309 kilos of suspected ivory seized in Hanoi

Around 309 kilograms of what are suspected to be elephant tusks from Nigeria were seized at Noi Bai International Airport on Saturday.

The suspected ivory found at Noi Bai airport on Saturday. (Photo: VNE)

The shipment arrived at the Hanoi airport two days earlier on an Etihad Airways flight from Nigeria in a container labeled as containing glass.

Customs officials have taken test samples to confirm the shipment's origin.

They have also summoned representatives of a company in Hanoi that was named on the invoice as the recipient.

Vietnam banned the ivory trade in the 1990s, but it has been fueled by rising affluence in recent years and demand for decorative pieces.

The country has been named one of the biggest markets for wildlife trafficking as many people believe rare animal parts can cure diseases, despite a lack of scientific evidence.

Wildlife protection organizations have been cooperating with celebrities and doctors to campaign against this belief. The government has also been slammed for doing little in its part to prevent the wildlife trade.