New Research Shows Alarming Levels Of Online Illegal Wildlife Trade In Vietnam

New Research Shows Alarming Levels Of Online Illegal Wildlife Trade In Vietnam

According to reports from HANOI, the trade of elephants, rhinos, pangolins, and tigers and their products is prohibited or restricted under Vietnamese law.

The regulation of wildlife trading online by the Electronic Transaction Law No.51/2005/QH11 and Decree 52/2013/ND-CP for e-commerce makes it illegal to advertise and trade wildlife products such as ivory and rhino horn online.

In its new research, TRAFFIC, supported by the U.S Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Saving Threatened Wildlife, has found an alarming rate of online adverts offering illegal wildlife products for sale in Vietnam.

Results from the research conducted between 2021 and 2023 show the widespread availability of products from endangered species, including elephants, tigers, pangolins, rhinos, tortoises, and freshwater turtles, across major e-commerce and social media platforms.

Ms Trinh Nguyen, Traffic’s Vietnam Program Office Director, said, “The landscape of illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam is constantly evolving, making it harder to track and control.

Through regular monitoring of market dynamics and with the support of the Saving Threatened Wildlife project, TRAFFIC documents how wildlife trades operate and adapt across these spaces.

This ongoing surveillance helps authorities and conservationists understand current market trends and trading patterns of protected species.”

According to this research, over 22,497 online advertisements for illegal wildlife products are posted daily with Facebook and Zalo as its primary platforms, with the highest number of posts being Tiger products, elephant ivory and pangolin products.

According to the highlights, these products are advertised for various purposes, from ornamental to ceremonial (religious), medicinal and pet trade. In some cases, unverified Certificates are attached to the advertisements to prove the authenticity of ivory jewellery or traditional medicinal products containing pangolin scales.

Mr. Do Quang Tung, Director of the Central Management Unit (CPMU), said, “The continuous efforts to monitor online wildlife crime trends revealed useful insights demonstrating the urgent need for a coordinated government response.

We urge the enforcement agencies to act on these findings by strengthening their interventions and their strategies to address current trafficking trends,”

This research suggests using social media and e-commerce companies to enhance their monitoring capabilities, train staff, and implement stricter policies against posts enabling illegal wildlife trade.

Ms Michelle Owen, Chief of the Party for the Saving Threatened Wildlife project, said, “Increased online access and growth in e-commerce opportunities are important for Vietnam’s development.

However, ensuring  the content of online markets complies with the law needs coordination across the public and private sector and greater awareness of consumers to make informed decisions so they do not buy illegal wildlife products.”