The Minister addressed voters’ concerns about the fight against illegal drug production, possession, transport and trade. Mr. Lam said Vietnam has broken up several big drug smuggling rings, but drug crimes are still on the rise.

"Vietnam has been fighting drug crimes. The National Assembly has promulgated a Law on Drug Prevention stipulating strict penalties. The Government has taken action to prevent drug crimes. The Ministries of Public Security and Defense and international organizations have joined this effort, which has produced encouraging results," said Minister Lam.

Minister Lam said foreign drug traffickers have used Vietnam as a transit area for delivering drugs to a third country. 

"In 2018, Vietnamese police carried out strong crackdowns in the northwestern region, forcing drug smugglers to move to central and southern Vietnam. This year they have detected the involvement of foreign drug criminals who also operate in other ASEAN countries. The police forces are determined to prevent drug criminals from turning Vietnam into a transit country," said Mr. Lam.

Minister Lam told National Assembly deputies that Vietnamese police are gearing up efforts against violations of traffic safety and laws in general, while maintaining social order to make Vietnam a safe destination for foreign visitors.