Around 350kg of ivory hidden in a shipping container has been seized in Vietnam, an official said today (Feb. 21), the first major bust of the illegally-trafficked product this year.

Although the ivory trade has been banned in Vietnam since 1992, the country remains a top market for ivory products prized locally for its purported decorative and medicinal purposes.

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

The latest ivory haul was discovered in the Soc Son District of Hanoi, according to customs officials. They said laboratories were testing the 350-kilogramme haul to definitely conclude if they are elephant tusks.

VOV