Vietnam bans hunting and trade in wild animals

Vietnam wants to put an end to the wildlife trade: from now on, both the import of endangered species such as pangolins and civets and the trade at wildlife markets will be prohibited.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a corresponding decree, animal welfare organisations in the Southeast Asian country announced. “This is the first time the government has mobilised dozens of ministries and agencies to actively address the problem of wildlife trafficking,” wrote the environmental NGO WildAid.

Survey shows broad support for trade ban

In a survey recently conducted by WWF and GlobeScan, nearly three quarters of people in Vietnam agreed that closing markets where wild animals are sold and shutting down illegal and unregulated wildlife restaurants would effectively prevent a pandemic in the future. In Vietnam, 15 percent of respondents have bought or know someone who has bought wildlife products at an open wildlife market in the past 12 months. Together with Thailand, this is the highest figure among all five Asian countries surveyed. These buyers primarily purchased turtles (48%), civets (28%), live birds (23%), and pangolins (16%).

The trade has had devastating consequences and has been a cause for concern for years, “most recently when the Covid-19 pandemic once again provided evidence of the transmission of infectious diseases between wild animals and humans,” said WildAid expert Hoang Thi Minh Hong. The illegal wildlife trade is a global problem that does not stop at Europe's borders.

Business and politics pulling in the same direction

Business leaders in Vietnam have also helped lead by example. More than 40 CEOs from Vietnam's top companies, as well as executives from several international chambers of commerce, have committed to not purchasing, consuming, or gifting wildlife products, and have called on the government to end the trade and consumption of wildlife.

Effective immediately, Vietnam has banned the import of wildlife and wildlife products, as well as hunting, transport, consumption, and sale — both in markets and online. Numerous environmental organizations have been calling for such measures for years. The case demonstrates that a consistent ban on wildlife trade is possible when the political will exists.

Fifteen percent of Vietnamese people had either purchased wildlife themselves in the past twelve months or knew someone who had bought wildlife products at a market, WildAid wrote, citing surveys. Together with Thailand, the Mekong country is thus the top-ranked in the region. Trade was conducted primarily in turtles, civets, live birds, and pangolins.