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(https://thediplomat.com/topics/security/) Security | (https://thediplomat.com/regions/southeast-asia/) Southeast Asia Vietnam Sentences 11 to Death in Country’s Largest Ever Drug Trafficking Case The case dates back to March 2023, when four flight attendants were ‌caught carrying narcotics hidden in toothpaste tubes on a flight from Paris to Ho Chi Minh City. (Sebastian Strangio) (Sebastian Strangio) By (https://thediplomat.com/authors/sebastian-strangio/) Sebastian Strangio September 04, 2026 (Share on LinkedIn) (https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthediplomat.com%2F2026%2F09%2Fvietnam-sentences-11-to-death-in-countrys-largest-ever-drug-trafficking-case%2F&title=Vietnam+Sentences+11+to+Death+in+Country%E2%80%99s+Largest+Ever+Drug+Trafficking+Case) (Share on Facebook) (https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthediplomat.com%2F2026%2F09%2Fvietnam-sentences-11-to-death-in-countrys-largest-ever-drug-trafficking-case%2F) (Share on Bluesky) (https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Vietnam+Sentences+11+to+Death+in+Country%E2%80%99s+Largest+Ever+Drug+Trafficking+Case%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthediplomat.com%2F2026%2F09%2Fvietnam-sentences-11-to-death-in-countrys-largest-ever-drug-trafficking-case%2F) (Share on X) (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Vietnam+Sentences+11+to+Death+in+Country%E2%80%99s+Largest+Ever+Drug+Trafficking+Case&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthediplomat.com%2F2026%2F09%2Fvietnam-sentences-11-to-death-in-countrys-largest-ever-drug-trafficking-case%2F) (Vietnam Sentences 11 to Death in Country’s Largest Ever Drug Trafficking Case) (Vietnam Sentences 11 to Death in Country’s Largest Ever Drug Trafficking Case) Credit: (https://depositphotos.com/616512008/stock-photo-vietnam-flag-statue-lady-justice.html) Depositphotos (https://thediplomat.com/subscriptions/) Subscribe for ads-free reading A Vietnamese court yesterday sentenced 11 people to death and 19 to life imprisonment in one of the country’s largest ever drug trafficking cases. The case dates back to March 2023, when four flight attendants for Vietnam Airlines were ‌caught carrying narcotics hidden in toothpaste tubes at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport, after arriving on Flight VN10 from Paris. The tubes contained more than 2.9 kilograms of ketamine and 8.3 kilograms of MDMA. The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court yesterday sentenced 11 people to death for illegal drug trafficking in connection with the case. This included the alleged ringleader Ha Danh Nam, 52, from Nghe An province, who remains on the run and is one of four defendants being tried in absentia. All 11 were also fined between 50 and 100 million dong ($1,916 and $3,832) each. Prosecutors (https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/crime/death-penalty-sought-for-9-in-drug-trafficking-case-involving-vietnam-flight-attendants-5113348.html) allege that Nam “organized the transportation of drugs from France to Vietnam by air and through international express delivery services,” disguised as consumer goods from France into Vietnam, according to the state media outlet VnExpress. They said that drugs “were concealed in toothpaste, dietary supplements, confectionery, and other consumer goods.” Members of the network then used delivery services, encrypted messaging platforms such as Signal and Telegram, and bank accounts registered under other people’s names in order to distribute the drugs throughout Vietnam while evading detection. Among the 19 defendants who received life terms was Hoang Sy Thang, 39, and his nephew-in-law Bui Van Anh, both also from Nghe An, who ran the network’s main storage point and were convicted of the illegal transport of narcotics. According to a (https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/crime/vietnam-sentences-11-to-death-in-1-1b-drug-case-involving-4-flight-attendants-5116200.html) report in VnExpress, the so-called VN10 case was “the largest drug case in the country’s history, with transaction flows traced at nearly VND29 trillion ($1.1 billion) across close to 500 branches and sub-branches in 34 provinces and cities.” A total of 227 defendants were (https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/crime/death-penalty-sought-for-9-in-drug-trafficking-case-involving-vietnam-flight-attendants-5113348.html) subsequently charged in connection with the case. In addition to the trafficking and transporting of drugs, the charges also included possession, use of forged documents, concealing a crime, failure to report a crime, and unlawful appropriation of property. However, the four flight attendants avoided criminal charges after investigators ruled that they were not aware of what the toothpaste tubes contained. The 11 death sentences in the VN10 case could be among the last that Vietnam hands down for drug trafficking. In recent years, the government has narrowed down the use of capital punishment as part of a broad overhaul of its Penal Code. Last month, the government (https://thediplomat.com/2026/08/vietnam-proposes-ending-death-penalty-for-6-more-offenses/) recommended removing the death penalty for an additional six offenses, among them drug trafficking. The death penalty for illegally transporting narcotics was similarly (https://thediplomat.com/2025/06/vietnam-abolishes-death-penalty-for-8-criminal-offenses/) removed last year , along with