Help End the Illegal Wildlife Trade in Vietnam

Your continued support has enabled our team to make great progress in the third quarter of 2025, strengthening Vietnam’s fight against wildlife trafficking through coordinated enforcement and public participation.

From July through September, ENV recorded 776 new wildlife crime cases, involving more than 188,000 individual animals, parts, or products. The ENV Wildlife Crime Hotline remained a powerful tool for public participation, receiving an average of 11.5 new cases per day.

Online enforcement remained a major area of impact this quarter. Cybercrime cases accounted for 56% of all wildlife crimes logged, underscoring ENV’s leadership in addressing the complex and rapidly evolving world of online trafficking. ENV’s Wildlife Crime Unit continued to work effectively to detect, document, and support action against online traders.

At the same time, the illegal trade in exotic species experienced a sharp rise in activity, with ENV documenting 121 cases involving approximately 20,853 live exotic animals. This represents a substantial increase compared to previous quarters and highlights the growing demand for exotic pets and display animals. ENV’s timely reporting and coordination with relevant authorities continue to play a key role in identifying new trafficking routes and preventing these animals from entering the market.

On the ground, ENV continued to maintain a strong enforcement presence across key hotspots. Since 2013, ENV teams have conducted more than 29,000 inspections of restaurants, shops, and other establishments suspected of wildlife trade, with an overall success rate of 64%. During the third quarter alone, 389 establishments were inspected, resulting in numerous interventions and compliance actions that help deter open wildlife sales.

In addition to field and online operations, ENV supported authorities in the confiscation and transfer of 283 live animals. Each successful rescue represents another step toward removing wildlife from illegal captivity and ensuring they are placed in appropriate rescue centers or conservation facilities.

The judicial response to wildlife trafficking also strengthened further this quarter. Courts imposed average prison sentences of 4.3 years for convicted traffickers, demonstrating a clear commitment by Vietnam’s judicial system to deter wildlife crime. ENV’s prosecution interventions achieved an 87% success rate, helping to ensure that violations are prosecuted effectively and justice is served.

Success stories worth sharing:

On July 10, 2025, the Cybersecurity Department and Economic Department of the Tuyen Quang Provincial Police, in coordination with the Tan Quang Commune Police, arrested two men for transporting 15 Indochinese box turtles (Cuora galbinifrons) during an operation undertaken in cooperation with ENV. One of them was an online seller who was first reported to ENV on July 3, 2025 (Case ref. 33930/ENV).

On July 10, 2024, the Cao Bang Provincial Border Guard, in coordination with Lung Nam District authorities, arrested two men transporting 149 parrots—31 green-cheeked parakeets (Pyrrhura molinae), 88 black-capped parakeets (Pyrrhura rupicola), and 30 Senegal parrots (Poicephalus senegalus)—bound for China. Five additional individuals were later arrested for their involvement in this illegal operation. The suspects admitted that they had been hired by an unidentified Chinese man to deliver the parrots across the border for VND 2 million. On August 8, 2025, the Cao Bang Provincial Court sentenced the two organizers to eight years in prison each, three transporters to seven years, one to four years, and a female accomplice to a 36-month suspended sentence with five years of probation. All confiscated parrots died and were subsequently destroyed (Case ref. 31248/ENV).

On December 24, 2024, the Cao Bang Provincial Economic Police and Traffic Police stopped a car and seized two elephant tusks weighing 19.85 kilograms, arresting the two men inside, who confessed to being hired to deliver the tusks to a customer. Further investigation led to the arrest of a woman identified as the owner of the tusks. On September 8, 2025, the Cao Bang Provincial Court sentenced the owner to 30 months in prison, while the two transporters received sentences of 42 and 18 months, respectively. The tusks were later destroyed (Case ref. 32595/ENV).

On September 12, 2025, the Lang Son Provincial Criminal Police Department coordinated with local authorities to seize 14 live otters and arrested a homeowner who confessed to being hired to transport them to China. A subsequent investigation led to the arrest of three men involved in transporting the otters from southern Vietnam to the homeowner. The otters were transferred to the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program at Cuc Phuong National Park (Case ref. 34528/ENV).

ENV remains committed to strengthening Vietnam’s response to wildlife trafficking through close collaboration with government partners, law enforcement, and the public. With your continued support, ENV will build on the progress achieved in 2025 to dismantle trafficking networks, enhance judicial outcomes, and move closer to ending the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam.

Links:

• ENV's website