Cambodia laos myanmar thailand vietnam

The factors that make the city an attractive transit point in drug trafficking were repeated at a Tuesday meeting by Major General Nguyen Van Vien, head of the Ministry of Public Security’s Drug Crime Investigation Department (C04).

He said the distance to transport drugs from the border to the city was short and it was convenient to send it to other places, both in Vietnam and abroad.

The result has been that drug crime has developed most complicatedly in southern Vietnam, particularly HCMC and the area along the Vietnam-Cambodia border.

Drugs typically enter Vietnam via three main routes: from the “Golden Triangle” through the Vietnam-Cambodia border into southern localities, including HCMC; from the triangle into Laos and north-central localities; and from Cambodia into the Central Highlands.

The area where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong Rivers is called the “Golden Triangle.” But the term is more commonly used to refer to an area of approximately 950,000 square kilometers (367,000 square miles) of mountains straddling the three countries. For almost a century the “Golden Triangle” was the biggest source of heroin in the world until its position was recently usurped by Afghanistan’s “Golden Crescent.”

“Once gathered in HCMC, the drugs are transferred via air routes, sea routes or simply through the post office to other nations,” Vien said, adding that Eastern Europe has emerged among the most popular destinations via flights.

Drug lords never get directly involved in the trafficking but recruit and guide traffickers from afar via different social media platforms, using code language and other signals to communicate, he added.

Investigations have confirmed that cartels are connected across nations and well armed.

They also deploy tricks that are “extremely sophisticated and cunning,” including hiding drugs in food, granite blocks and car engines.

Most recently, police detected narcotics being transported in an auto with a logo of the Vietnam Television channel.

Last November, the C04 launched an operation to work with police forces in 18 cities and provinces, including HCMC and those in the south and central and Central Highlands regions, to tighten control over drug crimes.

After three months, the operation identified 106 major drug smuggling routes and 169 areas that are “most complicated” in drug trading and transporting.

More than 590 kg of synthetic drugs, 65 kg of heroin, 3.4 kg of cocaine were seized and more than 1,660 suspects were arrested in HCMC and along the Vietnam-Cambodia border, the meeting heard.

In the coming time, the C04 will strengthen cooperation with other units under the Public Security Ministry, border guards, customs and coast guard forces to further tighten control on drug crimes towards ensuring that Vietnam will not become an international drug transit hub at any cost, Vien said.

Investigators will also focus on hotspots where drugs are normally consumed and traded, like bars, pubs and karaoke parlors as well as locations that dealers stay in, like resorts and apartment buildings.

China accounting for 59.1 percent of market share

According to the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports reached an estimated US$300 million in February, bringing total value in the first two months of the year to US$610 million, an increase of 14.6 percent compared to a year ago.

In January, China was the biggest export market for Vietnam’s fruit and vegetables with US$182.9 million, accounting for 59.1 percent of market share, followed by Thailand with US$16.2 million (5.2 percent), the US with US$13.2 million (4.3 percent), and Japan with US$10.5 million (3.4 percent).

In the first month, Vietnam’s exports of fruit and vegetables recorded strong growth in the Ukraine (11-fold increase), Cambodia (8.4-fold increase), and Egypt (5-fold increase), while plunging 68.6 percent, 57.8 percent, 33.3 percent, and 18.5 percent in Laos, Indonesia, Germany, and the Republic of Korea, respectively.

Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable imports reached an estimated US$110 million in February, bringing total value in the first two months of the year to US$259 million, a year-on-year increase of 30.7 percent. In January, China, the US and Myanmar were Vietnam’s three largest suppliers of fruit and vegetables.

Nguyen Quoc Toan, director of the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority, said that as the Covid-19 pandemic lingers, processed products will help increase the export value of fruit and vegetables.

Improving quality

Vietnam has boosted exports of fruit and vegetables to many potential markets since the beginning of the year, such as Egypt, Kuwait, the Ukraine, and Senegal, raising hopes of increasing the export value in 2021 and beyond.

In particular, China has increased its imports of Vietnamese fruit to serve the coming Spring Festival. At the Pingxiang border gate, China’s largest inland fruit trading port, trucks loaded with dragon fruit, jackfruit, watermelon, mango and other Vietnamese fruit stand in line to enter China. After being strictly disinfected and implementing other measures to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, fruit trucks are taken to the customs control area for inspection. Fruit is shipped from the Pingxiang fruit market to Guangzhou and Zhejiang, and from there across the country. In addition, Vietnamese fruit has also been introduced into China’s shopping malls.

With the effect of the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), which has abolished more than 94 percent of the total 547 tariff lines for Vietnamese fruit and vegetables, many products in which Vietnam excels, such as litchi, longan, rambutan, dragon fruit, pineapple and melon will have advantages in competing with rivals.

However, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable production remains fragmented, while the application of product traceability is difficult and expensive. Safe fruit and vegetable production according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards remains modest, accounting for only 10-15 percent of the total growing area.

China is cracking down on imports with strict QR product traceability codes, while imposing bans on unofficial imports. Chinese consumers are increasingly paying attention to quality and safety of agricultural products and foodstuffs, meaning that Vietnamese businesses need to improve the quality of their fruit and vegetable products in order to meet consumer demand.

The 2020 Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) provides opportunities for Vietnam to promote fruit and vegetable exports to member countries, especially China.

Nguyen Hanh