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Vietnam’s move to end executions for drug trafficking sparks debate in region

Vietnam is seeking to end executions for drug trafficking under a draft revision to its Penal Code, a notable shift in a country with one…

By Samantha Johnson / August 29, 2026
Vietnam is seeking to end executions for drug trafficking under a draft revision to its Penal Code, a notable shift in a country with one of Southeast Asia’s toughest anti-drug regimes.

The proposal, presented to lawmakers last week, would remove trafficking from Vietnam’s list of capital crimes. Last year, Hanoi kept the offence on the list during an earlier round of death penalty reforms.

If passed, the revised law would leave capital punishment for four crimes: treason, murder, terrorism and illegal narcotics production.

For years, several Southeast Asian governments have treated serious drug trafficking as a crime that warranted the death penalty. However, some countries have re-examined their laws, leading to amendments.

Vietnamese officers stack packages of seized methamphetamine at a police station in Ho Chi Minh City in March 2019. Photo: Vietnam News Agency/AFP
Vietnamese officers stack packages of seized methamphetamine at a police station in Ho Chi Minh City in March 2019. Photo: Vietnam News Agency/AFP
Malaysia ended mandatory death sentences in 2023. Singapore retains the death penalty for the most serious trafficking offences in which the legal thresholds are exceeded for quantities of various controlled drugs.

The issue has led to debates on whether capital punishment still has a place in society, whether judges should have the discretion in sentencing, and how governments can disrupt the drug trade without the death penalty.

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