Following a recent approval from the Director General of Viet Nam Customs Nguyen Van Can, certificates of merit have been awarded to 5 staff members from the Da Nang Customs Department for their involvement in detecting and handling the large-scale illegal shipment of elephant tusks through the Tien Sa Port over 5 months ago.

Customs officials examining tusks taken from a shipping container

The honourees are Mr Trinh Hong Hai, Mr Nguyen Hao, Mr Nguyen Tung Lam, Ms Pham Thi Le Quyen and Pham Le Thuy Huong.

As reported by Da Nang Today, on 26 March, the customs officials at the Tien Sa Port discovered and seized 9.124 tonnes of elephant tusks cleverly stashed amongst wooden planks in a shipping container that was en route to the central metropolis’ Tien Sa seaport from Africa’s Congo.

A company headquartered in neighbouring Quang Nam Province was identified as the recipient of the items.

This was the largest seizure of illegally transported ivory in Viet Nam in many recent years.

Viet Nam outlawed ivory trade in 1992, but the country remains a top market for ivory products prized locally for decorative and medicinal purposes, according to conservation groups.

The country is also a busy thoroughfare for tusks trafficked from Africa destined for other parts of Asia, conservationists say.