General Vilay Lakhamfong (left) and Senior Lieutenant General Luong Tam Quang unveil the sign at the drug treatment centre in Vientiane province.

New drug rehab centre opens in Vientiane province

The Lao and Vietnamese governments have opened a treatment and rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in Phonhong district, Vientiane province.
A handover ceremony for the centre took place in Phonhong district on Wednesday, attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security, General Vilay Lakhamfong, and Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security, Senior Lieutenant General Luong Tam Quang.
The centre spans a 23.3-hectare site at Km62 in Huaython village and can accommodate 500 people.
It comprises an administrative block, medical facility, visiting area, reception room, club room, study area, treatment area, vocational training block, and a fire safety area.
The project is one of many symbols of the friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam. It also signifies the close political ties between the two nations and their peacekeeping forces.
The Lao and Vietnamese public security ministries are engaged in joint efforts to curb drug abuse and trafficking, and to ensure peace, security, and social order.
The project marks the 47th anniversary of the signing of the Laos-Vietnam Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in 1977.
The Ministry of Public Security will use the centre to treat and rehabilitate drug addicts as effectively as possible, ensuring they are permanently weaned off drugs and do not relapse in the future.
The centre will also provide vocational training and enable those undergoing treatment to return to their families and become productive, integrated members of society.
General Vilay Lakhamfong expressed confidence that the centre will become another symbol of Laos-Vietnam friendship and a model facility for the treatment of drug addicts.
He noted that it contained special equipment and employed medical personnel trained in the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts.
He reiterated that treatment and rehabilitation are essential to help individuals break free from addiction, restore their health, and enable them to contribute to Laos’ development.

by Times Reporters
 (Latest Update July 31, 2025)