of six clarities: clear responsibilities, clear tasks, clear authority, clear timelines, clear resources and clear results.

Participants at the event.

The PM directed ministries and localities to take immediate and coordinated action, with the Ministry of Public Security serving as the lead agency. Local governments are required to strengthen law enforcement, improve oversight of entertainment venues and prevent the formation of drug-use hotspots.

The Ministry of Education and Training, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security, will introduce a drug-free school initiative beginning in the 2025–26 academic year.

Rehabilitation centres nationwide will be upgraded or built to ensure that no addict is left untreated.

By 2027, all provinces must have adequate facilities for drug rehabilitation and vocational training.

The Government leader also assigned the Ministry of Public Security and the State Bank of Việt Nam to develop a preferential credit mechanism to support recovered addicts’ reintegration into society by November 2025.

A national communication campaign in which all people participate in drug prevention and control will be intensified with the message: 'Each citizen is a soldier, each family a stronghold, each locality a fortress in the fight against drugs.'

Citizens are encouraged to report drug-related crimes to local police, while social organisations, especially veterans’ and public security associations, are expected to play an active role in identifying, supporting and managing addicts within communities.

Việt Nam’s anti-drug forces have recorded major achievements in recent years.

Between 2020 and 2024, authorities handled an average of 20,000 cases and arrested more than 31,000 offenders annually.

In the first nine months of 2025 alone, more than 19,000 cases were uncovered, involving over 37,500 suspects and the seizure of nearly 3.4 tonnes of synthetic drugs, 243kg of heroin and 971kg of cannabis.

PM Chính said these results reflected the determination of the entire political system, led by the police force, to combat the drug menace. He praised the Ministry of Public Security and the armed forces for their significant contributions to maintaining national security and social order.

He urged all ministries and localities to promptly disseminate and implement the programme in a spirit of innovation and determination. — VNS