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Previous studies demonstrated that the trade in marine turtle products in Viet Nam was threatening local populations (CRES 1994; Duc & Broad 1995; TRAFFIC 2004; van Dijk & Shepherd 2004). Hawksbill turtles, which comprise most of the illegal trade in Viet Nam, have traditionally been exploited primarily for their shell and there has never been a significant international trade in other products from this species. A market for tortoiseshell derived from the carapace and marginal scales (scutes) of hawksbill turtles has existed for many centuries. A single turtle yields between 0.75 and 1.5 kg of tortoiseshell in the form of 13 carapace scutes, with an average yield of around 780 g. The 27 small marginal scales are less in demand (Groombridge & Luxmoore 1989).

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the main markets for hawksbill shell were in Europe and North America, where the shell was used for such items as combs, brushes, spectacle frames and luxury goods. Trade to Asian markets existed, primarily to Japan, but also to the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and Taiwan. With the advent of plastics, the need for tortoiseshell for utilitarian purposes declined, although it retained a place at the high end of the luxury market (Groombridge & Luxmoore 1989).

The first published survey of wildlife markets in Viet Nam made in 1990/91 that provided prices found that tortoiseshell was widely sold in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Vung Tau, though it was not mentioned as being found in Ha Noi (Martin 1992). In 1993 and 1995, TRAFFIC, in collaboration with CRES, undertook a study of the exploitation of hawksbill turtles in Viet Nam. The study found that hawksbill turtles were being extensively exploited in Viet Nam, through egg collection and the capture of both juveniles and adults. The turtles are killed for use largely in the production of jewellery, decorative curios, and for traditional medicine ingredients (Baird 1993; CRES 1994; Duc & Broad 1995; TRAFFIC 2004). This study aimed to determine the current status of sea turtle product trade in Viet Nam, particularly because the marine turtle trade studies prior to this investigation were conducted when trade in their products was legal. This is the first country-wide study carried out after trade was prohibited.

The capture of sea turtles and commercial use of the products were legal in Viet Nam prior to 22 April 2002. Since then sea turtles have been a protected species and regulated by the following laws: Government Decree 48/2002/ND and Circular 02/2006/TT-BTS dated 20 March 2006 of Ministry of Fisheries, which supplements Government Decree 59/2005/ND-CP of 4 May 2005 that outlines management and controls on marine resources. All but the loggerhead turtle are contained in Appendix 5 of this circular, which lists those marine species that are prohibited from commercial exploitation. All species of marine turtles are listed on Appendix I (no international trade allowed) of the Convention in International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES, <http://www.cites.org>). In Viet Nam, the chief agency responsible for implementing and enforcing the Convention is the CITES Management Authority, which is the Forest Protection Department, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Table 1 presents the conservation status and levels of protection afforded to the five sea turtle species found in Viet Nam.

Table 1. Conservation status of marine turtle species in Viet Nam. Source: TRAFFIC 2008; IUCN 2008. CR = Critically Endangered, EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable.

The aim of the investigation was to gather as much quantitative data as possible on indicators that reveal the scale and nature of the sea turtle trading system and degree of local demand for sea turtle products. The indicators used were prices of whole turtles and raw and worked tortoiseshell (bekko), number of craftsmen engaged in processing sea turtles, and numbers of retail outlets and worked sea turtle items for sale in the outlets. In addition, the size and type of sea turtle items for sale was recorded and qualitative information about the sources of sea turtle products, transport destinations and methods, and buyers was collected.

Methods consisted of visiting locations where sea turtles were known or thought to be processed and/or sold. Native Vietnamese speakers accompanied the investigator on some of the surveys to act as guide and interpreter. Vendors were interviewed to ascertain from where they obtained the sea turtle products, how well they were selling in order to assess turnover, who the main buyers were and if they knew where any sea turtle workshops were located. They provided useful information as to the whereabouts of craftsmen, which in turn resulted in details about the source and prices of sea turtle products. Some vendors were uncooperative and did not wish to share information. All vendors seemed aware that it was illegal to sell sea turtle products, and many warned the investigator that it would be difficult to take items back to the home country.

