Durian-ripening chemicals worth $3.7M smuggled from Thailand into Vietnam

By Tran Hoa May 9, 2025 | 03:03 pm PT

Durians being hung on strings. Photo by Pexels

Authorities in the Central Highlands are investigating two men accused of smuggling chemicals used to ripen durian worth an astonishing VND97 billion (US$3.73 million).

The Dak Lak Province police said Friday that Nguyen Thai Nguyen, 42, and Tran Van Ngo, 45, are being investigated for smuggling.

Ngo has been arrested and Nguyen is under house arrest.

Investigators said the two began working together in 2022, with Ngo sourcing ripening and preservation chemicals from suppliers in Thailand and packaging and transporting them across the border for Nguyen to sell all over Vietnam.

The operation came to light in July 2024 when police caught Nguyen loading boxes onto a truck at a residence in Buon Ma Thuot City's Ecocity Premia urban area.

A search uncovered 293 boxes containing chemical products used to ripen and store durians, labeled in foreign languages without clear origins.

Officers confiscated an estimated VND1 billion worth of items, and later discovered that the duo had trafficked chemicals worth VND97 billion in 2023 and 2024, making over VND600 million in profits.

The case remains under investigation.