The proliferation of such products has emerged as Ho Chi Minh City police intensify efforts to dismantle drug supply networks, with a series of major investigations uncovering a parallel market supplying the equipment needed to consume narcotics.
Underground market disguised as consumer goods
A simple search for terms such as “glass tube,” “pre-made glass pipe,” “mini oil burner” and “mini water pipe” can yield dozens of products that can be adapted for drug use. Prices range from tens of thousands of Vietnamese dong to more than VND1 million, with many items advertised as imported goods and marketed as laboratory supplies, aquarium accessories, or decorative glassware.
A reporter from SGGP Newspaper recently ordered five glass pipes from overseas through an e-commerce platform for VND153,000, including delivery to an address in HCMC. When the reporter asked whether a mini glass pipe could be used to smoke cannabis, “weed”, or methamphetamine, the seller replied that it was only an accessory for traditional tobacco.
The platform required buyers to enter their citizen identification number as part of its verification process. Yet an order was accepted after an incorrect number was entered and proceeded to delivery before the reporter canceled it.
The episode highlights potential weaknesses in identity checks and product screening, raising questions about the responsibility of online marketplaces and delivery companies in preventing the distribution of drug-use equipment.
An officer from the HCMC Police Department’s Drug Crime Investigation Division (PC04) confirmed, after examining photographs provided by the reporter, that the devices are commonly used for illicit drug consumption. Glass pipes are frequently used to smoke methamphetamine, while mini glass water pipes can be used for cannabis and synthetic cannabis products.
In one major case, an administrative inspection of a house led police to discover ten glass pipes. The finding prompted PC04 to investigate and dismantle a network involved in manufacturing and selling equipment used for illicit drug consumption. Twelve suspects were prosecuted.
Searches at several locations uncovered more than 100,000 items and unfinished products, according to police.
In a separate investigation, suspicious activity at a hotel led Dong Thanh Commune police, working with specialized units, to dismantle an interprovincial drug trafficking network. Thirty suspects were arrested. Police seized nearly 1kg of methamphetamine, more than 12,000 glass bottles, pipes, and tubes, as well as more than five million zip-lock bags.
Investigators said the networks were difficult to detect because their operations were concealed behind legitimate-looking businesses selling medical equipment and household glassware. Transactions were often conducted through private online groups, while app-based delivery services helped move products to customers.
Six devices can mean criminal prosecution
Police have warned that seemingly innocuous items such as glass pipes, smoking devices, and inhalation bottles may constitute drug-use paraphernalia under Vietnamese law.
Article 254 of the Penal Code criminalizes the manufacture, possession, transportation, or sale of equipment used to manufacture or consume illicit drugs. Under current regulations, possessing six or more such devices can result in criminal prosecution.
Lieutenant Colonel Pham Ngoc Tuan Dung, Deputy Head of PC04, said investigations had shown that the supply of drug-use equipment had developed into a sophisticated market generating significant illicit profits.
Police will continue to inspect businesses selling such products both online and offline. Ward and commune police have been instructed to pay particular attention to grocery stores, tobacco shops, and businesses selling glass accessories where violations are suspected.
“Our goal is to reduce drug supply, demand, and harm, with the ultimate aim of building a drug-free HCMC by 2030,” Lieutenant Colonel Pham Ngoc Tuan Dung said.
Lawyer Nguyen Hung Quan of the HCMC Bar Association said sellers who knowingly provide such equipment to customers for drug consumption could face charges or be treated as accomplices in relevant drug-related offenses.
He called for tighter controls on businesses selling specialized glassware, mandatory identity checks for individual buyers, higher administrative penalties, and stronger criminal sanctions.
)
