At the end of the year, there is concern of counterfeit and smuggled goods entering into Ho Chi Minh City

Warehouse containing goods infringing intellectual property rights was inspected and handled in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance

Strict handling to deter

According to the Market Surveillance Department of Ho Chi Minh City, recently, the situation of trading in smuggled and counterfeit goods in the market, especially through e-commerce platforms, has become complicated. Many cases of businesses trading in counterfeit goods have been discovered and strictly handled.

In early December 2024, a case of trading in counterfeit goods with fake trademarks and packaging with fake instructions on the name and address of the production organization was transferred by the Market Surveillance Department of Ho Chi Minh City to the Investigation Police Agency of Ho Chi Minh City Police for investigation and clarification.

Previously, Market Surveillance Team No. 18 discovered that T.H. Company Limited in Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City was offering cosmetics with signs of counterfeit trademarks on the social network Zalo, so it coordinated with the Economic and Drug Crime Investigation Police Team - Hoc Mon District Police and the Commune Police to conduct an inspection.

As a result of discovering that this enterprise stored and traded a large quantity of counterfeit cosmetics with trademarks protected in Vietnam, with packaging bearing fake instructions on the name and address of the production organization, Market Surveillance Team No. 18 temporarily detained all of the above-mentioned infringing goods and initiated procedures to transfer all records and exhibits to the Investigation Police Agency - Ho Chi Minh City Police for further investigation.

Recently, through the inspection of business activities on social networking sites, Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Department has coordinated with local police to continuously detect, inspect and handle many cases of trading in counterfeit goods; goods of unknown origin.

Typically, checking the business location and storing goods in Hamlet 4, Nhi Binh Commune, Hoc Mon District, run by Ms. L.T.M.D. The working group discovered that the location was storing and trading over 300 MAGIC BB brand exercise equipment and 2 T-shaped back and lat exercise machines without labels and unknown origins.

From the beginning of 2024 to October 31, 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has presided over, coordinated, detected and arrested 1,942 cases of customs law violations, with a total estimated value of violating goods of over VND 4,347 billion. Of which, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has administratively sanctioned 1,939 cases, with a total fine amount paid to the state budget of nearly VND 39 billion; prosecuted and proposed to prosecute 46 cases.

Notably, there are cases where large chain stores also sell smuggled and counterfeit goods in large quantities.

On November 29, 2024, Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Department coordinated with the local police to conduct a surprise inspection of the headquarters and warehouse of T. Company Limited located in Go Vap District and Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, discovering and temporarily seizing more than 3 million colored pencil products with signs of infringing intellectual property rights.

According to Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Department, in addition to proposing criminal prosecution for serious violations, all administrative sanctions are strictly handled by the authorities to serve as a deterrent. At the end of November 2024, Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee fined Namperfume Company Limited (Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City) VND 237 million for violations, including: displaying and selling counterfeit goods; trading in smuggled cosmetics; doing business at a location without notifying the business registration authority where the enterprise conducts business activities.

In addition, Namperfume Company Limited was also forced to destroy 33 units of perfume products bearing the Hermes International brand and 268 units of smuggled perfume products. At the same time, the company was forced to notify the business registration authority for the act of doing business at a location without notifying the business registration authority where the enterprise conducts business activities.

Regarding this incident, previously, on October 21, 2024, Market Surveillance Team No. 4 - Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Department simultaneously inspected 3 business locations of Namperfume Company Limited, discovered and temporarily seized hundreds of bottles of imported perfume, without invoices, documents, showing signs of counterfeiting famous brands, with goods worth more than 1 billion VND.

Tight control of e-cigarettes

According to current regulations, e-cigarettes are not yet allowed to circulate in the Vietnamese market, but are still smuggled into the City market through many different channels and are often introduced as hand-carried goods. E-cigarettes are quietly creeping into the school environment, especially among students, etc.

Since the beginning of 2024, the City Market Surveillance Department has inspected and handled 57 violations of e-cigarettes, temporarily detained 15,618 units of e-cigarette products, accessories and essential oils with a total value of more than 4.8 billion VND.

As a result, a fine of more than 795 million VND was imposed and all violating goods were destroyed. In the coming time, the City Market Surveillance Department will continue to direct the Market Surveillance Teams to strengthen the surveillance of areas, inspections, controls, and proactively coordinate with functional agencies to review and identify key areas and subjects; Focus on fighting and destroying smuggling rings, groups, and illegal transportation and trading of new generation cigarettes.

In addition, strengthen propaganda work; mobilize organizations and individuals operating in the area to strictly implement the commitment not to trade, sell, or store smuggled new generation cigarettes; warn consumers about the health risks from smuggled new generation cigarettes of unknown origin.

According to the assessment of Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Department, the high demand for consumption at the end of the year and during Tet is expected to lead to an increase in smuggling, illegal transportation of goods, commercial fraud, and counterfeit goods with sophisticated tricks on many routes and fields, especially wholesale markets.

Therefore, HCMC Market Surveillance Force continues to coordinate with relevant agencies and units to regularly exchange information and closely monitor business activities in the market to promptly inspect and prevent tricks of taking advantage of e-commerce activities to violate the law.

Along with that, at the end of the year, business activities on e-commerce platforms and social networking sites are expected to be bustling. One of the key tasks is to strictly control online transactions through e-commerce platforms and social networks such as Facebook, Zalo, TikTok, etc., in order to detect and handle acts of taking advantage of e-commerce to trade in counterfeit goods and goods of unknown origin.

These measures not only help prevent violations but also ensure market stability, best serving the needs of people during the 2025 Lunar New Year.