Sea turtle workshops that could be located were visited and craftsmen interviewed in an attempt to find out where they obtained their raw material, what prices they paid and where they sold their products. They were also asked if they exported their products anywhere or if they sold on the Internet. Photographs were taken whenever possible; in most retail outlets and workshops this proved to be possible. Digital photographs of displays helped considerably in determining counts of items, especially when these proved too numerous to record on site. The data were analyzed and the counts, types and prices of sea turtle items were broken down for display in tables to allow for standardized comparisons of the indicators between place and time. The retail prices used are the asking prices. The exchange rate used in this report is 16,100 VND =1 USD (May 2008). The following locations were surveyed between 4 April and 4 May, 2008: HCMC, Vung Tau, Phu Quoc island, Ha Tien, Nha Trang, Hué, Ha Noi and Ha Long City.

Sources and prices of unworked sea turtle products. Up to the 1980s Viet Nam was probably able to supply its sea turtle product industry with domestic turtles, but by the 1990s some hawksbill turtles were being imported from Cambodia (Duc & Broad 1995). By the early 2000s Vietnamese fishermen were buying whole hawksbills originating in Malaysia and Indonesia from foreign fishing vessels out at sea, and scutes from Indonesia and Singapore were being imported (TRAFFIC 2004). This investigation found that small (16-30 cm) whole green and hawksbill turtles that are sold dried and stuffed originated in Viet Nam, but that some larger whole turtles and most raw scutes came from Malaysia and Indonesia.

Dealers would not state how much they paid fishermen for whole turtles, as they were aware that it was illegal to engage in this activity. In one bekko workshop in Ha Tien, however, the craftsmen said they paid USD150/kg for raw scutes from Malaysia and Indonesia. A bekko workshop owner in HCMC said she paid up to USD700/kg for scutes from Indonesia and Malaysia. A Marine Programme officer in TRAFFIC’s Ha Noi office said that she had found that scutes from Indonesia sold for USD200/kg. Duc & Broad (1995) and TRAFFIC (2004) both found that scutes varied greatly in price with quality and location, thus USD150-700 probably represents the range in prices seen in Viet Nam in 2008.

Workshops. All of the currently operating sea turtle product workshops are located in the southern part of the country. Table 2 summarizes their locations and presents estimates of their number and the number of craftsmen in each. No bekko was being worked in Vung Tau, but an informant said there was a bekko factory employing about 10 craftsmen in the town of My Xuan, about 40 km from Vung Tau.

Table 2. Bekko workshops in Viet Nam, 2008

Worked sea turtle products. A total of 5,854 marine turtle products were found in 84 retail outlets in the eight localities surveyed (Table 3). A total of 769 souvenir and antique shops were visited, including markets, hotels and department stores, and about 11% contained sea turtle products, a relatively high percentage considering that the material is illegal to sell.

Table 3. Numbers of outlets and items of sea turtle products by location, 2008.

The most numerous items were jewellery (Figure 1), especially bangles (2,274) and rings (1,000), followed by hair clips, pins and bands (987). Seventy-one whole, stuffed green turtles and 108 whole, stuffed hawksbill turtles were seen. Most of the stuffed turtles ranged in lateral diameter 20-40 cm and many, particularly the hawksbills, were young individuals when they were killed. Vendors said it was rare these days to find a new sea turtle to stuff. Vung Tau had the most with 76, followed by Ha Tien (58) and HCMC (35). No stuffed turtles were found in Hué, Ha Noi and Ha Long City.

Figure 1. Bangles and bead bracelets are a popular bekko item for sale in Viet Nam.

Retail prices. Overall, prices were highest in HCMC and lowest in Ha Tien. The single most expensive item found was a giant stuffed green turtle in Vung Tau, measuring about 70 cm in diameter, priced at USD 621. A 56 cm diameter hawksbill in HCMC was selling for USD 485. Discounts of 20-30% could be obtained on most items with very little bargaining. The prices of whole, stuffed sea turtles varied considerably, depending on species, size and where sold. The price of whole turtles was based on the maximum carapace diameter. The hawksbill was more expensive than the green for comparable sizes. The cheapest prices for hawksbill stuffed turtles were seen in Vung Tau, where small individuals were USD 20-36. Other locations had similar prices for small hawksbills at USD 59-100.

Buyers. The two most common bekko buyers identified by retail shopowners/vendors were Taiwanese and Chinese, followed by local and US-based Vietnamese. Japanese, French, Russians and Australians were also mentioned as bekko buyers. The only outlets that admitted they shipped sea turtle products to overseas buyers were found in the An Dong Market in HCMC. They said they exported to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe and the USA. One shop vendor, which displayed 27 stuffed sea turtles, said they sold 10-15 stuffed sea turtles a month, many to Taiwanese.

Turnover. Turnover of jewellery, hair clips and combs appeared to be quite high, according to informants. These items had to be ordered every month or so. More expensive items, such as larger stuffed turtles, handbags and fans had a low turnover rate, and Europeans most often bought the last two types of products.

Bekko is much more popular in the south of the country than in the north, and turnover from Nha Trang south is much higher than for Hué and Ha Noi. Ha Long City reported fairly high turnover, particularly during national holidays when Vietnamese flocked there, but sales still seemed slower than in the south. In general, there were a greater number and variety of bekko items in the southern localities than in the northern.

Numbers of outlets and items. Table 4 presents a comparison of the numbers of outlets and sea turtle products for sale in the eight localities surveyed in both 2002 and 2008. Readers should remember that in 2002 sale of marine turtle products was legal. There has been a reduction of about 28% overall of outlets selling sea turtle products, most pronounced in HCMC, Nha Trang and Ha Noi. The reduction in the number of items seen for sale is much greater, 74%. Quite dramatic decreases were seen in HCMC, Vung Tau, Nha Trang, Ha Tien and Ha Noi. Phu Quoc Island and Ha Long City, however, have doubled the number of known outlets selling sea turtle products with a corresponding increase of almost 58% more pieces in Phu Quoc and 44% in Ha Long City between 2002 and 2008. There has also been an increase in the number of outlets selling sea turtle products at Mui Nai Beach, part of Ha Tien, from three to seven.

Table 4. Numbers of outlets and sea turtle products in 2002 and 2008.

In 2002, 446 sea turtles were seen for sale in shops in the eight localities (280 hawksbill and 186 green). In 2008 only 179 stuffed sea turtles were found, 108 hawksbill and 71 green, a decrease of nearly 62%. This reduction unfortunately reflects the fact that there are fewer sea turtles in Vietnamese waters, and probably does not indicate a drop in demand. The reduction in outlets and items was even greater between 1992 and 2008 in HCMC (Table 5).

Table 5. Number of outlets and items in 1992, 2002 and 2008 in HCMC (historical data from Baird 1993).

Numbers of workshops and craftsmen. In 2002 TRAFFIC (2004) found 9-11 workshops with a minimum of 27 craftsmen in HCMC, Ha Tien, Nha Trang and maybe one workshop in Vung Tau. In 2008 seven workshops with 15 craftsmen were found in the first three localities, with none in Vung Tau. However, a large workshop with 10-15 workers was identified by an informant who said it was in My Xuan, near Vung Tau. If this workshop does indeed manufacture sea turtle products there would be little difference between 2002 and 2008.

Prices of sea turtle products. TRAFFIC (2004) presented stuffed sea turtle prices based on 10-cm units of the carapace maximum diameter. The minimum price for small Hawksbills per 10 cm has gone up by 24% in HCMC (USD 20 to USD 26.20) and 440% in Nha Trang (USD 6.65 to USD 29.50), but has gone down by 34% in Vung Tau (USD 14.65 to USD 11.10). The increase in prices of small green turtles is quite modest and in line with inflation (USD 6.65 to USD 9.70), which averaged about 5% annually between 2000 and May 2008 (IndexMundi 2008). CRES (1994) reported that small hawksbills were selling in the Ha Tien area for USD 10-15 per 10 cm, which is less than the 2008 prices.

Raw scutes were for sale in Ha Tien in 1993 for USD 150-350/kg, depending on quality (Duc & Broad, 1995). In 2002 only one price was reported in Ha Tien, of USD 133.35/kg, and in HCMC of USD 100-400/kg (TRAFFIC, 2004). In 2008 the price was still USD 150/kg in Ha Tien. There was an apparent large price rise in HCMC to USD 700/kg, but since only one price was obtained it may not be representative. Also, the Ha Tien price was buying directly from fishermen, while the HCMC price was buying from middlemen. In early 1991 Martin (1992) found in Vung Tau that raw scutes, originating mainly in Viet Nam and Singapore, were selling for USD 132/kg.

There is still some overlap in prices for many of the jewellery pieces from 1993-2008, though in general prices have gone up due to inflation. The prices have gone up the most for those items using pure tortoiseshell, such as bead jewellery, boxes, fans and ladies’ handbags. Those categories in which plastic and bekko are sometimes mixed show price overlap between 1993 and 2008.