seven other offenses. If approved at the National Assembly’s next session in October, the latest revision to the Penal Code would leave the death penalty in place for just four crimes:  treason, murder, terrorism, and the illegal production of narcotics. While the death penalty remains in place for the charge of drug trafficking for the time being, it remains to be seen whether these sentences will be carried out before then – and if not, whether the change will apply retroactively. Already have an account? Log in . You have reached the limit of 2 free articles this month. Get to the bottom of the story (https://thediplomat.com/subscriptions) Subscribe today and join thousands of diplomats, analysts, policy professionals and business readers who rely on The Diplomat for expert Asia-Pacific coverage. Get unlimited access to in-depth analysis you won't find anywhere else, from South China Sea tensions to ASEAN diplomacy to India-Pakistan relations. More than 5,000 articles a year. Unlimited articles and expert analysis Weekly newsletter with exclusive insights 16-year archive of diplomatic coverage Ad-free reading on all devices Support independent journalism (https://thediplomat.com/subscriptions) Subscribe Now (https://thediplomat.com/subscriptions) View Subscription Options Already have an account? Log in . A Vietnamese court yesterday sentenced 11 people to death and 19 to life imprisonment in one of the country’s largest ever drug trafficking cases. The case dates back to March 2023, when four flight attendants for Vietnam Airlines were ‌caught carrying narcotics hidden in toothpaste tubes at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport, after arriving on Flight VN10 from Paris. The tubes contained more than 2.9 kilograms of ketamine and 8.3 kilograms of MDMA. The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court yesterday sentenced 11 people to death for illegal drug trafficking in connection with the case. This included the alleged ringleader Ha Danh Nam, 52, from Nghe An province, who remains on the run and is one of four defendants being tried in absentia. All 11 were also fined between 50 and 100 million dong ($1,916 and $3,832) each. Prosecutors (https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/crime/death-penalty-sought-for-9-in-drug-trafficking-case-involving-vietnam-flight-attendants-5113348.html) allege that Nam “organized the transportation of drugs from France to Vietnam by air and through international express delivery services,” disguised as consumer goods from France into Vietnam, according to the state media outlet VnExpress. They said that drugs “were concealed in toothpaste, dietary supplements, confectionery, and other consumer goods.” Members of the network then used delivery services, encrypted messaging platforms such as Signal and Telegram, and bank accounts registered under other people’s names in order to distribute the drugs throughout Vietnam while evading detection. Among the 19 defendants who received life terms was Hoang Sy Thang, 39, and his nephew-in-law Bui Van Anh, both also from Nghe An, who ran the network’s main storage point and were convicted of the illegal transport of narcotics. According to a (https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/crime/vietnam-sentences-11-to-death-in-1-1b-drug-case-involving-4-flight-attendants-5116200.html) report in VnExpress, the so-called VN10 case was “the largest drug case in the country’s history, with transaction flows traced at nearly VND29 trillion ($1.1 billion) across close to 500 branches and sub-branches in 34 provinces and cities.” A total of 227 defendants were (https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/crime/death-penalty-sought-for-9-in-drug-trafficking-case-involving-vietnam-flight-attendants-5113348.html) subsequently charged in connection with the case. In addition to the trafficking and transporting of drugs, the charges also included possession, use of forged documents, concealing a crime, failure to report a crime, and unlawful appropriation of property. However, the four flight attendants avoided criminal charges after investigators ruled that they were not aware of what the toothpaste tubes contained. The 11 death sentences in the VN10 case could be among the last that Vietnam hands down for drug trafficking. In recent years, the government has narrowed down the use of capital punishment as part of a broad overhaul of its Penal Code. Last month, the government (https://thediplomat.com/2026/08/vietnam-proposes-ending-death-penalty-for-6-more-offenses/) recommended removing the death penalty for an additional six offenses, among them drug trafficking. The death penalty for illegally transporting narcotics was similarly (https://thediplomat.com/2025/06/vietnam-abolishes-death-penalty-for-8-criminal-offenses/) removed last year , along with seven other offenses. If approved at the National Assembly’s next session in October, the latest revision to the Penal Code would leave the death penalty in place for just four crimes:  treason, murder, terrorism, and the illegal production of narcotics. While the death penalty remains in place for the charge of drug trafficking for the time being, it remains to be seen whether these sentences will be carried out before then – and if not, whether the change will apply retroactively. Authors (Sebastian Strangio) (Sebastian Strangio) Staff Author Sebastian Strangio Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat. 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