The General Department of Customs said December 8 it had detected 12,097 cases of smuggled goods worth more than VND469 billion (US$24.7 million) this year.
The figures were 13,000 and VND286 billion in 2008.
More than 600 cases involving goods worth VND131 billion were caught at border gates while the rest involved attempts to smuggle into the country through fraudulent customs declarations.
They agency also found intellectual property violations and fake goods worth VND465 billion.
Nearly 6,000 kilograms of gold and more than 862,000 pills containing synthetic drugs were among the smuggled goods seized.
