Authorities inspect goods of unknown origin. Photo: VNA  

Hanoi authorities are intensifying efforts to combat counterfeit goods and intellectual property (IP) violations, with market surveillance forces launching a citywide campaign to tighten inspections and strictly enforce regulations under Prime Ministerial Dispatch No. 38/CD-TTg issued on May 5, 2026.

On May 6, the Hanoi Market Surveillance Sub-Department instructed local inspection teams to work closely with police, customs, tax agencies and local authorities to strengthen monitoring and enforcement against IP infringements, particularly counterfeit trademark goods and industrial property violations.

The agency has set a target of increasing the number of handled cases by at least 20% compared to the same period last year between May 7 and 30. Inspection and monitoring activities will continue beyond May 30 on a regular, focused and systematic basis across the city.

As part of the campaign, Market Surveillance Team No. 14 on May 8 carried out an unannounced inspection at a fashion business in Viet Hung ward, where authorities discovered 2,844 products suspected of counterfeiting brands such as Adidas, Lacoste, Nike, Burberry and Louis Vuitton. The goods, estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong, were seized for further investigation.

Meanwhile, Market Surveillance Team No. 6 inspected the Doan Quang Phan household business in the My Dinh urban area in Tu Liem ward, finding violations including failure to list prices and the sale of 530 products suspected of bearing counterfeit labels of Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Celine and Nike. The shipment, also valued at hundreds of millions of VND, was temporarily confiscated pending verification.

Authorities have ramped up anti-counterfeit enforcement in recent months. In April alone, inspectors checked 368 cases and handled 300 violations, collecting administrative fines of more than 3.8 billion VND (144,300 USD). The value of confiscated and destroyed goods, along with remedial measures, exceeded 3.5 billion VND.

Counterfeit and IP-related violations accounted for a large share of the cases, with 102 violations penalised and fines topping 943 million VND. The figures reflect growing determination by authorities to protect intellectual property rights and maintain fair competition in the market.

Duong Manh Hung, deputy head of the Hanoi Market Surveillance Sub-Department, said the agency will continue coordinating with relevant forces to strictly handle the production and trading of counterfeit, IP-infringing and untraceable goods.

He stressed that tougher enforcement aims not only to protect businesses and consumers, but also to demonstrate Vietnam’s commitment to fulfilling international obligations on intellectual property protection. The ultimate goal is to build a transparent and fair business environment while safeguarding the reputation of legitimate brands./.