Vietnam: full penalty tiers, hemp and culture, 2018-2026 history

Law 120/2025/QH15, passed on 10 December 2025, replaced the 2021 drug law. It names the ca … ing others to grow it, and leaves cultivation out of the activities that can be licensed. It sets one-year management for detected users and compulsory rehabilitation at 24 months for a first time and 36 months on a repeat, from 1 July 2026.

Article 249 of the CriminalPenal Code, as amended from 1 July 2025, punishes illegal possession that is not for sale, transport or production.[@a249] The first bracket is three to five years for 1 g to under 500 g of cannabis resin, or 1 kg to under 10 kg of the listed plant parts (leaves, roots, stem, branches, flowers and fruit). A prior administrative penalty; 500 g to under 1 kg of resin, or conviction that has not been cleared can make a smaller amount criminal. Five kilograms10 kg to under 25 kg of plant parts, brings five to ten years; 1 kg to under 5 kg of resin, or 25 kg to under 75 kg of plant parts, brings ten to fifteen years; and 5 kg or more of resin, or 75 kg or more of those plant parts, isbrings fifteen to twenty years or life.[@a249] A prior administrative penalty or conviction that has not been cleared can make a smaller amount criminal.[@a249] An additional fine of VND 5–500 million can be imposed.[@a249]

label 1 g to under 500 g resin, or 1 kg to under 10 kg plant parts · treatment criminal · term Possession · prison min 3 years · prison 5 years · note First bracket; a prior uncleared penalty can criminalise smaller amounts, label 500 g to under 1 kg resin, or 10 kg to under 25 kg plant parts · treatment criminal · term Possession · prison min 5 years · prison 10 years, label 1 kg to under 5 kg resin, or 25 kg to under 75 kg plant parts · treatment criminal · term Possession · prison min 10 years · prison 15 years, label 5 kg or more resin, or 75 kg or more plant parts · treatment criminal · term Possession · prison min 15 years · note Fifteen to twenty years or life

GrowingArticle 247 punishes growing cannabis.[@code] Below 500 plants, a first offence is prohibited: an administrative: a fine of VND 5–10 million for small numbersan individual or VND 10–20 million for an organisation, criminal liabilitywith the plants destroyed.[@decree282] From 500 to under 3,000 plants, or after a prior reprimand, administrative penalty or uncleared conviction, the sentence is six to thirty-six months.[@code] From 3,000 plants, or for larger plotsorganised or repeat offencesdangerous-recidivist cultivation, it is three to seven years, with an additional fine of VND 5–50 million; plants destroyed voluntarily before harvest are exempt.[@code]

ln2code, decree282

Illegal cannabis sale can bring life imprisonment or death from 30 kg of resin or 150 kg o … d, from 5 kg of resin or 75 kg of those plant parts, carries twenty years or life.[@a251] Production and transport are separate offences with similar tiers: the 2025 law removed death for transport but kept it for production from 5 kg of resin or 75 kg of plant parts.[@law86]

a251, law86

Illegal sale under Article 251, as amended from 1 July 2025, is three to seven years.[@a251] From 5 kg500 g to under 301 kg of cannabis resin, or 7510 kg to under 15025 kg of the listed plant parts, the sentence is twentyseven to fifteen years; from 1 kg to under 5 kg of resin, or life25 kg to under 75 kg of plant parts, it is fifteen to twenty years.[@a251] From 5 kg to under 30 kg of resin, or 75 kg to under 150 kg of plant parts, it is twenty years or life; from 30 kg of resin, or 150 kg of those plant parts, it is life or death. The article is the sale offence[@a251] An additional fine of VND 5–500 million can be imposed.[@a251]

label Illegal sale, base · treatment criminal · term Sale · prison min 3 years · prison 7 years, label 500 g to under 1 kg resin, or 10 kg to under 25 kg plant parts · treatment criminal · term Sale · prison min 7 years · prison 15 years, label 1 kg to under 5 kg resin, or 25 kg to under 75 kg plant parts · treatment criminal · term Sale · prison min 15 years · prison 20 years, label 5 kg to under 30 kg resin, or 75 kg to under 150 kg plant parts · treatment criminal · term Sale · prison 20 years · note Twenty years or life, label 30 kg or more resin, or 150 kg or more plant parts · treatment criminal · term Sale · death true · note Life or death; death is alternative, not required

