Hai Thanh Luong

• LLB (Criminal law); MA (TransCrimePrevention); PhD (Criminology); AdvDip(Interpreting)
• Lecturer at Griffith University

Vietnamese nationals feature conspicuously in the British narrative of modern slavery. In 2019, 39 Vietnamese nationals tragically died in a refrigerated lorry in Kent, in a case which shocked both countries (Barnes T (2019) Essex lorry deaths: concerns ‘snakehead’ smuggling gangs could be behind 39 found dead in trailer. The Independent Newspaper....

Practical challenges and special threats from scam-related fraud exist for regional and local communities in Southeast Asia during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The rise in pig-butchering operations in Southeast Asia is a major concern due to the increased use of digital technology and online financial transactions. Many of these operations are...

Since the 1990s, Vietnam has begun prioritising preventing and combating drug-related crimes (supply reduction) and rehabilitating drug users (demand reduction). In the 2000s, harm reduction approaches in relation to drug control began to be recognised as one of Vietnam’s opiate substitution therapy methods before embarking on greater drug policy r...

Many online criminals are now targeting those who use social networking sites (SNSs). However, there is a lack of studies that provide a broad overview of the relationship between SNS use and cybercrime victimization. We undertake a comprehensive literature assessment of an articles series found in various databases to address this information gap....

Vietnam has a history of executing individuals for particularly serious crimes. Applying the death penalty for drug-related crimes has sparked considerable debate since the first criminal code in 1985. Vietnam has retained this toughest punishment as one of the deterrent methods to combat drug trafficking in the last three decades. However, as a re...

While rescuing trafficked children has been focused on several countries in the Global North, little is known about what and how it worked and what and how it has not worked in some nations in the Global South, such as Vietnam. Although Vietnam has been considered the source’s country at Tier 3’s classification in the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Re...

After the Silk Road closure, many studies started focusing on the trend and patterns of darknet-related crimes in the 2010s. This first study combined a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis in the field. This study clarifies 49 articles in criminology and penology among 1150 publications relating to the darknet on the Web of Scien...

Although removing victims from trafficking occurs worldwide, little is known about how it works, particularly in developing Asian countries such as Vietnam. Appropriating Western strategies of victim removal is made more difficult in Vietnam given the country's political ideology, top-down management, and centralised governance. To better understan...

This paper analyzes the key factors affecting the Rohingya refugee crisis through the lens of the Chinese trillion-dollar project –the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It sheds some new light on a few questions: Why does China support Myanmar’s position on the Rohingya refugee crisis? How does the Rohingya refugee crisis affect the BRI? To answer th...

Any wrongful conviction causes severe violations to the individual, their loved ones, the criminal justice system, and the validity of justice. While Anglo-American countries have focused on wrongful convictions since the 1930s, some Asian contexts have only considered these unjust errors within the scope of their legal approaches since the 2010s....

This paper analyzes the key factors affecting the Rohingya refugee crisis through the lens of the Chinese trillion-dollar project-the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It sheds some new light on a plethora of questions: What are the geopolitical and economic factors that have a decisive influence on the Rohingya refugee crisis? Why does China support...

The COVID-19 outbreak and its practical impacts are changing policing and police responses. Alongside the relentless efforts of the health sector, the role of police forces has been the subject of debate between the global South and North. As the first study in Vietnam, this paper explains how Vietnam’s police applied community-based policing to pr...

Wrongful convictions have severe consequences and effects on the values, dignity, and self-esteem of the innocent and their beloved ones. While Vietnam is implementing the rule of law to ensure the protection of citizens’ fundamental rights, recent and serious wrongful conviction cases suggest a need to enhance the effectiveness and credibility of...

Wildlife trafficking and other commodities associated with environmental crimes traded across the borders of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) carry direct or indirect risks for biological threats. Outbreaks associated with these threats can have devasting implications for human populations as well as for farmed or native animal and plant populati...

As one of the earliest countries in the Southeast Asia region, Vietnam joined the CITES in 1994. However, they have faced several challenges and practical barriers to preventing and combating illegal wildlife trade (IWT) after 35 years. This first study systematically reviews 29 English journal articles between 1994 and 2020 to examine and assess t...

