MOST COMMONLY TRADED PROTECTED ANIMALS SPECIES IN VIETNAM
WWF Greater Mekong and TRAFFIC Southeast Asia have compiled a list of commonly purchased animals and products that are protected by
Vietnamese and International law. An educated public can act responsibly, and this list has been made to relieve some of the confusion related to
public purchasing of wildlife or wildlife products, as well as questions pertaining to legality/illegality and species status (e.g. endangered or
threatened with extinction).
It is the hope of both organizations that with this information, these animals will have a chance of survival against their number one threat - illegal
and unsustainable trade. Please join the fight to save all of the plants and animals that make up our unique and diverse natural environment. Let’s
keep this irreplaceable resource alive for our future generations.
Species
No.
Products/uses
Common name
I.
1
2
3
4
MAMMALS
Tiger (Hổ)
Leopard (Báo hoa
mai)
Clouded Leopard
(Báo gấm)
Rhinoceros (Tê
giác một sừng)
Scientific name
Bone, bone glue,
claws, mounted
head, paws, skin
and skin
products, stuffed
tiger, teeth,
Panthera pardus
Claws, skin and
skin products,
stuffed leopard,
teeth
Pardofelis nebulosa Claws, skin and
skin products,
stuffed leopard,
teeth
Rhinoceros
Horns
sondaicus
Conservation and Legal Information
Red Data
Decree No.32
CITES
Book of
Vietnam
Prohibited Restricted Appendix I Appendix II
2004
2007 IUCN
Red List of
Threatened
Species
Panthera tigris
√
√
CR
EN
√
√
CR
LC
√
√
EN
VU
√
√
CR
CR
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
II.
12
13
14
1
Bear1 (Gấu)
Elephant (Voi)
Ursidae spp.
Elephas maximus
Pangolin (Tê
tê/Trút)
Primates
(Vượn,voọc, khỉ,
culi)
Deer (Hươu,
Nai)2
Manis spp.
Serow (Sơn
Dương)
Naemorhedus
(Capricornis)
sumatraensis
Viverridae spp.
Civet3 (Cầy)
REPTILES
Terrestrial
Tortoises (Các
loài rùa cạn)
Marine Turtles
(Các loại rùa
biển)
Freshwater
Turtles4 (Các loại
Rùa nước ngọt)
Primates spp.
Cervus spp. and
Moschus spp.
Testudinidae spp.
Testudinidae spp.
Testudinidae spp.
Bones, bone glue,
gall bile (fresh
and dried), paws
Feet, hair, ivory,
ivory carvings,
skin, skin-ash
Meat, scales, skin
Blood, bones,
bone glue, brain,
meat, pet
Antlers, antler
balm, meat,
mounted head,
musk
Horns, meat,
mounted head,
testicles
Meat
Meat, pet, shells
and patrons, shell
and patron glue
Accessories made
of shells, eggs,
meat, stuffed
hawksbill, stuffed
green turtle
Meat, pet, shells
√
√
EN
VU/DD
CR
EN
√
EN
LR
√
√
CR/EN/VU
/LR
CR/EN/VU/
LR/DD
√
√
√
CR/EN/VU
VU/LR
√
√
EN
VU
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
EN/VU
EN/VU/LC
√
√
√
EN/VU
EN/VU
CR/EN
CR/EN
CR/EN/VU
CR/EN/VU
√
√
Two species of bears are distributed in Vietnam: Sun Bear (Ursus thibetanus) and Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus malayanus). Both are in high trade demand for farming for gall bile.
Three deer species are protected in Vietnam, including Cervus eldii (Nai ca tong), Cervus porcinus (Huou vang) and Moschus moschiferus (Huou xa)
3
There are many species of civets in Vietnam, 7 species are protected, including Arctictis binturong (Cay den), Viverra megaspila (cay giong soc), Viverra zibetha (cay giong), Viverricula
indica (cay huong), Prionodon pardicolor (cay gam), Chrotogale owstoni (cay van bac) and Cynocephalus variegatus (Cay bay).
2
15
16
17
Naja naja
Python6 (Trăn)
Python spp.
Ophiophagus
hannah
Varanus spp.
III.
20
Monitor lizard7
(Kỳ đà)
Crocodile8 (Cá
sấu)
BIRDS
Parrot9 (Vẹt)
21
IV.
22
18
19
4
Cobra5 (Rắn hổ
mang)
King cobra (Rắn
hổ mang chúa)
Gall bile, meat,
snake wine
Gall bile, meat,
skin and skin
products, snake
wine
Balm, fat, meat,
skin and skin
products
Meat
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
EN
√
CR
√
CR
√
EN
LR
Crocodylus spp.
Meat, skin and
skin products
√
Psittaciformes spp.
Pet
√
√
LC
Hill Myna (Yểng)
Gracula religiosa
Pet
√
√
LC
FISH
Seahorse (Cá
ngựa)
Hippocampus spp.
Dried seahorse,
seahorse wine
EW/CR
√
EN/VU
CR/LR
VU/DD
Among various fresh water turtles, softshell turtles are often farmed. Please make sure you are consuming the farmed turtles.
Cobras are also farmed, so please make sure you are not consuming species caught in wild
6
There are two sub-species of python in Vietnam, namely Python molurus (Tran dat) and Python reticulatus (Tran gam). Both are farmed widely.
7
Two species of monitor lizards are protected in Vietnam: Varanus bengalensis (Ky da van), listed in Appendix I and Varanus salvator (Ky da hoa), listed in Appendix II
8
Two species of crocodiles are protected in Vietnam: Crocodylus siamensis (Ca sau Xiem) and Crocodylus porosus (Ca sau hoa ca). None of them have been found in the wild since 1983
but both, especially Crocodylus siamensis are farmed on a large scale for commercial purposes.
9
Five parrot species are protected in Vietnam: Psittacula eupatria (Vet ma vang), Psittacula finschii (Vet dau xam), Psittacula roseata (Vet dau hong), Psittacula alexandri (Vet nguc do),
Loriculus verlanis (Vet lun)
5
Explanations

