'Checking and handling counterfeit goods is very difficult, just arriving at the market and being followed'

"In reality, the work of checking and handling violations in the market is very difficult. There were times when we went to the markets and were followed before we could check. Right from the market gate, there were people following us closely, reporting via Zalo, and cameras everywhere."

The seminar was attended by many experts and representatives of functional agencies - Photo: NLĐ

The above information was given by Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, Deputy Director of the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ) at the seminar "Fighting against counterfeit goods - Cleaning the market, protecting trust" organized by Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper on July 2.

Current regulations are still heavy on formality...

According to Mr. Nam, through actual market inspections, recent times have shown that the tricks of those producing and trading counterfeit and poor quality goods are increasingly sophisticated, especially in the online environment.

"These subjects not only use social networks and e-commerce platforms to promote and sell counterfeit goods, but also frequently change names and addresses, and use technology to create packaging and labels that are very similar to genuine goods, making it difficult for consumers to distinguish," said Mr. Nam.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Dat, deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City Market Management Department, said that there are many reasons why counterfeit and poor quality goods have existed for a long time, notably the increasingly sophisticated tricks of violators.

"Previously, counterfeit goods often appeared in small shops in the market, but now they have crept onto e-commerce platforms, where transactions are anonymous and it is difficult to trace the seller's address and warehouse. Those who make counterfeit and poor quality goods also take advantage of legal loopholes, dividing shipments into smaller batches to avoid responsibility and hide their identities."

From the perspective of the authorities, Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, said that in reality, current regulations are still too formalistic, making inspection and control work not as effective as expected.

"Counterfeit goods are not new. But when they accumulate in quantity, they will "explode" into major incidents, startling public opinion. The greatest responsibility still belongs to state management agencies. We need to continue to inspect and handle them thoroughly."

Need to tighten loopholes in e-commerce channels soon

According to Mr. Nguyen Tan Phong, Director of the Legal Consulting Center - Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM), the situation of counterfeit goods flooding e-commerce platforms and social networks is becoming a burning issue, becoming increasingly complicated.

The reason comes from the nature of the digital environment. Online platforms allow sellers to easily reach a large number of buyers without facing many physical barriers or strict censorship procedures.

"They make full use of advertising and marketing tools on social networks, taking advantage of consumers' psychology of wanting cheap things and lacking information. In particular, the relative anonymity of cyberspace makes it easy for violators to change their identity and operating address when discovered," said Mr. Phong.

According to Mr. Phong, first of all, the subjects directly producing and trading counterfeit goods must be held responsible before the law, both criminally and civilly. Next, e-commerce platforms and social networking platforms play a key role, needing to build a mechanism to control, review, remove infringing products, block fraudulent seller accounts, and provide timely information to authorities.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Viet Hong, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Consumer Protection, suggested that there should be specific recommendations and instructions for consumers on how to identify and buy genuine products, especially in the context of increasingly popular online shopping.

"I was very concerned when I discovered the widespread counterfeit goods on e-commerce platforms. We sent many documents to the platforms but received no response. This is an issue that needs to be seriously rectified to protect both legitimate businesses and consumers."

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, deputy director of the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development, said that he has invited platforms such as Shopee and Lazada to sign a commitment to coordinate control. The government has now applied AI to monitor business activities on e-commerce and coordinate with tax authorities to supervise.

"Currently, transportation control also faces many challenges, because e-commerce is spread across roads, air routes, and sea routes. An order from China only takes 24-48 hours to reach the buyer, while the inspection process requires strict procedures.

To overcome this, we have increased the application of information technology, shared data and coordinated with the Ministry of Public Security to monitor social networking platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, within the framework of Project 319," said Mr. Nam.

NGUYEN TRI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/kiem-tra-xu-ly-hang-gia-rat-gian-nan-moi-den-cho-da-bi-theo-doi-20250702170347843.htm