Customs officers at Tan Son Nhat seize replica M-4 rifle

The items were concealed in packages shipped from the US that included clothing, footwear, food, computer speakers, bicycle parts and watches to a 34-year-old Vietnamese national.

Officials also confirmed the shipment did not arrive with the proper permits to enter Vietnam.

Airsoft weapons are replica firearms designed to be non-lethal, whose components, however, could easily be refitted with original machine gun components, making the rifles capable of firing live ammunition.

Smuggling these types of weapons into Vietnam could have had far-reaching and potentially devastating ramifications if they had gotten into the hands of individuals who wanted to do harm, said customs officials.