Marine turtle trade and exploitation in Vietnam

The average number of recorded seizure cases has roughly halved since 2018, and open sales have largely disappeared from the shops surveyed. However, turtle products remain advertised online, while fishers report accidental catches that do not appear in national records. Together, these findings underline the need to address both illegal trade and incidental catch, also known as bycatch.

Trade remains despite fewer recorded seizures

Of the 11,510 commodities seized between 2010 and 2024, 95% were confiscated before 2016. Annual seizure cases fell from an average of ten in 2010-2018 to around five in 2019-2024. These figures reflect enforcement activity as well as trade, so the decline alone cannot establish whether trafficking has decreased.

Live turtles featured 63% of incidents, accounting for 1,495 animals. Dead turtles accounted for the largest number of seized specimens, with at least 7,641 specimens seized in 15 incidents. Seizure records also point to Vietnam’s role as a transit hub: at least five of ten international cases involved shipments bound for China, and Vietnamese fishing vessels were found collecting turtles in Malaysian and Indonesian waters, including one case involving approximately 1,400 mixed animals.

Surveys of 53 shops in 2023 and again in late 2024 found the same 69 items at four shops in Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang. Vendors described these items as display items rather than for sale, citing awareness of penalties. Online monitoring identified 544 advertisements from 216 sellers, with Facebook accounting for 63% of listings. Jewellery was the most frequently advertised product, and Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi were the main locations identified for sellers.

Accidental catches fall through a reporting gap

The fisher survey revealed a substantial gap between reported at-sea experiences and official records. In 2024, 26% of 110 fishers surveyed reported catching turtles in the past five years. Meanwhile, 77% believed other vessels still catch turtles and sometimes keep them for consumption.

None of the surveyed fishers reported using Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs). According to the factsheet, national data recorded no marine turtle incidental catches, despite fishing logbooks including a dedicated field for endangered species.

Fishers are telling us that turtles are still being caught, but those encounters are missing from official records. We need to understand what makes reporting difficult and work with fishers on a system they can trust and use easily.”

Trinh Nguyen, Director of TRAFFIC's Vietnam Office“That could include familiar tools such as Zalo, alongside practical support to prevent accidental catches and safely release turtles. Better reporting would help us understand where turtles are most at risk and focus protection where it is needed.”

Turning findings into action

The factsheet calls for simpler incidental-catch reporting, measures suited to different fishing gears to reduce turtle bycatch, stronger cooperation with social media companies to remove illegal advertisements, and a mechanism for shops to surrender turtle items still held on display. Bycatch measures should include appropriate TED requirements for trawl fisheries and suitable approaches for gillnet fisheries.

The findings provide a baseline for action, rather than a national estimate of trade or bycatch. Small fisher and official survey samples, unverified self-reported release rates, and uncertainty over the authenticity of advertised products limit the conclusions that can be drawn.

Nevertheless, the evidence points to a clear priority: protection efforts must address the trade that remains visible while improving understanding of what happens at sea.