Medicinal herbs with unclear origins seized

The herbs were reportedly discovered while a truck driver name Hưng, 40, was unloading the goods in Hồng Nam Commune of Hưng Yên City.

The herbs were stored in sacks and cartons with Chinese titles on their covers.

The owner of the cartons, Nguyễn Thị Thắm, failed to provide legal documents to prove the origin of the goods, saying that she bought the herbs from two women whose address she did not know.

According to the local inhabitants, Thắm, a trader in HCM City, usually buys herbs smuggled from China and sells them to traditional medicine stores in her hometown in Hưng Yên Province.

The herbs are being kept by the police for further investigation.

According to authorised agencies, smuggling low quality medicinal herbs to make Chinese traditional medicine between Việt Nam and China border has increased recently. Traders smuggle medicinal herbs with unclear origins from China to Hà Nội and southern provinces for consumption.

Those who consume medication made from these smuggled ingredients could face health risks, the agencies warned.