Decree No.32/2006/ND-CP dated 30 March 2006 of the Government:
This decree stipulates the management and listing of endangered, precious, and rare wild plants and animals Vietnam’s forests. Species are classified
into two groups in order to apply appropriate protection levels.
 Group I includes species under critical threat of extinction. Exploitation and use of Group I listed species for commercial purposes are
prohibited.
 Group II includes species under threat of extinction. Exploitation and use of Group II listed species for commercial purposes are restricted.
Among many others, Article 9 stipulates that organizations and individuals involved in the processing and trade of the listed species and their products
must 1) have a license issued by relevant authorities and 2) verify that the species are of legal origin.

CITES Appendix I & Appendix II:
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international treaty adopted by more than 171
countries (including Vietnam) to regulate international wildlife trade and ensure its sustainability. Currently the CITES is considered one of the
world's most powerful tools for biodiversity conservation through the regulation of trade in wild fauna and flora. Member countries, once adopting to
CITES, are required to promulgate national legislation to comply with the Convention accordingly.
CITES regulates the majority of international trade through two Appendices that specify the level of protection required.
 Appendix I, animals and plants listed are excluded from international commercial trade except in very special circumstances.
 Appendix II, commercial international trade is permitted for species listed in but it is strictly controlled on the basis of CITES permits, which
are issued by CITES Management Authority designated by each member country.
Though not used as frequently, Appendix III allows a country to call on other countries to help her regulate trade in the listed species, thus the
Appendix III listed species are protected within the borders of a member country only.

Red Data Book of Viet Nam – Animals – 2004 (revised):
Precious, rare species whose populations are decreasing or under threat of extinction are identified and listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam, which
serves as a scientific basis for the Government and relevant authorities to develop wildlife protection policy and legislation. The first version of the Red
Data Book of Viet Nam – Animals was published in 1992, with 359 animals listed as “Endangered,” the highest threat level. In 2004, the Red Data
Book of Viet Nam – Animals was revised to include 407 animals, a dramatic shift in the number of threatened species as well as included threat
levels.10.
The Red Data Book of Vietnam uses the same threat classifications as the IUCN Redlist of Threatened species. These classifactions are:
- EX: Extinct
- EW: Extinct in the wild
- CR: Critically Endangered
- EN: Endangered
- VU: Vulnerable
- LR: Lower risk (including 3 sub classifications: cd (conservation dependent), nt (near threatened) and lc (least concerned)
- DD: Data deficient
- NE: Not evaluated

2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species was first created in 1963 by The World Conservation Union and has been considered the world’s most
comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. It is regarded as the most objective and authoritative system for
classifying species in terms of the risk of extinction based on precise criteria for evaluation, which are relevant to all species and all regions of the world.
The aim is to convey the urgency of conservation issues to the public and policy makers, as well as help the international community to try to reduce
species extinction. Since their inception, the IUCN Red Data Books and Red Lists have enjoyed an increasingly prominent role in guiding conservation
activities of governments, NGOs and scientific institutions. Being an effective global conservation tool, the IUCN Red List has been widely applied in
many countries, including Vietnam, which have developed Red Books within their own countries based on IUCN classifications so as to meet the national
conservation needs. The electronic version of IUCN Red List is updated once a year and is available at www.iucnredlist.org .
10
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