Is Ketamine legal in Vietnam?
- Legal status
- Listed as a List III narcotic substance (permitted for medical/veterinary use) on Vietnam's official lists of narcotic substances and precursors — Decree 28/2026/ND-CP (in force 19 January 2026, superseding Decree 57/2022/ND-CP); trafficking offences fall under the Penal Code (Law 100/2015) arts. 248/250/251.
- Consequences if caught
- Trafficking and possession carry heavy imprisonment up to life. Vietnam's Penal Code amendment effective 1 July 2025 ABOLISHED the death penalty for drug trafficking (existing drug death sentences commuted to life), so ketamine offences no longer carry capital exposure.
- If prescribed or medical
- Ketamine sits OUTSIDE the 1961 and 1971 Convention schedules, so no INCB estimate or assessment establishes its licit national supply — ketamine-specific prescription availability in Vietnam is NOT CONFIRMED here; the control status above is what is established. Viet Nam has furnished INCB no traveller regulation (“Information not yet provided by country”), so no published national rule confirms what a visitor may carry.
- Documentation
- There is NO medical cannabis and no traveller exemption — cannabis import/export is prohibited. For other prescribed controlled medicines, carry a valid prescription and declare them on arrival. Foreigners receive no leniency: deportation plus a 3-year re-entry ban is common.
- Decree 28/2026/ND-CP (lists of narcotic substances and precursors
- ketamine = List III)
- Penal Code (Law 100/2015) arts. 248/250/251
- drug death penalty abolished effective 1 July 2025
- loc.gov
- INCB Country Regulations for Travellers: https://www.incb.org/incb/en/travellers/country-regulations.html
- INCB Narcotic Drugs — Estimated World Requirements for 2026 (ketamine absent, not internationally scheduled): https://www.incb.org/incb/uploads/documents/Narcotic-Drugs/Status-of-Estimates/2026/EstApr26.pdf
Court records
We have not yet assessed whether court records are publicly available for this jurisdiction.
Other substances confirmed in Vietnam
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
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