Smuggling is concentrated along southern land and inland waterways bordering Cambodia (Tinh Bien, Khanh Binh – An Giang; Bo Y – Gia Lai) and the Laos border (Lao Bao – Quang Tri).

Offenders conceal gold and money in luggage and vehicles. At Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airports, cases of smuggling in personal belongings, carry-on luggage, and on flights from Taiwan have emerged.

Exploitation of transshipment and transit channels to move counterfeit and intellectual property-infringing goods continues at borders with China, Laos, and Cambodia. Common tactics include misdeclaration or omission of trademarks, mixing illicit and legal goods, and using simplified customs procedures to avoid declaring protected items.

Maritime routes accounted for the largest share of violations, with 1,021 of 1,793 cases (57%) detected at major ports under Customs Regions II, III, and XII. Frequent violations involve import standards, regulations, and labelling, especially at Hai Phong Port, where prohibited used goods such as clothing, household appliances, and machinery were seized.

Land routes saw 542 cases (30%), mainly at Viet Nam-China and Viet Nam-Cambodia borders, where smugglers exploit border resident policies to transport high-value items, including foreign currency, cigarettes, phones, gold leaf, and frozen foods. Illegal trade of explosives, white sugar, and pesticides continues in central provinces and along the Viet Nam-Laos border.

Air routes recorded 105 cases (5.8%), mostly via the Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, and Da Nang airports, and courier services (FedEx, DHL, UPS). Common tactics include using non-commercial shipments, false identification, fake addresses, and intermediaries to conceal smuggling of goods, currency, and drugs.

Between September 15 and October 14, 2025, customs authorities detected and handled 1,793 violations, valued at 1,856 billion VND, collecting around 46 billion VND in revenue. From December 15, 2024, to October 14, 2025, more than 15,100 cases were addressed, with seized goods worth over 19,500 billion VND, generating more than 710 billion VND in revenue.

Drug control operations also intensified, with thirteen cases and nineteen suspects apprehended, seizing nearly 25 kg of narcotics. Cumulatively, over 10 months, 165 cases involving 213 individuals were detected, totalling over 2.3 tonnes of heroin, ketamine, cannabis, cocaine, and synthetic drugs.