⚠ Cannabis is Illegal in Vietnam
Vietnam’s Law on Narcotics Prevention and Control classifies cannabis as a prohibited narcotic. Possession, use, and trafficking carry serious criminal penalties. Foreign nationals are prosecuted under Vietnamese law, which includes:
- Personal possession (under 100g): Administrative detention, fines, mandatory rehabilitation
- Possession over 100g: Criminal prosecution, imprisonment
- Trafficking: Up to life imprisonment or death penalty
- No tourist exemption — foreign nationals face identical penalties
Do not attempt to purchase or possess cannabis in Vietnam.
Why This Page Exists
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) attracts millions of visitors annually, many coming from or going to Thailand’s legal cannabis scene. ZenWeedGuide provides this page specifically to prevent tourists from making dangerous assumptions about Vietnam’s drug enforcement. Vietnam does not share Thailand’s cannabis liberalization trajectory.
Underground cannabis markets exist in Saigon’s backpacker districts (Bui Vien Street) but are actively monitored by police. Plainclothes officers operate in tourist areas. Selling to tourists and then reporting them for a reward is a documented pattern in some Southeast Asian countries. The risk is not theoretical.
CBD in Vietnam (2024)
Vietnam is seeing growing interest in CBD products from the wellness sector, but the legal status of CBD remains unclear and unregulated. CBD is not explicitly approved as a food supplement or cosmetic ingredient. Some imported CBD products circulate in the wellness market but their legal status is ambiguous. We do not recommend purchasing CBD products in Vietnam without thorough verification of their legal standing.