Before boarding a truck to drive to Laos to transport goods back to Vietnam, a Vietnamese driver and his assistant drank nearly an entire case of 24 330ml cans of beer, took drug pills in a motel room, and returned to the restaurant for a second round of beer.
When tired from a long day of drinking and driving, truck drivers often take illegal drugs to regain strength and continue their journey.
This behavior, rife with poor judgement, has been on the increase in Vietnam in recent years.
Such behavior was witnessed by Tuoi Tre journalists posing as driver assistants for a transport firm owned by a man named Mr. Liem in Dong Ha, the capital city of the central Vietnamese province of Quang Tri.
Liem introduced the Tuoi Tre journalists to his drivers, who were drinking beer after a trip from Laos to Dong Ha. The drivers and assistants proudly admitted that they all take ‘hồng phiến,’ a type of addictive drug.
“You don’t have to worry about where to find ‘hồng phiến.’ It is sold everywhere and it isn’t addictive,” said Dao, a driver for Mr. Liem. “The aftereffect of the drug depends on the individual. Some don’t need to eat but become as strong as a buffalo. I can’t sleep for a whole night after taking it and can drink a limitless amount of wine.”
Dao said he was fired for his previous addiction to drugs. After giving up smoking drugs, he found ‘hồng phiến.’
A trip with an addicted driver
Tuoi Tre was assigned to join driver Dinh, 25, and his assistant Nhu, 19, to drive to Laos and carry goods back to Dong Ha.
As usual, the driver called his assistants to have breakfast and drink in the early morning of the working day.
At 9:00 am, Dinh and Nhu were sitting at the beef restaurant Cu Em in Ward 5 of Dong Ha. Before 12:00 pm, together they drank nearly 24 330ml cans of beer.
After paying the bill, Nhu suggested, “Let’s take some drugs to be alert, then we can continue drinking until the evening when we’ll leave for Laos.”
Ten minutes after calling a man named Thinh to order their drugs, Nhu drove Dinh to Quang Tri Stadium to meet Thinh and buy four pills.
After getting the drugs, they bought lighters and a bottle of water – tools used to smoke the drugs – and entered a motel.
Falling in a drugged stupor, Nhu and Dinh crawled on the bed, laughed and fell unconscious. Regaining consciousness some time later, they left the motel and rode to a nearby restaurant to drink more beer until 4:00 pm.
At the garage to receive the truck, Mr. Liem, the owner, shouted, “What can you do now after drinking so much beer?”
Dinh said something softly, opened the vehicle door, started the engine, and sped out onto the street.
He repeatedly honked his vehicle horn, sped well past the speed limit, and swerved on busy streets. In Cam Lo District of Quang Tri Province, Dinh became exhausted and could barely keep his eyes open. He stopped the truck by the roadside and bent over, resting his head on the steering wheel to sleep.
“I’m too exhausted. Any hồng phiến left to regain strength? I can’t drive without drugs now,” Dinh told Nhu, collapsing on the wheel.
After taking more drugs, Dinh re-started the engine and continued the journey to the border gate at Lao Bao.
After being reminded not to speed because of the many traffic policemen on the road, Dinh replied, “Cops will never stop a truck from Quang Tri that’s headed for the border. They only stop you when you return from Laos with a load of cargo.”
Many other drivers going from Karol Market in Laos to Quang Tri admitted that they were addicted to drugs. While waiting for cargo, drivers often meet up and drink wine and beer and take drugs in the Laotian forests.
“Sometimes, I am exhausted and need a dose of drugs to become alert. Under the influence of drugs, I don’t feel as if I’m driving,” said a driver who had given up drugs. “You will never be in sound mind with drugs. Addicts don’t understand that they aren’t fully conscious on drugs.”
Their addiction to drugs undeniably makes the men worse drivers, as they are not only driving under the influence, but often swerve and speed to get to their destinations faster in order to buy more drugs.
Locals have been warned about drug addicted drivers and their dangerous driving habits for years, while traffic policemen and inspectors confirmed they are becoming stricter in their inspections.
“Ho Chi Minh City will set up teams of different agencies to check for drivers under the influence of drugs and alcohol on major highways,” said Le Hong Viet, deputy chief of the inspection unit under the HCMC Transport Department.
However, one traffic policeman said he lacks the equipment needed to check drivers under the influence.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!