Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City to Send All Drug Addicts to Rehabilitation Centers

Authorities in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City plan to send all of its 17,000 known drug addicts to rehabilitation centers by the end of next year, an official from the city's Anti-Social Vices Department said on Oct. 12. Drug addiction has become an increasing problem in recent years, contributing to the spread of AIDS through the sharing of needles. Under a recent resolution of the city's Communist Party organization, 10,500 drug addicts are to be sent to rehabilitation centers this year, another 5,000 in the first half of next year, and the rest in the second half of next year. The decision was part of a program to reduce crime, drug addiction and prostitution launched by the city government earlier this year. The city has nine rehabilitation centers that can accommodate more than 4,000 drug addicts. Those facilities are already overcrowded and must be expanded and supplemented, officials said.

Back to other CDC news for October 23, 2001

Previous Updates