A Vietnamese man was caught in Ha Tinh Province smuggling 30,000 face masks to Laos.
The 13 boxes of face masks were stored in the trunk of a passenger bus which was crossing the Cau Treo International Border Gate.
According to a report in VN Express, Police said that 32-year-old Mai Trong Diep, the bus attendant, admitted that he was responsible for taking them to Vientiane.
Diep, who is from the northern province of Nam Dinh, said that he had been employed by two strangers to transport goods from Hanoi to Vientiane for VND 6.5 million (USD 280).
Vietnam has banned the export of face masks since February 28, with exceptions for government aid. Offendors face fines of VND 5-10 million (USD 215-430).
Face masks have been in high demand in Vietnam since the Covid 19 epidemic broke out in the region. Several local textile firms have switched from producing garments to masks in a bid to meet growing demand.
In early February, Vietnam’s Market Surveillance Agency seized 200,000 masks that were being transported to China.
