Hanoi: Revealing the production and trade of fake cosmetics and nutritional foods

	Fake and smuggled cosmetics in Ho Chi Minh city
	Concerns about fake goods in the medical field

The Hanoi Market Management Force inspects a violating cosmetic business. Source: Hanoi market management.

Domestic products with foreign labels

In January 2019, market management forces discovered and seized goods that could not produce invoices and documents proving their origins, including 2,660 kg of additives and tens of thousands of products. Through the verification process, market management forces concluded the above shipment is derelict. Meanwhile, the Market Management Team No. 27 proceeded to destroy the shipment, worth over VND3.7 billion.

In another case, Hanoi Market Management forces simultaneously checked 70 Thai Ha, 53 Hoang Cau, 26 Hang Duong of Viet Ha Phat Co., Ltd., 36 Giang Van Minh, cosmetic Business Store, Signboard "Skin House" No. 19 Nguyen Phong Sac, 22 Chua Boc, Skin House cosmetic business at 56 Tran Dai Nghia, temporarily seizing 2,028 cosmetic products of all kinds made in foreign countries without invoices and papers proving their origin. The value of infringing goods is about VND149 million.

In many business violations of this area in Hanoi, relevant forces discovered that the suspects took advantage of the form of delivery, frequently changing methods and tricks along with the participation of domestic and foreign counterparts. To cope with the relevant forces, the trading group is increasingly sophisticated, combining production to distribution, even using high-tech equipment.

The production of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and nutritional foods with fake origin are going on in Vietnam but these goods are labeled with the origin of countries such as the US, Canada and New Zealand.

Representative of Steering Committee 389 Hanoi also acknowledged that smuggling, trade fraud, production and business of fake goods, poor quality goods, especially pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, nutritional foods and traditional medicine is difficult to control.

The reason is that the related forces have not been proactive in the prevention and combat while smuggling and trading of banned and illegal goods with pharmaceutical products, cosmetics and nutritional foods are increasingly sophisticated. The system of legal documents is not synchronized; sanctions are not strong enough and there is a lack of standards and technical regulations to manage the quality of pharmaceutical products, nutritional foods.

In addition, the rise of online services has made it easier for consumers to receive information and purchasenutritional health foods, stimulating the increase in demand for these products in the market. Among these, there is a lot of inexact information about the use of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutritional foods and traditional medicine.

Strictly control key areas

In order to improve the effectiveness of the struggle with the group of pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, nutritional foods, the representative of the Steering Committee 389 Hanoi proposed that relevant forces and authorities at all levels should continue to implement Resolution No. 41, Directive No. 17 strictly and efficiently.

At the same time, strengthening the management of geographical areas, statistics, capturing information about individuals and organizations trading in the above goods, avoiding causing difficulties, troubles and affecting production and business activities of enterprises, but it is necessary to strictly handle violations.

It is necessary to focus on checking and controlling the production and trading activities of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, functional foods in the key areas. Specifically, Hapulico distribution center for pharmaceuticals and medical equipment in Thanh Xuan district; Dong Xuan market, Hoan Kiem market, Thuoc Bac street (Hoan Kiem district); Nguyen Son street (Long Bien district), Ninh Hiep market (Gia Lam district) and warehouses and yards to detect and strictly handle violators.

Improving the effectiveness of receiving information about denouncing criminals on the production and sale of counterfeit goods, infringement of intellectual property, pirated goods, banned goods, commercial frauds, especially pharmaceutical and cosmetic goods, nutritional foods with unknown origin, violating food safety and hygiene in the locality.

Strengthen the coordination of information exchange between relevant forces, authorities at all levels, business associations in the locality in inspection and control to prevent them atthe border gates, minimizing smuggled goods transported to Hanoi to improve the effectiveness of investigation and handling.