The vehicle was stopped on National Highway 1A while travelling from HCM City to the northern province of Thai Nguyen.
The pangolins found on the coach
The pangolins were packed in styrofoam boxes. Two of which belong to the rare yellow pangolin species.
According to the driver, an identified man hired him to transport the boxes from Quang Tri to Ha Nam with a fee of VND300,000 (USD12).
The traffic police immediately contacted Save Vietnam's Wildlife.
Tran Van Truong from Save Vietnam's Wildlife’s rescue force said that the animals were quite weak with skin injuries which may have been the result of being hunted. They were under intensive care.
According to Truong, the illegal transportation of wild animals often increases in Vietnam, particularly involving rare species, as the Lunar New Year or Tet nears. His organisation have rescued 19 illegally-traded pangolins over the past two weeks.
