The People’s Court in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam on Thursday sentenced four people to death for illicitly transporting and trading 45 kilograms of drugs. The death penalty was handed down to Vo Anh Dat, 42, Dang Xuan Anh, 49, Nguyen Hoa Hiep, 36, and Hoang Trung Hau, 35. They were convicted of the illegal transportation, trading, and possession of narcotics. The fifth defendant, 32-year-old Truong Tan Dat, received a two-year prison term for the illegal possession of narcotics. The indictment showed that Vo Anh Dat visited an area near Cau Treo Border Gate in north-central Ha Tinh Province in September 2021 to buy VND5 billion (US$214,800) worth of drugs from a Laotian man. The narcotics, which included 40 kilograms of crystal meth and five kilograms of ketamine, were expected to be sold to Bui Thien Nhan in Ho Chi Minh City for VND11.3 billion ($485,500), according to Dat and Nhan’s deal. On September 29, Dat brought the drugs to Dong Nai Province and gave them … [Read more...] about Vietnam court sentences four to death for transporting, trading 45kg of narcotics
Drug to treat addiction
MSM account for 76% of new HIV infections in Ho Chi Minh City: health department
About 76 percent of HIV infections recorded in Ho Chi Minh City in 2021 were among men who have sex with men (MSM), according to statistics from the municipal Department of Health. The number of HIV infections in the southern metropolis has been increasing, the health department stated, adding that there is a change in HIV-related risk behaviors. The number of new cases rose to nearly 4,500 in 2021 from about 2,000 in 2012. In the past, injecting drug users accounted for the majority of HIV cases in the city. However, MSM currently make up the highest ratio. About 76 percent of Ho Chi Minh City’s HIV infections in 2021 were recorded among this group. Despite many achievements in the past 30 years, the city still faces multiple challenges and obstacles on the way to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030. About 51,000-55,000 people are living with HIV in Ho Chi Minh City, occupying 24 percent of the country’s total tally, said Dr. Van Hung, head of the city’s HIV/AIDS … [Read more...] about MSM account for 76% of new HIV infections in Ho Chi Minh City: health department