HCMC police raid drug-fueled club past midnight

At the Ferso bar on Vo Van Tan Street, around 300 people were dancing to the music when dozens of police officers from District 3 raided the location.

239 people, 184 men and 55 women, were taken to the police station for questioning as they had no personal documents and were suspected to have used drugs. 78 of them tested positive for narcotics.

Vietnamese law requires addicted adults who have failed with rehab at home to enter mandatory rehab facilities as decided by local People’s Committees.

Last year there were over 28,500 drug addicts in Ho Chi Minh City, a 4.3 percent increase from late 2020, according to the municipal People’s Committee. 12,600 drug addicts were at home, 13,260 were in rehab and over 1,600 were imprisoned or detained for criminal activities.

HCMC is a frequent location for drug-related crimes, owing to its socio-economic development status and high population. Most narcotics arrive here via the Golden Triangle, an intersection of China, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar and the world’s second largest drug producing area behind the Golden Crescent in South Asia.