The continuing trade in sea turtle products has contributed significantly to the great decline in numbers and size of sea turtles seen in Vietnamese waters. Sea turtles have almost disappeared from southern Viet Nam and parts of the Gulf of Tonkin (Hamann et al. 2005, 2006). Government regulations outlawing the catching of sea turtles and possessing and trading their products has apparently substantially helped in reducing the scale of the sea turtle market in most places in Viet Nam, but the smaller market scale is probably due in part to the great reduction of sea turtles surviving in Vietnamese waters. Informants in all coastal localities reported that it was becoming rare to catch local sea turtles, especially hawksbills, and large sea turtles were virtually absent, except for Green turtles in the Con Dao Islands.

In 2002 TRAFFIC found a considerable amount of large-scale wholesale sea turtle trading to foreign dealers (TRAFFIC 2004). Hundreds of stuffed sea turtles in Ha Tien and Nha Trang were exported annually. This level of trade was unsustainable and a regular wholesale export trade seems to be a thing of the past, though foreign visitors still buy a high proportion of the sea turtle products.

Demand seemed to be at about the same level as in 2002 based on the number of craftsmen still employed in processing and on the prices of raw scutes and bekko items, though demand is perhaps lower than in 1990. The number of craftsmen may have dropped somewhat in 2008 from levels seen in 2002, but that may have been due to a lack of raw material. The prices have not gone up for raw scutes in Ha Tien, but they have almost doubled in HCMC, and have gone up everywhere for retail processed bekko. With such a significant drop in supply, this price rise would be expected with demand remaining stable. There is no strong evidence from the quantitative indicators that demand has dropped significantly, and vendors reported good sales for the products. If sea turtles are to survive and recover in Viet Nam, the government will have to begin vigorously enforcing national laws and CITES regulations that protect sea turtles.

Acknowledgements: The staff of the TRAFFIC regional Southeast Asia office provided essential information and backup support that assisted the project greatly, in particular Azrina Abdullah and Chris Shepherd. Staff of TRAFFIC’s Greater Mekong Programme office in Ha Noi also assisted in providing background information, particularly Sulma Warne. Mark Hamann shared information about nomenclature, distribution and abundance of sea turtles in Viet Nam.

BAIRDL.G. 1993. Survey of sea turtle products for sale in shops in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Marine Turtle Newsletter 60:5-8.

CRES [Centre for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Ha Noi, Viet Nam]. 1994. Investigation of Trade in Hawksbill Turtles in Viet Nam. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Field Report, No. 7.

DUC, LEDIEN & S. BROAD. 1995. Exploitation of hawksbill turtles in Viet Nam. TRAFFIC Bulletin 15: 77.

GROOMBRIDGE, B. & R. LUXMOORE. 1989. The Green Turtle and Hawksbill (Reptilia: Cheloniidae): World Status, Exploitation and Trade. Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Lausanne, Switzerland.

HAMANN, M., B.T. THUHIEN, N. COX, J. THOMPSON, C. SCHAUBE, C.T. CUONG, T.C. KHUONG & N.D. HONG. 2005. Marine turtle conservation in Viet Nam – towards 2010. Marine Turtle Newsletter 107:5-6.

HAMANN, M., C.T.CUONG, N.D. HONG, P. THUOC, & B.T. THUHIEN. 2006. Distribution and abundance of marine turtles in the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. Biodiversity and Conservation 15: 3703-3720.

INDEXMUNDI. 2008. <http://www.indexmundi.com>

IUCN (World Conservation Union). 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <http://www.iucnredlist.org/>. Searched 4 November.

MARTIN, E.B. 1992. Observations on wildlife trade in Viet Nam. TRAFFIC Bulletin 13: 61-67.

NGUYEN THI DAO. 1999. Marine turtle status report in Con Dao National Park. WWF-Indochina, Ha Noi. 24pp.

TRAFFIC. 2004. The trade in marine turtle products in Viet Nam. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia – Indochina, Ha Noi. 56 pp.

TRAFFIC. 2008. Survey report on the trade in marine turtle products in Ha Noi. Unpublished draft report, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia – Indochina, Ha Noi. 19 pp.

VAN DIJK, P.P. & C.R. SHEPHERD. 2004. Shelled out? A snapshot of Bekko trade in selected locations in South-East Asia. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. 38 pp.