Is Crack Cocaine legal in Vietnam?
- Legal status
- Crack is the freebase (base) form of cocaine and has no separate legal identity in Vietnam: it is controlled AS cocaine, a Schedule I narcotic under the Penal Code and Law 73/2021, whose schedule covers cocaine, its salts and preparations and thus reaches the base/freebase form. The capital trafficking regime is measured by weight of the narcotic and carries over to crack, so trafficking large quantities is death-eligible whether powder or base.
- Consequences if caught
- Possession, transport and trafficking of crack (as cocaine) are criminal under Penal Code Arts 248-251, with trafficking of large quantities carrying the death penalty.
- If prescribed or medical
- Cocaine has no recognised therapeutic use in Vietnam; the crack/freebase base has no medicinal preparation and cannot be prescribed.
- Documentation
- No prescription documentation exists for crack/freebase cocaine.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Vietnam’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →