Comment
Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
This thread from four years ago asks What are Vietnamese laws on prescription drugs like adderall or ritalin? Is it available, how does one go about getting a prescription. Responses there include No prescriptions needed, but some western/imported/quality drugs you might have a difficult time finding. and From what I understand you cannot get any of the ADD/ADHD medications I.E. Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta. The doctors at the "international" clinics and hospitals will give you a prescription for it, but no pharmacies actually carry the medication. So at this point the issue is availability rather than legality. (In 2004 for example it was reported as legal to bring Adderrall into Mexico though the drug was not on sale there.) What you may have heard might be along the lines of another post in the same thread (if that was actually your source, it would have helped to say so): According to a famous (for drinking, mostly) child psychologist I know, in Vietnam the amphetamine-based ADHD medications are on a ban list that more or less puts them on a par with narcotics. This psych was trying to help the parents of a needy young patient source dexamphetamine, but after jumping through the standard medical hoops you'd expect to face back home, discovered the above fact. Which means that it's simply not available - not from hospitals, western clinics or even dodgy pharmacies that might be willing to sell you other medication that you definitely can't buy over the counter back home. So, regardless of whether you have a prescription or not, you can't get Adderall etc here through legal or even grey channels. It's pretty much illegal and will have to be obtained outside of Vietnam, unfortunately. That mentions a ban list but rather loses impact when ending will have to be obtained outside of Vietnam. For less indirect experience also in the thread is: Last time I went home I had to do my best to stockpile what I could. I believe a problem here is as described in a report by Pacific Bridge Medical, admittedly dated July 1, 2005: Pharmaceutical and drug registration is regulated by the MOH in Vietnam, though the regulatory environment can often be unclear and inconsistent. Regulations are frequently implemented on a case-by-case basis, with little overall coordination. Partially-regulated situations, or regulations that are clearly contradictory, are not unheard of. Moreover, it can be difficult to determine what is permitted in Vietnam and what is illegal. (eg Marijuana is illegal in Vietnam, as well as most other social vices. The penalties in the books are very strict, however the police seems to look the other way or will ask for a small negotiable bribe. From
Add Comment