There are 25 species of tortoises and freshwater turtles native to Vietnam, including three species that are found nowhere else in the world.

Turtles are threatened by hunting and trade to meet the insatiable demand from consumers in China, where turtles are eaten and used in traditional medicine. Some of Vietnam’s rarer turtles also end up in American, European, and other international pet markets.

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A beautiful example of an Indochinese box turtle (Cuora galbinifrons), rescued from a shipment of turtles to China.

Photo by ENV

Experts estimate that up to ten million turtles are traded annually within Southeast Asia. Wild populations of many of Vietnam’s turtles have been wiped out, leaving survivors confined to small pockets of remaining habitat. This photo shows a shipment of turtles, seized from a Singapore Airlines flight from Malaysia to Hanoi.

Photo by ENV

Turtle shells are ground up into a powder to make traditional medicine. The breast-plate (‘plastron’) is the most valuable part. Like many wildlife medicines, the perceived medical benefits range widely, from treating fever to improving sexual performance. Some people believe that eating turtles will help you live longer (like a turtle).

Photo by ENV

A crate of turtles recovered from smugglers. While some hard-shelled turtles may be found on the menu in Vietnam, most are exported to China. The shipment in this photo included seven different species.

Photo by Bui Dang Phong

Unlike hard-shelled turtles, soft-shell turtles are readily consumed in Vietnam. This Asiatic soft-shell turtle (Amyda cartilaginea) was smuggled into Vietnam across the border from Cambodia and was on the menu of a wildlife specialty restaurant in Dong Thap province..

Photo by ENV

Turtles offered for sale at a roadside stand in Tay Ninh province.
Photo by Ben Hayes

Survivors. A few lucky turtles are released back into the wild after they were seized from smugglers heading for China.
Photo by ENV

A young turtle born from parents confiscated from the illegal trade. This is one of many lucky hatchlings born from trade turtles at the Cuc Phuong Turtle Conservation Center (TCC).

Photo by Tim McCormack

Vietnam rarely sees the large shipments of turtles anymore, but it is more likely that there are fewer turtles left to collect in the wild. This small shipment confiscated in Da Nang included four species, one species of which (Cuora bouretti, orange shell in the center) is critically endangered.

Photo by Bui Dang Phong

A local trader in Quang Nam province displays two turtles that he purchased from fishermen. The turtle on the right is the critically endangered Vietnamese pond turtle (Mauremys annamensis), found only in three provinces of Vietnam and no where else in the world.

Photo by Tim McCormack

A “golden turtle” (Cuora trifasciata) at a trader’s home outside of Hanoi. Some Chinese consumers believe that medicine made from this turtle can cure cancer. Valued at up to $4000 USD/kg, wild populations of the species have been decimated by hunters seeking riches.

Photo by ENV

Turtles are hacked up by a trader in Hanoi. Although her sons owned several wildlife restaurants in town, this woman was using turtle meat to feed five captive bears that she was keeping.

Photo by ENV