7 Vietnamese dead, 5 in coma after taking drugs at music festival

Hanoi, Sep 17: Seven people have died and five others are in a coma after taking drugs at a dance music festival in Hanoi late Sunday.

The victims, who were all Vietnamese, "all tested positive for drugs," deputy director of Hanoi police Nguyen Van Vien told reporters.

The music festival was held in a water park near Hanoi's city centre and attended by thousands of people.

Government data say Vietnam has 220,000 drug addicts with police records and some 1,600 overdose deaths annually.

Methamphetamine and heroin are the most common drugs used and overdosed, with meth use rising in recent years.