Chinese White Wine Turns Up in Vietnam Smuggling Bust

Chinese white wine has turned up in a Vietnamese smuggling bust alongside a stash of mooncakes ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

Authorities in Vietnam’s northeastern Quang Ninh province seized 112 bottles of Chinese-made white wine and 3,384 mooncakes in two vehicle inspections this month, according to local news outlet TCDN. 

None of the goods had invoices or other paperwork proving their legal origin.

The haul was modest, but it appears to be the first publicly reported case involving Chinese white wine being smuggled into Vietnam.

Wine and mooncakes

The first interception came on the morning of Sept. 5, when market surveillance officers and a checkpoint team stopped a vehicle at a toll station on the Van Don–Mong Cai Expressway.

Inside were 112 bottles of white wine and 864 mooncakes, all made in China, authorities said. The driver was identified only by the initials T.V.L.

Two days later, officers stopped another vehicle carrying 2,520 Chinese-made mooncakes, again without documents establishing their legal origin.

The owners admitted buying the goods through informal channels and intended to resell them locally for a profit, according to authorities.

Officials did not identify the wine brand, disclose the value of the bottles or explain how they had crossed into Vietnam.

A short trip across the border

Mong Cai sits across the Beilun River from Dongxing in China’s Guangxi region, making it a major gateway for trade between the two countries.

Goods worth $5.321 billion passed through Mong Cai International Border Gate from the start of 2025 through Nov. 14, accounting for more than 97% of Quang Ninh province’s foreign goods trade during that period.

The same border region has long been a focus of crackdowns on smuggling and commercial fraud.

For small traders, short distances and established transport links can make moving limited quantities of goods feasible. The wine seized in this case amounted to fewer than 10 standard 12-bottle cases.

What was the payoff?

That remains unclear.

Vietnam’s standard wine import tariff is 50%, although qualifying Chinese wines can enter duty-free under the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area agreement if they meet origin and documentation requirements.

Even then, legal imports still face other charges. In 2026, alcoholic drinks below 20% alcohol by volume are subject to a 35% special consumption tax, while wine generally attracts 10% value-added tax.

There are also customs, transport, food safety and alcohol compliance costs. Informal traders can seek to avoid some of those expenses.

Vietnamese market surveillance authorities say inspections will intensify before, during and after the Mid-Autumn Festival, targeting smuggled imports and goods of unknown origin.