VietNamNet Bridge - Many types of insects and reptiles that cost thousands to several million dong, or even tens of millions of dong, are sold online and in stores. State agencies have rejected the licensing of such imports.

Many types of reptiles are sold online and in stores

The stranger and more colorful the creatures are, the more they sell. Most of them are carried to Vietnam across border gates.

Addresses, telephone numbers and pictures can be found in small ads on many websites. The product prices vary, depending on the originality of products and their colors. Sellers reassure buyers that all the products are official imports, licensed by appropriate agencies.

For spiders, the smallest and cheapest is priced at VND100,000, while bigger ones are sold at hundreds of thousands to millions of dong. There are many different spider species, with white and red legs, Tarantula, Red G.Rose Tarafu.

Geckos are very colorful, green, red and yellow, priced at VND1.2-7 million. There are many choices for pythons which are sold at VND1.5-4 million. 

African frog, Pacman frog, Green Iguana and Bearded Dragon are sold at VND0.7-5 million. Russian turtlesand Indian star tortoise sell for VND2.5-3.8 million.

At a reptile pet shop in HCMC, Thai tortoises sell for VND10 million. A white Iguana was quoted at VND100 million. 

Addresses, telephone numbers and pictures can be found in small ads on many websites. The product prices vary, depending on the originality of products and their colors. Sellers reassure buyers that all the products are official imports, licensed by appropriate agencies.

The pets are from Thailand. They went through examination before entering Vietnam, according to a salesman. He affirmed that authorities will issue certificates to every owner, and that the reptiles are not infected with diseases.

Nearly all exotic species sellers provide warranty services and show the way to take care of pets. They even show how to inseminate them so they can create commercial products. The reptiles can lay several dozen eggs each time.

The departments of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary and Aquatic Resources, of Industry and Trade and of Health do not control pets available in the market. The representatives of the departments told reporters that animal imports must be licensed by the sub-department of health.

However, the Sub-department of Animal Health Zone 6 affirmed that there have been no declarations about the import of the pets. 

Ly Hoai Vu, deputy head of the sub-department, said importers have to check with the sub-department to find if the reptiles and insects they want to import are listed among prohibited import items. 

If the reptiles and insects are not prohibited, importers will have to seek certificates from export countries to prove that the pets are not infected with diseases and that they are bred in safe region. In addition, importers also have to follow other procedures to obtain official licenses for import.