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| Used medical equipment is on the list of banned import items to Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Illustrative Photo |
Viet Nam News
HCM CITY — A batch of used computerised tomography scan machines was discovered at the Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City on Wednesday.
An attempt was being made to transport the machines into Cambodia.
According to the airport’s customs office, the machines were reported to authorities to be totally new and imported from Japan. The batch consisted of 10 packages weighing 5.7 tonnes in total and worth over VNĐ3.2 billion (US$139,100).
Used medical equipment is on the list of banned import items to Việt Nam, according to the law.
The Bee Logistic Joint Stock Company, located on 39B Trường Sơn Street in HCM City’s Tân Bình District, reported that the machines were registered to be totally new to avoid obtaining a licence from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
A representative of the customs office said the alleged violators were attempting to take advantage of the transit property route to Cambodia for smuggling the goods.
In some cases, smugglers sealed and switched goods midway and smuggled them into the domestic market through roads bordering Cambodia and Việt Nam’s An Giang, Tây Ninh or Bình Phước provinces.
Earlier, in late April, the Customs found the Olympic Science and Technology Limited Company importing a batch of 50 electro-cardiograph machines worth over VNĐ500million ($21,700) and faking the machine names to avoid obtaining import permission from the Health Ministry. – VNS
