Maintaining market stability during the Lunar New Year holiday.

The National Steering Committee 389 has just issued Plan 176/KH-BCĐ 389 to implement a peak period of combating smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods from mid-December 2025 to mid-March 2026. This is a period of vibrant market activity and high consumer demand during the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026, creating an urgent need to maintain market stability.

This peak period, with the coordinated efforts of various functional forces, is therefore of great importance in protecting consumer rights and strengthening a healthy business environment.

Thai Nguyen Market Management Team No. 9 promptly intercepted a vehicle transporting over 5,000 counterfeit products bearing fake trademarks. (Photo: Provided)

Years of experience have shown that as Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods production become increasingly complex. Violations are becoming more sophisticated, exploiting e-commerce, small-scale transportation, splitting goods, and even forming interconnected chains to evade control. In this context, Plan 176 emphasizes the need for ministries, sectors, and localities to closely monitor their areas, proactively identify prominent issues, and new methods of violation early on.

The list of key product categories placed under strict surveillance during this peak period clearly reflects pressing concerns in daily life. These range from prohibited items with a high risk of disrupting public order and security, such as drugs, weapons, firecrackers, and e-cigarettes, to items directly related to people's health, such as pharmaceuticals, food, and cosmetics. These are all areas where lax management could lead to long-term consequences, directly impacting public trust and market order.

However, the core issue lies not in correctly identifying the product categories or control routes, but in the way the implementation is organized. In some previous peak periods, there was still uneven implementation, a lack of close coordination between forces, and in some places, the work was merely superficial and lacked real effectiveness.

Plan 176 has set clear requirements regarding the responsibilities of the 389 Steering Committees at all levels, but for the policy to be implemented effectively, a stronger leadership role and commitment from the heads of departments are needed, along with a transparent mechanism for inspection, supervision, and evaluation of results.

Combating smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods is, ultimately, not just a purely administrative task. It is also a measure of public trust in the effectiveness of governance and the strictness of the law.

When consumers can shop confidently in Tet markets, supermarkets, or on e-commerce platforms without worrying about contaminated food, counterfeit medicine, or substandard goods; and when legitimate businesses are not subjected to unfair competition from cheap smuggled and counterfeit goods, then management solutions will truly demonstrate their value.

Plan 176/KH-BCĐ389, if implemented seriously, synchronously, and not merely as a formality, will significantly contribute to maintaining market stability at the end of the year, creating a foundation for a safer, more prosperous, and more secure Tet holiday. More importantly, it is also a necessary step to strengthen market discipline, moving towards a transparent and sustainable business environment where the rights of citizens and businesses are placed at the center.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/thi-truong/202512/giu-on-dinh-thi-truong-dip-tet-2943b5e/