An Aussie friend and his wife are ex-pats in Vietnam; she's senior management for a multinational company. He travels back to Australia a few times each year and often brings small quantities of various industrial type goods which are much cheaper in Vietnam; everything from reflective tape to hydraulic hoses for his backhoe.
Stainless steel welding rods are cheap in Saigon; both he and I have brought them back to Australia from time to time.
On one occasion, security at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) decided that they were obviously very dangerous and tried to confiscate them. After all, they look like sparklers and anyone who has ever seen arc welding knows that they get very hot.
In the end he cancelled his flight and flew the next day carrying the rods without any drama instead.