Pangolin Conservation in Vietnam: Two Species, One Fight

Vietnam sits at the crossroads of the global pangolin crisis. The country is home to two critically endangered pangolin species, serves as a major transit hub for scales trafficked from Africa, and hosts some of the most effective pangolin rescue operations on Earth. That contradiction — simultaneous hotspot of trafficking and conservation — defines Vietnam’s complicated relationship with the world’s most traded wild mammal.

Two Species Under Pressure

The Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) inhabits southern and central Vietnam, while the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) occupies the mountainous northern provinces. Both are classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which has worked in Vietnam since 2006, the two species have suffered an estimated 80 to 90 percent population decline over the past three decades.

The drivers are familiar: poaching for meat and scales, habitat fragmentation from agricultural expansion, and demand from traditional medicine markets in China and domestically. What makes Vietnam’s situation distinct is the scale and sophistication of the trafficking networks that exploit the country as both destination and transit corridor.

The Trafficking Pipeline

Vietnam ranks among the top ten countries globally for pangolin trafficking. Between 2014 and 2024, at least 22,918 individual pangolins were recorded in Vietnam’s illegal wildlife trade database. The most frequently detected international route runs from Nigeria to Vietnam, with an estimated 82,215 whole pangolin equivalents seized across nine incidents on this corridor alone.

Between 2022 and 2024, Vietnam was implicated in at least 24 percent of global pangolin scale seizures by weight, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency. International organised crime networks continue to exploit Vietnam as a transit point for smuggling wildlife products between Africa and Asia, with much of the contraband ultimately destined for China.

In April 2019, Singapore authorities intercepted 25.6 tonnes of pangolin scales on a shipment travelling from Nigeria to Vietnam — equivalent to more than 40,000 individual pangolins. This remains one of the largest single seizures in history.

Legal Framework and Enforcement

Vietnam’s legal protections for pangolins have strengthened significantly in recent years. Under Article 244 of the 2015 Penal Code, amended by Law No. 86/2025/QH15, individuals convicted of trafficking in endangered species face imprisonment of up to 15 years and fines of up to 2 billion VND (approximately USD 80,000). Commercial legal entities face fines up to 15 billion VND.

Courts are increasingly imposing meaningful sentences. In April 2026, a court in Bac Ninh province sentenced two men to eight years each for brokering the sale of 900 kg of pangolin scales from Africa destined for the Chinese market. In May 2025, the People’s Court of Hanoi sentenced a major transnational wildlife trafficking kingpin to seven years under Article 244.

Yet enforcement gaps persist. A 2025 analysis by the Vietnam-based organisation Education for Nature (ENV) noted that online illegal wildlife trade has reached “alarming popularity,” complicating traditional enforcement methods. Legal loopholes continue to hinder prosecution of lower-level participants in trafficking chains.

Save Vietnam’s Wildlife: The Front Line

The most visible force in Vietnamese pangolin conservation is Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW), founded by Thai Van Nguyen in 2014. Operating through the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program (CPCP) at Cuc Phuong National Park, SVW is recognised globally as a world leader in pangolin research and captive care.

Since its founding, SVW has rescued more than 1,651 pangolins, with nearly 60 percent successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild. The organisation is the first in the world to monitor released pangolins using drone technology, tracking their movements to ensure long-term survival post-release.

The Pu Mat Anti-Poaching Unit

In 2018, Nguyen established Vietnam’s first anti-poaching unit at Pu Mat National Park — a co-managed operation between SVW and government rangers covering 95,000 hectares of primary forest. Nguyen personally trains rangers in wildlife identification, GPS navigation, basic martial arts, and jungle survival skills.

SVW staff report an 80 percent decrease in illegal poaching activities within the park since the unit was established. Patrol teams operate on missions lasting up to six days, systematically clearing traps and camps deep in the forest. Nguyen received the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2021 for this work.

Conservation Breeding: A World First

SVW has been granted approval to establish the first Chinese pangolin Conservation Breeding Centre in Vietnam, in collaboration with Cuc Phuong and Pu Mat National Parks. The organisation currently manages 14 Chinese pangolins in its care.

The programme uses cameras to monitor natural behaviours of rescued Sunda and Chinese pangolins in captivity, establishing appropriate holding periods before release. Researchers are also working to improve artificial diets to better replicate the ant and termite species pangolins consume in the wild — a persistent challenge in captive pangolin care, where mortality rates have historically been high.

The WCS Partnership

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has maintained a presence in Vietnam since 2006, focusing on combating illegal wildlife trafficking. WCS works with Vietnamese government agencies to build enforcement capacity and inform policy, while conducting intelligence-led research on trafficking syndicates, smuggling routes, and locations of illegal wildlife sale.

This partnership has yielded actionable intelligence for law enforcement agencies, contributing to arrests and prosecutions of high-level traders. WCS also supports demand reduction campaigns aimed at changing consumer attitudes toward pangolin products.

Community Conservation and Local Engagement

Successful pangolin conservation in Vietnam increasingly depends on community participation. In 2026, authorities in Quang Ngai province released a Sunda pangolin after it was voluntarily handed over by local residents — a sign that public awareness campaigns are having an impact.

SVW runs education programmes in communities surrounding Cuc Phuong and Pu Mat National Parks, training local people to recognise pangolin species and understand their ecological importance. The Fondé Segré has supported the establishment of Pu Mat as a recovery site for both Sunda pangolins and the threatened Owston’s civet.

What Comes Next

Vietnam’s pangolin story is one of stark contrasts. The country harbours both the criminal networks driving global pangolin trafficking and the conservation pioneers who have rescued more pangolins than any other organisation in Asia. Legal penalties are strengthening, anti-poaching operations are delivering measurable results, and the first breeding centre for Chinese pangolins represents a step toward population recovery.

The central challenge remains demand. As long as pangolin scales command high prices in traditional medicine markets and pangolin meat is considered a luxury, trafficking networks will adapt. Vietnam’s future in pangolin conservation will be determined by whether enforcement, education, and demand reduction can outpace the economics of exploitation.