From Kandan, Cambodia, cattle have been smuggled to the southern An Giang province through Binh Di border, after which they will be miraculously turned into domestic cattle for consumption across Vietnam.

Due to non-stop demand for cattle as Tet is only days away, the smuggled amount, though huge, is not enough, said Hai Cuong, a transboundary merchant.

According to regulations, imported cattle ought to undergo vaccination, medical checkup and a 15-day quarantine period but the reality is completely different in An Giang.

At Tinh Bien commune, Cambodian merchants have been smuggling cattle to Vietnam all day long and the animals are directly bargained for and transported to various places immediately.

The same situation also happens in other frontier localities like Kien Giang and Dong Thap provinces, also in the south.

Nguyen Viet Cuong, head of the Animal Quarantine Station of Dinh Ba border gate said that the policy is always to quarantine imported cattle but he admitted it is hard to control the smuggling due to the long border.

The reason for the rising smuggling could be attributed to a shortage of meat supply for Tet. Especially the recent cold wave has killed 26,500 cattle heads as of January 24th.

The estimated damage is about VND150 billion, according to Hoang Kim Giao, head of Livestock Department of the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry.