Vietnam will host a meeting of senior officials to discuss a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on drug control amongst countries in the Mekong Delta sub-region in 2010.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong on June 8 asked the Ministry of Public Security to work with the relevant ministries and departments, which are members of the National Committee for AIDS, Drug and Prostitution Prevention and Control, MOU member countries and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to prepare for the event.

Initiated by the UNODC, a cooperation framework among Greater Mekong sub-region countries was formed in 1993 with its first members including China , Myanmar , Thailand and Laos , to deal with the complex problem of drug production and use in the region.

Since joining the MOU in 1995, Vietnam has become an active member of the organisation. Thanks to joint co-operation mechanisms, Vietnam has also worked with other member countries to address common problems such as destroying poppy fields and developing other crops whilst cracking down on drug cartels./.