HANOI, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Border guard forces of Vietnam's northern Nam Dinh province have arrested two Vietnamese men for illegally transporting 10 cakes of heroin.

The duo aged 34 and 38 from northern Thanh Hoa province and central Nghe An province, respectively, were caught red-handed trafficking the drug in Nam Dinh's Giao Thuy district on Monday, local newspaper Hai Quan (Customs) reported on Wednesday.

The duo confessed that they had been asked by a Lao man to carry the drug from Thanh Hoa to Nam Dinh for distribution.

According to the Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces death penalty.