Introduction The emergence of widespread amphetamine-type stimulants (ATSs) usage has created significant challenges for drug control and treatment policies in Southeast Asian countries. This study analyses the development of drug policies and examines current treatment program constraints in Vietnam to deal with ATS misuse. The aim was to gain ins...

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-022-00621-9

Supporting drug‐producing communities in alternative livelihoods from harm reduction activists is a common practice in Myanmar and other drug‐producing countries. And yet, the voices of opium farmers are rarely heard. This paper assesses why Myanmar farmers continue to grow opium poppy and analyzes their current concerns and the practical challenge...

Since officially joining the globally connected computer network in 1997, Vietnam has made impressive progress with 64 million internet users as of June 2017, accounting for 67% of the population and is also among the countries with the highest number of internet users in Asia. Social media is widely available with a large focus on young groups. Th...

Over its fifty years of established existence beginning in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has expounded its consolidated and integrated model in political relations, economic developments, and cultural values. However, confronted by threats to global security, ASEAN has also faced the complex impacts of transnational narco...

Research on cybercrime victimization is relatively diversified; however, no bibliometric study has been found to introduce the panorama of this subject. The current study aims to address this research gap by performing a bibliometric analysis of 387 Social Science Citation Index articles relevant to cybercrime victimization from Web of Science data...

The Wildlife and Forest Analytic Toolkit, introduced by the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), is designed to increase the effectiveness of measures combat-ing wildlife and forest crimes (WAFCs). Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries have applied this toolkit as one of their priority actions after recognizing concerns...

The synthetic drug trade in Southeast Asia continues to grow, leading to questions about the transition from traditional drugs to non-traditional types over the past decade. With US$ 72 billion in illicit drug profit annually, drug traders had forgotten about the difficulties of COVID-19 in the region from early 2020 until the present. Accordingly,...

Online peer-to-peer lending applications have emerged in some recent years in Vietnam, where the consumer lending market is potential for financial companies. This country faces challenges to control the online lending business. As a result, criminals find loopholes in the legal system on this business to commit loan sharks. This article targets to...

Why did ‘drug-free ASEAN 2015’ failed? What are the next steps for them to change drug policies? How can young criminologists contribute their research to explain the reality of drug productions at the Golden Triangle among experience scholars? Currently, the concerns and dangers of fieldwork for those naïve criminologists have received litter cons...

In several nations in Southeast Asia, illegally importing, exporting, trading, or possessing drugs is a capital offence. Like China, another communist state in Asia, Vietnam imposes its harshest legal punishments for drug-related crimes, though many international opponents have continued to call for the abolishment of these inhumane sentences. Usin...

Drug trafficking is deemed an illegal activity and a national security concern for many states. However, it becomes more complex and difficult to fight as it adapts and expands worldwide. This article provides the state of the art in drug trafficking from various perspectives to deepen the understanding of this phenomenon that operates beyond nati...

In recent responses at the United Nations' highest dialogues, Vietnam still confirms their persistence to retain the death penalty in the criminal code system. Most of capital punishment and its related executions have been applied to drug-related offences. What will happen, and what action should Vietnam adopt if it continues to use capital punish...

In Vietnam, the presence of the police as primary responders is articulated in the Constitution and included in national legislation on disaster management as well as public security law. This chapter used desk-based research for data collection, including legal documents of government and Ministry of Public Security, to review and assess current p...

Since officially joining the globally connected computer network in 1997, Vietnam has made impressive progress with 64 million internet users as of June 2017, accounting for 67% of the population and is also among the countries with the highest number of internet users in Asia. Social media is widely available with a large focus on young groups. Th...

While the COVID-19 pandemic is still infecting without unpredictable estimations around the world, the role of law enforcement in the deal with this crisis is still debating. Mainly, among multidisciplinary research studies, the question of policing and police responses to deal with this virus is necessary to look for different approaches and sever...

The Golden Triangle—the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar converge—is considered one of the most complicated narcotics-trafficking hotspots in the world. More research is needed, however, to understand the supply and demand resources as well as the overall structure of transnational narcotics trafficking (TransNT) in this area a...

In several nations in Southeast Asia, illegally importing, exporting, trading, or possessing drugs is a capital offence. Like China, another communist state in Asia, Vietnam imposes its harshest legal punishments for drug-related crimes, though many international opponents have continued to call for the abolishment of these inhumane sentences. Usin...

