Saving Antiquities For Everyone (SAFE) has a country report for the state of antiquities trade in Vietnam. The author of the piece is a personal friend of mine.
Written by: Rebecca K. Jones
During the early 2000s there was a massive increase in antiquities looting at shipwrecks along Vietnam’s coast. The government responded by tightening laws, as items from sunken ships without provenance data belong to the state. Along the main antiquities street, Le Cong Kieu near Ben Thanh Market in central Ho Chi Minh, approximately 80% of the items are reproductions. Many traders are honest about the sale of replicas, but many others frequently sell replicas as real artifacts. This dishonesty bleeds into the international art and antiquity market.