Illegal use can bring a warning or a fine of VND 1–2 million dong, confiscation of the drug and compulsory rehabilitation for people classed as addictedone-year user management; foreigners can also be deported.[@ln1decree282] First detection leads to one-year userthat monitoring;, and further use can trigger addiction assessment and rehabilitation measures.[@a256] Since 1 … tment; during post-rehabilitation management; within two years after that management ends ANDand while under illicit-user management; or within two years of abandoning voluntary rehabilitation or substitution treatment. Recidivism of this criminal offence carries, with three to five years for recidivism.[@a256] Compulsory rehabilitation lasts 24 months for a first time and 36 months on a repeat under the 2025 drug law, in force from 1 July 2026.[@l120]

ln1decree282, a256, l120

label Illegal use, administrative · treatment civil · term Use · fine min 1000000 · fine 2000000 · note Warning or 1–2 million dong fine plus compulsory rehabilitation; confiscation; one-year user management; deportation for addictsforeigners, label Use in rehabilitation statuses, Article 256a · treatment criminal · term Use · prison min 2 years · prison 3 years, label Recidivism of Article 256a · treatment criminal · term Use · prison min 3 years · prison 5 years

None. The 2025 drug law counts the cannabis plant as a narcotic plant, prohibits growing it and excludes cultivation even from licensed research and production.[@l120] Decree 28/2026 keeps cannabis and its preparations in List I, the category absolutely prohibited in medicine and social life.[@decree28] There is no prescription, import or retail channel.[@l120]

l120, decree28

All recreational use is prohibited. Possession starts at three to five years, sale at thre … and use brings monitoring, rehabilitation or prison depending on status.[@a249,a251,a256,ln1decree282]

a249, a251, a256, ln1decree282

From 1 July 2025, illegal sale of 5 kg to under 30 kg of cannabis resin, or 75 kg to under 150 kg of the listed plant parts, is twenty years or life.[@a251] Life or death applies from 30 kg of resin or 150 kg of those plant parts.[@a251] Death is an alternative sentence in that bracket, not a required one. The[@a251] Production from 5 kg of resin or 75 kg of plant parts can also bring death, while the same law removed the death penalty for illegal transport.[@law86,mps25]

a251, law86, mps25

No lawful cannabis production. The 2025 drug law counts the cannabis plant as a narcotic plant, prohibits growing it and excludes cultivation even from licensedevery research andor production permission.[@l120] Traditional Hmong fibre hemp has no commercial route under that law, though the craft of growing, spinning and weaving it survives in the northern mountains.[@l120]

No medical cannabis programme. The 2025 drug law excludes cannabis cultivation even from licensed research and production routes, and Decree 28/2026 keeps cannabis in List I, absolutely prohibited in medicine and social life.[@l120,decree28] No prescription, import or retail channel exists.[@l120]

l120, decree28

Local police monitor detected users for one year. A further detection during ordinary one-yearthat monitoring can prompt addiction assessment; Article 256a criminal liability requires one of the specified rehabilitation-related statuses.[@a256] Compulsory rehabilitation lasts 24 months for a first time and 36 months on a repeat.[@l120] Foreigners can also face deportation.[@ln1decree282]

a256, ln1l120, decree282

The 2025 drug law, in force since 1 July 2026, names the cannabis plant as a narcotic plant and bans growing it or teaching others to grow it.[@l120] Its list of activities that can be licensed leaves cultivation out.[@l120] The law does not mention seeds, and the Penal Code's list of cannabis plant parts does not include them, so their status is grey.[@code] Cuttings are plant parts and cannot be traded.[@code]

l120, code

No cannabis clubs are known, and the law leaves no room for them: growing cannabis and supplying it to another person are both prohibited, and the law provides for the death penalty for the most serious drug offences.[@l120,a251]

ln2l120, ln1a251

There is no legal recreational supply for anyone. Illegal possession that is not for sale, transport or production is three to five years from 1 g of cannabis resin or 1 kg of the listed plant parts. A, and a prior penalty can make a smaller amount criminal.[@a249] Foreigners can also be deported for drug use.[@decree282]

a249, decree282

Driving with narcotic drugs or other legally prohibited stimulants in the body is an offence, without a quantified THC allowance in the cited provisions.[@traffic168] Under Decree 168/2024, effective 1 January 2025, car drivers face VND30VND 30–40 million and motorcycle or moped drivers VND8VND 8–10 million, plus suspension of the right to use a driving licence for 22–24 months.[@traffic168] Refusing the official drug test carries the same fine and suspension for each vehicle category.[@traffic168] These are administrative penalties; accidents or other offences can bring additional liability.[@traffic168]

