The Mekong Dragon Campaign (OMD) is a series of joint action campaigns between Customs agencies and law enforcement forces in the Asia-Pacific region to combat illegal trade of drugs, animals, wild plants and dynamic products, wild plants on the CITES list. The campaign was jointly initiated by Vietnam Customs and China Customs and has been implemented since 2018.
Multilateral cooperation, expanding the scale of implementation
The conference to summarize the 7 Mekong Dragon Campaign was organized by Vietnam Customs in coordination with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Control (UNODC) and the Asia-Pacific Intelligence Office (RILO AP-WCO).
Phase 7 of the Campaign in Vietnam was officially activated and implemented from April 15, 2025 to September 15, 2025, with the participation of 24 Customs agencies, law enforcement forces and international organizations, receiving the consensus and support of the Campaign Coordination Committee.
Speaking at the conference, Mr. Dang Van Duc, Deputy Head of the Anti-smuggling Investigation Department, said that Vietnam Customs highly appreciated and acknowledged the active support of partners in sharing information, coordinating techniques and promoting cooperation in preventing and combating transnational crimes.
Since 2022, the Campaign has received the attention and close direction of senior Vietnamese leaders. On that basis, Vietnam Customs has advised the Ministry of Finance to report to the Prime Minister to expand the scale of implementation and strengthen inter-sectoral coordination.
In the three recent periods (OMD 5, 6 and 7), Vietnam Customs has stepped up cooperation with the Department of Drug Crime Investigation (C04) and the Department of Environmental Crime Prevention and Control (C05) under the Ministry of Public Security; at the same time, expanding the Campaign to all local Customs Branches.
165 drug cases detected in 10 months
Within the framework of OMD 7, on the basis of sharing information from partners such as China, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan, Vietnam Customs has detected and handled many major drug cases.
In just 10 months of 2025, Vietnam Customs has coordinated with functional units to detect and arrest 165 cases, 213 subjects, and seize 2.3 tons of various drugs.
According to the Customs Department, not only Vietnam, the Mekong Dragon 7 Campaign also recorded impressive preliminary results in member countries with 1,155 cases detected and handled.
Of which, 1,027 cases of drugs were seized, seizing 11.8 tons and 1,745,000 synthetic drug pills; 20 cases of precursors, seizing 353 kg and 3,800 pills; 108 cases of wild animals and plants, seizing 4,951.9 kg and 12,800 samples.
Affirming its role and long-term commitment
UNODC representatives would like to thank all agencies and organizations participating in the Campaign for their professionalism, commitment and close cooperation throughout OMD 7. UNODC affirmed that the Mekong Dragon Campaign is not only a single campaign, but also a foundation for trust, sharing intelligence and collective action in preventing and combating transnational crimes.
UNODC reaffirms its commitment to continue supporting the Mekong Dragon Campaign through technical assistance, operational assistance, information exchange tools and regional coordination mechanisms to improve capacity and effectiveness of cross-border cooperation.
Evaluating the Campaign, Mr. Duong Hi ( Yang Xi), Director of the Anti-smuggling Department, Ha Mon Customs (China) affirmed that with the joint efforts of all parties, the Mekong Dragon Campaign has become a leading brand in customs law enforcement cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, an effective tool in suppressing cross-border smuggling crimes.
Concluding the conference, representative of Vietnam Customs, Mr. Dang Van Duc affirmed the commitment of the Vietnamese Government to cooperate closely with Customs of countries and international organizations to prevent and combat drug trafficking, illegal transportation of wildlife and other transnational crimes, contributing to building safe borders, stable areas and sustainable development.
