Don't "click your tongue" and support counterfeit goods.

Implementing the Prime Minister's Official Dispatch and Directive on the peak of fighting against smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods, in recent days, authorities have continuously discovered, arrested, and prosecuted many cases related to counterfeit goods. However, building a transparent and healthy market does not only depend on authorities, but each consumer needs to change their habits and resolutely say "no" to counterfeit goods.

The "Matrix" of Counterfeit Goods

Counterfeit goods are sold everywhere at Mun market (Dong Anh district). Photo: Hien Phuong.

Opening Facebook to buy a tulle curtain from 10-10 Textile Joint Stock Company, Ms. Nguyen Kim Anh in Buoi Ward (Tay Ho District) saw many addresses with the name 10-10 Textile Joint Stock Company, including an address that was followed by thousands of members but did not have a “blue tick”. Confused about which was the company’s real sales page, Ms. Kim Anh had to ask a friend to go to the dealer to buy it for sure.

As for Mr. Nguyen Huu Hung in Thanh Xuan Bac Ward (Thanh Xuan District), while accidentally surfing Facebook, he saw an advertisement for “genuine” Russian chocolate candy, so he ordered 2 boxes. However, when he received the goods, Mr. Hung discovered that the candy box was fake because the Russian label overlapped the text in a foreign language that was already printed on the packaging.

Not losing his guard like many other consumers, Mr. Nguyen The Thuyen in Doi Can Ward (Ba Dinh District) still proactively sought out counterfeit goods to shop. Mr. The Thuyen said: “I am a loyal customer of a fashion shop on Hang Ga Street (Hoan Kiem District). There, they sell a lot of fashionable clothes from famous brands such as: Lacoste, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry... Each product costs an average of about 2 million VND. Knowing that it is counterfeit, but because the quality matches the price, I still choose it.”

Counterfeit and fake goods are strongly attacking the e-commerce market and social networking platforms. With just a few clicks on e-commerce platforms Shopee, Tiktok Shop or Facebook, consumers can find countless products advertised as “cheap branded goods” but are actually fake and poor quality goods.

Not only that, counterfeit goods have also infiltrated traditional markets, even on the main streets. According to the reporter's records, in many traditional markets such as Phung Khoang market (Nam Tu Liem district), Nga Tu So market (Dong Da district), Nha Xanh market (Cau Giay district), To market (Dong Anh district) ... it is easy to find products that imitate famous brands at surprisingly cheap prices. Even in the "branded goods" stores on many streets in the capital, consumers can easily find Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton bags or Adidas, Nike, etc. shoes and fashion clothing brands with prices ranging from only a few tens, a few hundred thousand VND to a few million VND/item. Notably, these products attract quite a lot of shoppers.

Not only clothes, shoes, cosmetics, goods that are considered to have negative impacts on health such as food of unknown origin are also widely sold. Having bought and used Korean ginseng products as advertised at the fair, Mr. Nguyen Van Long, Linh Nam ward (Hoang Mai district) shared: "I bought it to soak in wine and drink a few times, it was fragrant but not as good as advertised".

Obviously, people's laxity and lack of knowledge in shopping is one of the reasons why fake and poor quality goods are still widely sold in the market.

According to data from the City Steering Committee for Prevention and Control of Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeit Goods, in the first 5 months of 2025, the authorities inspected 9,587 cases, handled 8,770 violations of smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods (of which 107 cases were prosecuted, with 163 defendants), and collected more than 2,000 billion VND for the state budget.

Typically, on May 23, the Investigation Police Agency, Hanoi City Police issued a decision to prosecute a criminal case and prosecute Nguyen Van Thien (Quoc Oai District) for producing hundreds of thousands of pairs of socks that imitated major brands. On May 29, the Investigation Police Agency, Hanoi City Police issued a decision to prosecute a criminal case and prosecute 4 subjects for making fake rice, seizing 875kg of ST25 Lua - Tom rice, Ong Cua brand (Soc Trang specialty)...

Changing perceptions and habits

Authorities inspect the counterfeit goods production facility of Nguyen Van Thien (Quoc Oai district). Photo: Provided by the police.

The problem of counterfeit goods has not shown any signs of cooling down because most online shoppers are easy-going, rarely paying attention to the real origin of the product, and mainly buying based on trust. This has unintentionally given the opportunity for those who produce and trade counterfeit goods and goods that infringe intellectual property rights to exist and develop, indirectly causing harm to legitimate businesses. More dangerously, the widespread counterfeiting situation also causes partners to lose trust, affecting Vietnam's investment and business environment.

To contribute to the authorities in handling counterfeit and fake goods, Vice President of the Vietnam Consumer Protection Association Vu Van Trung said: “Each consumer needs to change their awareness and consumption habits. Give up the mentality of being greedy for cheap, branded goods regardless of the origin and quality of the goods. Instead of buying goods in the style of “buying wherever is convenient”, buying goods based on vague beliefs, especially goods sold online, consumers need to equip themselves with skills and knowledge to distinguish between genuine and fake goods, prioritize choosing products with clear origins and sold at reputable addresses”.

Currently, the General Department of Market Management has opened a showroom to identify genuine and fake goods at 62 Trang Tien (Hoan Kiem district) with different topics and products. This is an important "channel" to help consumers have more information to identify and become smart consumers.

From a professional perspective, Deputy Director of the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development, Ministry of Industry and Trade Nguyen Thanh Binh emphasized: “There are no exceptions, no forbidden areas, violations of counterfeit and fake goods will be strictly handled according to the provisions of law. However, consumers need to promote their supervisory role, actively denounce acts of manufacturing and trading counterfeit goods to the authorities so that relevant units can recognize and take timely measures.”

Saying “no” to counterfeit goods not only helps consumers protect their wallets and the health of themselves and their families, but is also a practical action to support honest businesses, contributing to the sustainable development of the capital’s economy and the country.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/dung-tac-luoi-tiep-tay-cho-hang-gia-704357.html