Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi aims to provide methadone treatment for 8,500 drug addicts across the cꦆity in 2016.
Other targets include getting nearly 800 addicts under compulsory drug detoxification, with more than half of them new to treatment, and about 2,800 others will voluntarily undergo drug detoxification at local centres or their home.
Vocational training will be provided for hundreds of post-detoxification addicts, while staff at all levels will receive training to expand their capacity.
The city also plans to mobilise different resources for the work, while strengthening its monitoring and supervision of the implementation and management of drug detoxification.
Relevant bodies and sectors will promote communication campaigns to raise public awareness of drug addiction and the detoxification process.
Hanoi is home to approximately 16,000 drug addicts. The locality has encouraged addicts to join the local voluntary drug detoxification centres and use methadone treatment.
The methadone treatment programme was initially piloted in Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City in 2008 and then expanded to a national scale.
After a 12-month treatment course, the percentage of patients at a high risk of depression drops to 15 percent from 80 percent. Many gain weight and see their physical and mental health stabilise. Meanwhile, the crime rate amongst drug users sinks to 1.3 percent from 40.8 percent, according to the Ministry of Health.
The medication has saved over 1 trillion VND (47.6 million USD) per year for 13,000 addicts in 11 cities and provinces, as a drug user may spend 230,000 VND (10 USD) on heroin a day, meaning nearly 84 million VND (4,000 USD) a year.-VNA
Hanoi’s Department of Health plans to establish additional 10 methadone treatment centres for drug addicts by February 1 with a hope to help them reduce dependence on drugs.
Hanoi has so far this year recorded nearly 16,000 drug addicts, 1,565 fewer than the number documented by the end of 2014, according to the municipal People’s Committee.
Hanoi is struggling to increase the number of applications for its methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) clinics which have proved themselves to be a cost-saving and effective detoxification method.
As of June 17, Ca Mau province had achieved its target of supporting the construction and renovation of 4,400 homes, with a total budget of over 235 billion VND (about 9 million USD).
Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA) Le Quoc Minh has called for technology to be leveraged not to replace identity, but to enhance it—allowing Vietnamese journalism to reach both local and global audiences.
In recent years, with strong support from the Party and State, and building on its tradition as a heroic news agency, the VNA has not only actively participated in OANA but also proactively proposed various ideas for cooperation, helping shape a fresh image of effective media collaboration in the digital era, said VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang.
The education sector has been one of the foundations playing a vital role in deepening Vietnam – New Zealand ties, said Prof. Damon Salesa, Vice-Chancellor of the Auckland University of Technology (AUT).
Tien Giang province has addressed the housing needs of 608 poor, near-poor, and policy-beneficiary families facing housing difficulties. Of these, 370 houses were newly constructed while 238 underwent major renovations.
Dr Pham Minh Hung from the University of Economics and Business under Vietnam National University, Hanoi, said the fixed-term contract mechanism is a correct step, liberating the entire system from traditional constraints which have long stood in the way of innovation.
The partnership will focus on studying and recommending LRT routes that connect the city’s transport network with urban development zones, industrial parks, and TOD areas. The research will cover Thu Dau Mot city and surrounding areas, with completion scheduled before August 15, 2025.
Media must not only serve as a channel for information but also act as a vanguard in shaping public opinion, combating misinformation, upholding the Party’s ideological principles, and reinforcing unity between Vietnam and Laos.
In Vietnam, the voluntary blood donation movement was first launched on January 24, 1994. In 2008, the Prime Minister established the National Steering Committee for Voluntary Blood Donation.
Currently, 20 Vietnamese citizens remain in Iran, including embassy staff and personnel. All are safe, mentally stable, and in regular contact with the embassy.
A VietnamPlus survey of 764 young people shows that 83.9% of Gen Z use smartphones to read news, only 12% use computers, and the rest access content via tablets.
GVB Startup 2025 attracted the participation of nearly 150 individuals and organisations from across Vietnam. The event seeks to promote bold and ambitious startup ideas and projects, contributing to the future of global innovation, and supporting startups through the provision of resources, networking opportunities, and market insights.
AI could not replace human judgment in verifying information and sensitive political events, and that humans remain the final gatekeepers of content, said Leonid Kovachich, head of the Asian department at Sputnik's international broadcasting division.
A veteran journalist of Argentina has praised the modern evolution of Vietnam’s press, which now serves a dual purpose: introducing Vietnam to the world while bringing global perspectives to domestic audiences.
The court announced that Quyet had submitted a written request to be tried in absentia, citing serious health issues. According to an official statement from Hospital 19/8, the defendant is suffering from multiple illnesses, experiencing fatigue and shortness of breath, with doctors warning of a “very high risk of death.”
A senior Party official highlighted the VNA’s consistent role over the past eight decades, noting that it remains a mainstream, uninterrupted, timely, accurate, and authoritative source of news that helps shape public opinion, strengthen public trust, and safeguard the ideological foundation of the Party.
Dr. Kobelev, born in 1938 in Ulyanovsk, was among the first Soviet scholars to specialise in Vietnam. As a former TASS correspondent during the war in Vietnam, he worked closely with Vietnamese institutions and later helped found Russia’s Centre for Vietnamese and ASEAN Studies.
A patient is treated with methadone (Source: VNA)
