They said customs scanning on December 31, 2017 found goods that may have been from ivory tusks weighing around 3 kilogrammes from a passenger to be on board flight SL 181 of ThaiLion Air from Noi Bai to Bangkok, Thailand.

They seized these commodities and sent samples of the goods to the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources for tests. The tests confirmed that four pieces of these goods are African ivory and others were made from African ivory.

The case is under further investigation.

Trading, storing and transporting ivory is forbidden in Vietnam. Violators can be fined from 5-50 million VND or imprisoned from six months to five years.

In August 2017, a “Say No to Ivory” campaign was launched in Ho Chi Minh City with a view to raising public awareness of elephant protection.

The campaign, part of the global wildlife programme “When the buying stops, the killing can too”, was launched by the Centre of Hand-on Actions and Networking for Growth and Environment (CHANGE) and WildAid organisation.

The “Say No to Ivory” campaign is set to last for three years.

In Vietnam, WildAid is focusing on measures to change people’s wrong belief in the uses of wildlife products, including ivory, through communication publications.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the number of elephants in Vietnam has fallen from more than 1,000 to about 100 which mainly live along the border with Laos and Cambodia. Vietnam has become an illegal point of transit for ivory over the last decade.-VNA