Khanh Hoa is home to the country's largest swiftlet population, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of Vietnam's total. The province has 1,425 swiftlet houses across 61 communes and wards, generating an industry worth trillions of dong each year.
However, officials said illegal hunting has become increasingly widespread since 2018, with poachers using nearly invisible nets and loudspeakers to lure birds before selling them to restaurants or for animal-release ceremonies.
Vo Van Cong, deputy director of Khanh Hoa's Department of Agriculture and Environment, said the practice was reducing both wild and farmed swiftlet populations and damaging a key biological resource.
Although rapid-response teams have been established in most localities, no violators have been formally sanctioned, he said.
State-owned Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company detects between 140 and 160 illegal hunting cases each year and rescues between 1,000 and 2,000 birds annually.
Since the beginning of 2026, the company has uncovered 77 illegal hunting cases, rescued 170 birds, including more than 100 swiftlets, and seized 186 nets covering more than 17,800 square metres.
Authorities warned that continued illegal hunting could weaken the province's swiftlet population, threaten biodiversity and damage the long-term sustainability of Khanh Hoa's bird's nest industry.
They would also strengthen enforcement, improve protection of swiftlet populations and work with government agencies, scientists and businesses to safeguard the province's bird's nest brand.