Figures reported by the government to the UN drugs office record 2,580 kg of herbal cannabis seized in 2024, against 727 kg in 2023.[@unodc_szr] The Ministry of Public Security reported 29,928 drug cases and 51,938 suspects in 2024, with nearly 2.3 tonnes of cannabis seized.[@mps24] In 2025 police reported 21,998 drug cases, 44,354 suspects and nearly 1.3 tonnes of cannabis.[@vietnamvn26] In October 2026 Ho Chi Minh City police dismantled an inter-provincial ring, arresting 151 people and seizing 176.2 kg of cannabis.[@vnnews26] The UN publishes them as kilogram equivalents, and countriesagencies count cases and seizures differently, so the figures are not directly comparable across borders.[@unodc_szr]

unodc_szr, mps24, vietnamvn26, vnnews26

Vietnam — Penal Code 100/2015/QH13, consolidated text 11/VBHN-VPQH (24 February 2025, AZVLAW English) Vietnam — Law 86/2025/QH15 amending the Penal Code (LuatVietnam English) Vietnam — Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP on administrative sanctions for security and public order violations (LuatVietnam English) Vietnam — Decree 28/2026/NĐ-CP on the lists of narcotic substances and precursors (LuatVietnam English) Vietnam Ministry of Public Security — 29,928 drug cases and 51,938 suspects in 2024 (6 January 2025) Vietnam.vn — Nearly 22,000 drug-related crimes detected in 2025 VietnamNet — Vietnam busts maritime drug ring, seizes over 1.1 tons of narcotics (2026) Vietnam News — Inter-provincial cannabis trafficking ring dismantled, 151 suspects detained, 176 kg seized (October 2026) Wikipedia — Ganja Wikipedia — Hmong textile art Wikipedia — Cannabis in Vietnam LuatVietnam — Tội sử dụng ma túy phải chịu trách nhiệm hình sự như thế nào từ 01/7/2025? LawNet — How is illegal possession of drugs dealt with in Vietnam? LawNet — Is cannabis considered a narcotic substance in Vietnam? 7 unchanged

VND

VND

label Under 500 plants, first offence · treatment civil · term Cultivation · fine min 5000000 · fine 10000000 · note Individual; organisations VND 10–20 million; plants destroyed, label 500 to under 3,000 plants · treatment criminal · term Cultivation · prison min 6 months · prison 36 months · note Also after a prior reprimand, administrative penalty or uncleared conviction, label 3,000 plants or more · treatment criminal · term Cultivation · prison min 3 years · prison 7 years · note Also organised cultivation or dangerous recidivism; additional fine VND 5–50 million

VND

The Ministry of Public Security reported 29,928 drug cases and 51,938 suspects in 2024, with nearly 2.3 tonnes of cannabis seized.[@mps24] In 2025 police reported 21,998 drug cases, 44,354 suspects and nearly 1.3 tonnes of cannabis.[@vietnamvn26] By September 2026 they reported more than 17,600 cases and nearly 35,400 suspects.[@vietnamnet26] The case and suspect figures cover all drugs, not cannabis alone; the cannabis figures are seizures.[@mps24]

mps24, vietnamvn26, vietnamnet26

none

There is no legal hemp category and no THC threshold. The 2025 drug law treats the cannabis plant as a narcotic plant, bans growing it and leaves cultivation out of the activities that can be licensed, so fibre hemp has no commercial route.[@l120] Decree 28/2026 keeps cannabis and its preparations in List I, absolutely prohibited in medicine and social life.[@decree28] The traditional Hmong hemp cloth described in the [atlas](/culture/traditions/hmong-hemp-cloth/) is a surviving craft, not a licensed crop.[@l120]

l120, decree28

Cannabis is known in Vietnamese as [cần sa](/culture/language/ganja/), a name shared with the rest of South-East Asia.[@ganja_wiki] The leaf was a household seasoning and medicine before prohibition, and the [Hmong](/culture/traditions/hmong-hemp-cloth/) of the northern mountains grew, spun and wove hemp for clothing.[@hmong_wiki] [South-East Asian cooking](/culture/traditions/south-east-asian-cooking/) kept the leaf as a seasoning in some dishes, though today every cannabis product is illegal.[@vn_wiki,l120]

ganja_wiki, hmong_wiki, vn_wiki, l120