In recent years, transit routes in Vietnam for drug trafficking networks in the Southeast Asia region and beyond have expanded considerably. Many international scholars are working on identifying destination and transit routes of drug trafficking entities “to and through” Vietnam. Among these routes, the crossings through the Vietnam–Laos borderlan...

In 2009, Vietnam officially decriminalised drug use through amendments to the criminal law. The amendments outlined explicitly that illicit drug use would be seen as an administrative violation, but not a criminal offence. This legal transition has not been without implementation challenges, and police particularly have struggled to find a balance...

This study examined a sample of transnational computer fraud cases involving bank card fraud and phone scams investigated by the Vietnamese police between 2010 and 2018. This research used social network analysis to evaluate the relationships between computer fraud suspects. The study combined data from criminal profiles and in-depth interviews wit...

While implementing economic and political reforms to develop society and the economy since 1986, Vietnam has faced serious challenges to national security and social order associated with the complexities of transnational crimes (e.g., illegal drugs, human trafficking, green crimes and high-tech crimes). Additionally, as an uncharted territory in t...

The Greater Mekong Sub-region ( GMS ), including five Southeast Asian countries and China, has experienced a significant increase in the cultivation of opium, trafficking of heroin and methamphetamine, and consumption of these illicit drugs. In recent years, the GMS has been expanded considerably as supply, destination, and transit route for illega...

Background In 2009, Vietnam officially decriminalized drug use through amendments to the criminal law. The amendments specifically outlined that drug use would be seen as an administrative sanction, but not a criminal offence. This legal transition has not been without its implementation challenges and police particularly are have struggled to bala...

Cybercrimes are growing in Vietnam to pose a number of complicated modus operandi with its sophisticated activities. Dealing with cybercrime's threats is challenging when Vietnam has still lacked manpower policies and professional technologies. As the first specific analyses to focus on Vietnam's context, this paper discusses the efforts taken by t...

Police officers are considered as key actors in responding to the illicit trade in people in Vietnam. Based on 150 surveys and 25 in-depth interviews with these officers in five provinces/cities and one ministerial agency, this study explores challenges in identifying victims of sex trafficking. This research determined some police-related obstacle...

As one of the most populous countries in the Asia area, Vietnam has been continuing to develop and integrate into the region since ‘Renovation Period' in 1986. Alongside several considerable achievements in the field of socio-economic, political, social, and sustainable development, Vietnam is also facing practical challenges in the society, partic...

Situated close to the Golden Triangle region, and lying across important South-East Asian region traffic routes, Vietnam has a long history of drug use. The negative attitudes among Vietnamese people towards drug use have emerged from the past actions of colonial governments and recently been influenced by social media and political factors. Yet th...

Alongside raising awareness and creating activities to develop a harm-reduction approach in the HIV/AIDS campaign since the end of the 2000s, broader harm-reduction interventions in Vietnam were also deployed that included several positive steps. Police forces, a fundamental sector in reducing the supply of illicit drugs, were also involved, partly...

This chapter aims to analyze discrimination and disadvantage of local farmers in the process of opium eradication in Myanmar based on their specific explanations. The author utilizes some data and information collected from official reports and statements of the Myanmar Opium Farmers' Forum (2013-2018). Some multiple sources from inside and outside...

This book presents the first detailed inquiry into the nature of cross-border drug trafficking between Laos People’s Democratic Republic and Vietnam, using an exploratory approach. It draws upon qualitative and quantitative methods, case studies, interviews and survey data from criminal investigation police on drug-related crimes officers (CIPDRC)...

Based on qualitative findings regarding the organizational structure and modus operandi of cross-border drug-trafficking entities in Vietnam, this chapter looks at the effectiveness of drug control on both sides. The findings are the outcome of surveys and interviews with Criminal Investigation Police on Drug-Related Crimes (CIPDRC) officers, both...

This chapter examines the various self-preservation modus operandi through which traffickers and distributors recruit members of their networks, which generally reflect family-based structures or association with fellow countrymen (independent groups). The membership of these tightly controlled groups reflects strong kinship ties, friendship bonds,...

