A Singaporean man was arrested at an airport in Ho Chi Minh City Tuesday after customs officers found 2.89 kg of heroin hidden in his luggage.
Loke Dah Lee, 38, was stopped at Tan Son Nhat Airport when he was about to board a plane to Taiwan's Kaohsiung City, police said.
Customs officers found the heroin, which was packed in little capsules, hidden inside peanut shells and candies.
A customs official said he has never seen a drug smuggler hiding heroin "that carefully."
The drug is estimated to value more than VND10 billion (US$468,000) on the black market.
HCMC police are investigating further.
Vietnam has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. Those convicted of smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty.
The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death.