Marijuana is not legal in Vietnam under any circumstance. Cannabis is treated as a prohibited narcotic alongside heroin and cocaine, with no medical program, no decriminalized personal-use amount, and no exceptions for foreigners. Penalties start at on-the-spot fines and compulsory rehabilitation and climb to life imprisonment for large quantities. If you are visiting or living in the country, the only safe choice is to stay away from it entirely.
How Vietnam Classifies Cannabis
Vietnam’s Law on Drug Prevention and Control (Law No. 73/2021/QH14) defines marijuana as a narcotic plant, grouping it with opium poppy and coca.1LuatVietnam.vn. Law on Drug Prevention and Control No. 73/2021/QH14 Decree 57/2022/ND-CP puts cannabis and THC on Schedule I, the list of substances “absolutely prohibited from use in medicine and social life.” No physician can prescribe it, no dispensary operates legally, and no quantity is treated as personal and therefore permitted.
CBD Oil Is Not a Loophole
CBD oil is not legally available in Vietnam. Because cannabis and THC sit on Schedule I, products derived from the cannabis plant fall under the same prohibition. Policy commentators have suggested carving out CBD with less than 0.3% THC, but that has not become law. Customs officers are unlikely to distinguish CBD from any other cannabis extract, and a traveler carrying it can face the same treatment as someone carrying marijuana, even if the product was bought legally at home.
If You Are Caught Using or Holding a Small Amount
Personal drug use is not a criminal offense under Vietnam’s Penal Code. It is handled as an administrative violation under Decree 144/2021/ND-CP, with fines set out as follows:2LuatVietnam.vn. Decree No. 144/2021/ND-CP Providing Penalties for Administrative Violations Against Regulations on Security
- Using narcotics: VND 1,000,000 to VND 2,000,000 (roughly $40 to $80 USD).
- Possessing or transporting narcotics below the criminal threshold: VND 2,000,000 to VND 5,000,000 (roughly $80 to $200 USD).
- Cultivating cannabis plants: VND 5,000,000 to VND 10,000,000 (roughly $200 to $400 USD).
The fines are the smaller part of the story. Under Decree 116/2021/ND-CP, a person identified as a drug user can be referred by police to a government-run rehabilitation center for 12 to 24 months. These facilities run on detoxification, education, and labor, and the experience is closer to detention than treatment. For a tourist, a positive drug test will also typically lead to deportation on top of any fine.
The criminal threshold for cannabis possession begins at one kilogram. Below that, you face administrative handling. “Administrative” is not the same as minor when it can mean a year or more inside a rehabilitation center and immediate removal from the country.
Prison Penalties for Larger Quantities
Once quantities cross the criminal line, Article 249 of the Penal Code imposes escalating prison terms for illegal possession of cannabis:3United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Vietnam Penal Code – Law No. 100/2015/QH13
- 10 to under 25 kilograms: 1 to 5 years.
- 25 to under 75 kilograms: 10 to 15 years.
- 75 kilograms or more: 15 to 20 years, or life imprisonment.
Aggravating circumstances push sentences higher within each tier. Acting as part of an organized group, abusing a position of authority, involving a minor, or being a repeat offender can shift a sentence toward the upper end of a range or into the next tier.
Trafficking under Article 251 carries steeper consequences again. The maximum used to be the death penalty for 75 kilograms or more, but in June 2025 the National Assembly abolished capital punishment for drug trafficking. Life imprisonment is now the ceiling, and existing death sentences for these offenses were commuted to life terms.4Law No. 100/2015/QH13 Criminal Code in Vietnam. Law No. 100/2015/QH13 Criminal Code in Vietnam – Chapter XX Drug Crimes Courts can also add fines of VND 5,000,000 to VND 500,000,000 (roughly $200 to $20,000 USD), bans on holding certain positions or working in certain professions for one to five years, and partial or full asset confiscation.
Nightclub Raids and On-the-Spot Drug Tests
Vietnamese police run large-scale raids on nightclubs, bars, and entertainment venues, blocking the exits and testing patrons where they stand. Operations have swept dozens of positive results out of a single venue in one night, with simultaneous raids across a city producing hundreds of detentions.
These raids happen without warning and sweep up locals and foreigners alike. Rapid test kits detect recent use, and a positive result is treated as evidence of illegal drug use regardless of where the substance was consumed. If you used cannabis in another country days earlier and test positive in a bar in Hanoi, you face the same consequences as someone who used on the premises. If there is any chance a drug test could come back positive, staying out of nightlife venues removes the most common way foreigners get caught.
Extra Consequences if You Are Not a Vietnamese Citizen
Foreigners are subject to the same drug laws as Vietnamese citizens. There is no reduced penalty and no diplomatic shortcut. In practice, foreigners face an additional layer because a drug violation can trigger administrative expulsion on top of any criminal or administrative penalty.
Expulsion Moves Fast
Under Decree 59/2026/ND-CP, foreigners who commit administrative violations, including drug offenses, can be formally expelled. Once an officer records the violation, immigration authorities have three working days to compile the expulsion file, and the decision must be issued within two working days after that. The foreign national must be notified at least 48 hours before enforcement, and Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs notifies the person’s home country.5LuatVietnam.vn. Decree No. 59/2026/ND-CP Providing the Expulsion Sanction, Measure of Holding Persons in Temporary Custody An expulsion order ends your stay and will likely make future Vietnamese visas difficult or impossible to obtain. For people working, studying, or running a business in the country, a drug-related expulsion can undo years of work in a few days.
What Your Embassy Will and Will Not Do
If you are a U.S. citizen arrested for a drug offense, the U.S. Embassy will visit you, provide a list of local attorneys, and notify your family if you ask. That is close to the full extent of their help. The Embassy cannot get you out of jail, tell a court you are innocent, give you legal advice, represent you, serve as a translator, or pay your legal or medical bills.6U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Vietnam. Arrest or Detention of a U.S. Citizen in Vietnam Other countries’ embassies operate under similar limits.
Pre-trial detention in Vietnam can last months or even years. The U.S. Embassy has noted that some investigations extend without a clear timeline or explanation to the detainee.6U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Vietnam. Arrest or Detention of a U.S. Citizen in Vietnam You stay in a Vietnamese facility during that time, proceedings run in Vietnamese, and the work of navigating the system falls to you and whatever local attorney you can afford.
Bringing Prescription Medication Into Vietnam
Vietnam allows travelers to carry prescription medication for personal use without an import license, but the rules are strict. For narcotic-based medications, including opioid and cannabis-derived products, you can carry no more than a seven-day supply at the dosage stated in your prescription. Psychotropic medications have a 10-day limit.7Đại sứ quán Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam tại Úc. Bring Medication into Viet Nam
To bring a narcotic medication legally, you need to:
- Declare the medication to customs at your port of entry.
- Carry the original prescription with your name, drug name, strength, quantity, dosage instructions, and the prescribing physician’s name, signature, and address.
- Keep the medication in its original packaging, with labels showing the drug name, active ingredients, concentration, and expiration date.
- Carry a doctor’s letter stating that you require the medication.
If your trip is longer than seven days and you need the medication for the full duration, you can request permission at your port of entry by providing your itinerary and proof of medical necessity. Approval is at the customs officer’s discretion.7Đại sứ quán Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam tại Úc. Bring Medication into Viet Nam
Do not try to bring CBD oil, THC products, or any cannabis-derived supplement into Vietnam, even with a prescription from your home country. Vietnamese customs treats these as narcotic substances, and carrying them across the border can trigger the same penalties as importing marijuana.