
HANOI: Vietnam's customs authority has confiscated 125 kilogrammes of rhino horns worth up to US$4 million (123 million baht) found in an air shipment.
The state-run Vietnam News reported on Monday that the 55 pieces of horn were concealed inside plaster blocks. They were discovered on Thursday.
According to the authority, the shipment was declared as non-taxable material to avoid a customs check as it arrived at Hanoi's international airport.
Vietnam and China are frequent destinations for trafficked rhino horns.
Many Chinese believe the horns can be used to cure illnesses including cancer. But there is no proof there is a medicinal benefit from the horns, which are made of keratin, the same as human hair and nails.
The illegal trade has placed wild rhinoceros populations everywhere in extreme risk of extinction.