Crime script analysis can be used to reconstruct the complete sequence of instrumental decisions and actions prior to, during, and following the criminal act, and to identify the modus operandi of crime (Cornish 1994: 151–196). This chapter uses crime script analysis based on interviews with members of the anti-narcotics police to show the differen...

Although the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has failed to achieve the drug-free zone by 2015 envisaged by its leaders, it continues to call for efforts to this end from members, including Vietnam and Laos. This chapter outlines five basic recommendations with 11 specific proposals aimed at overcoming the five main challenges for law...

Vietnam has become a hub for the transit of illicit drugs either into or through Mainland South-east Asia. More than half of the ten provinces sharing a border have become drug-trafficking “hot spots” in recent years. This chapter looks at the distinguishing geographical, topographical, and socio-economic features of Vietnam, as well as the traditi...

The Greater Mekong Sub-Region is threatened by illicit drug production, consumption, and trafficking. I review the trends in these concerns and also assess regional cooperation in drug control. I analyze some of the main barriers to combating drug trafficking, before suggesting a set of priorities for bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

All member states in the Association of South East Asian Nations struggle with the complex security challenge of increasing and diversified cross-border crime. Trafficking in illegal drugs, weapons, forest resources, trafficking in persons, and the smuggling of migrants, stretch the capacities of the region’s state law enforcement agencies. And yet...

Locating closely with the Golden Triangle, as one of the largest opium-producing over the world, Vietnam has been expanded considerably as transit route for illegal drug trade’s networks to and through in recent times. Approaching secondary data of Vietnam’s authorities in terms of prevention, combat, and drug control during the period of 2008–2014...

This paper draws a detailed description of overall cross-border crimes that ASEAN region must be faced when forwarding one common communities on 2020. In order to improving capacity to preventing and combating non-traditional crimes, enhancing international cooperation in education and training for law enforcement agencies is considered as one of t...

The purpose of this study is to better understand the crime commission process of stockpiling, transporting, and trading illegal drugs and identify significant points for intervention by using crime scripts. This objective is achieved through a qualitative content analysis of typical cases with provided by the ANPTF about documentaries and informat...

In Vietnam, empirical research structure and operation in trafficking of illegal drugs is severely limited. Few Vietnamese and foreigners scholars have researched into illicit narcotic drugs from other disciplinary perspectives such as a health or rehabilitative framework to drug users (Rapin, 2003; Van & Scannapieco, 2008); drug policy in addict t...

This paper is to present the first detailed analysis of the nature of cross-border TDT in Vietnam. To do this, the paper draws upon findings from multiple case studies of cross-border trafficking between Vietnam and Lao PDR borders. This study approaches mixed methods research with its exploratory sequential design where begins to qualitative phase...

BORDER 21 International Conference-The First and Last Line of Defence: Border Security Challenges in the Evolving World, is one of the specific topics in the serial conferences of the Industry Defence and Security Australia Limited implementing. This sub-conference was organised by Curtin University's Department of Social Sciences and Security Stud...

My paper focuses on drug production, consumption, and trafficking at Vietnam. In recent years, Vietnam has been expanded considerably as transit route for illegal drug trade’s networks to and through. Additionally, Vietnam has also been faced by threats and risks of transnational drugs trafficking entities cross border with its shared borderland, i...

In recent years, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crimes (UNODC) has examined and verified that West Africa has become a prominent region for methamphetamine manufacture, which is then trafficked either directly or via Southern Africa and Western Europe to East and Southeast Asia. Although closed proximity to the Golden Triangle, as one of the...

The death penalty is a major concern for those calling for the abolition. Since established in 1961, Amnesty International has been calling on countries around the world to abolish the death penalty. However, the four most populated countries, China, India, the United States, and Indonesia, have continued to maintain the death penalty as one of the...

Although the last two decades have seen a numbers of scholars presenting that female play a considerable role in transnational organized crime, criminologists have focused insufficient concentration on how organizational structure and modus operandi in transnational narcotics trafficking‟s operations was implemented by female. A few, if not, pub...

Appearing and increasing’ trend of this field in Vietnamese crime groups have become a considerable concern since recent times with both the potential yield and potency of the crop at some of nations and regions, including Australia, Canada and European countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Czech Republic as well. Meanwhile, th...