Kratom is not legal in Vietnam. The country classifies mitragynine, kratom’s main active compound, as a banned controlled substance, and possessing, selling, growing, or transporting kratom in any form is a criminal offense that can lead to fines, prison time, life imprisonment, or the death penalty. The rules apply the same way to Vietnamese citizens and foreign visitors.
Why Kratom Is Banned
Vietnam does not have a dedicated kratom statute. The ban comes through the country’s controlled-substance framework. The Law on Pharmacy 2016 defines controlled drugs to include any substance on the government’s banned-substance list,1Economica Vietnam. Law on Pharmacy No. 105/2016/QH13 and Circular 20/2017/TT-BYT publishes the specific schedules of controlled narcotic and psychotropic ingredients.2Thư Viện Pháp Luật. Circular 20/2017/TT-BYT Mitragynine is listed as an illegal substance under Decree 69/2017, which identifies substances banned in certain fields and sectors.
The form doesn’t matter. Leaf, powder, capsule, extract — all of it falls under the prohibition because the ban targets the compound, not a product category.
Penalties for Possession
Possession is prosecuted under Article 249 of the Criminal Code of Vietnam 2015, which covers illegal storage of narcotic substances. The base sentence is one to five years in prison, triggered by a prior administrative penalty or conviction for the same offense, or by quantities above the statutory minimum.3The National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Criminal Code of Vietnam 2015 – Article 249
From there the penalties escalate with quantity and circumstances:
- Five to ten years for organized groups, repeat offenses, abuse of an official position, or employing anyone under 16.
- Ten to fifteen years for larger quantities meeting the next statutory threshold.
- Fifteen to twenty years, or life imprisonment, for the largest quantities defined in the statute.
Offenders at any level can also be fined and barred from certain jobs or professional positions for up to five years.3The National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Criminal Code of Vietnam 2015 – Article 249 Very small quantities that fall under the criminal threshold can be handled as administrative violations under Decree 144/2021/ND-CP, but Vietnamese enforcement tends to treat drug cases seriously even at low volumes.
Penalties for Selling or Trafficking
Selling kratom is prosecuted under Article 251, which covers illegal dealing in narcotic substances. The tiers run from two to seven years for a base offense up to twenty years, life imprisonment, or death for the largest-scale operations. Mid-range tiers of seven to fifteen and fifteen to twenty years apply to organized trafficking, repeat offenses, dealing to multiple people, involvement of minors, or higher quantities. Courts can also impose fines up to VND 500,000,000 (roughly USD 20,000), ban offenders from specific professions for one to five years, or confiscate assets entirely.4The National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Criminal Code of Vietnam 2015 – Article 251
The death penalty is not theoretical. Vietnam executes drug traffickers, and the quantities that trigger capital sentencing are lower than in many other countries.
Bringing Kratom Into Vietnam
Vietnamese customs rules list drugs among goods prohibited from import and export,5Vietnam Embassy in Canada. Customs, Vaccination, Medication and Drones Regulations and crossing the border with kratom is treated as drug trafficking under Article 251, not as a customs infraction. The full range of trafficking penalties applies, up to and including the death penalty.
Foreign nationals get no special treatment. The Australian Embassy in Hanoi warns that penalties for carrying illegal drugs “can include life imprisonment or even the death sentence” and that “special consideration is not given to Australian citizens or other non-Vietnamese citizens in determining such sentences or in seeking to reduce them.”6Australian Embassy Hanoi. Drugs If you bought kratom legally in your home country, the legality ends at the Vietnamese border. Dispose of it before you fly.
There Is No Herbal or Traditional-Medicine Exception
The Law on Pharmacy 2016 does recognize herbal drugs and traditional medicines as a category, defined as drugs made from plants, animals, or minerals and prepared by traditional methods.1Economica Vietnam. Law on Pharmacy No. 105/2016/QH13 That category does not rescue kratom. The same law places anything on the government’s banned list inside the definition of controlled drugs, and that classification overrides the botanical origin. Arguing in court that kratom is a natural plant remedy will not help.
Legal Next Door, Illegal Here
Kratom’s status shifts sharply across Southeast Asia. Thailand decriminalized kratom in August 2021 by amending its Narcotics Act, removing Mitragyna speciosa from the controlled list and legalizing personal use, cultivation, and possession. Indonesia is the world’s largest kratom exporter and allows regulated commercial cultivation. Malaysia permits the plant to grow but bans commercial export.
A product you can buy over the counter in Bangkok becomes grounds for a prison sentence the moment you land in Ho Chi Minh City. If your trip crosses borders, check each country separately rather than assuming the region’s rules move together.