Where can consumers buy quality products?

At the "Unlocking Purchasing Power, Stimulating Consumer Demand" seminar organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper on the morning of May 22nd, Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade - acknowledged that combating smuggled and substandard goods has been difficult recently. However, to encourage businesses to produce quality goods, authorities are creating a "platform" where consumers can identify quality products.

Báo Thanh niên•22/05/2026

We are currently implementing the green verification badge for quality products.

Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong shared the frustrations of businesses in recent times, noting that current regulations have not kept pace with the market despite frequent law updates. Ho Chi Minh City is the largest market in the country, attracting not only domestic but also foreign businesses. However, many businesses resort to underhanded tactics, leading to significant business pressure and making inspection and control more difficult. With goods flooding in from all over, from imported goods to smuggled items, it's difficult for any single agency to inspect and control everything.

Where can consumers buy quality goods? - Image 1.

Seminar "Unlocking Purchasing Power, Stimulating Consumer Demand"

PHOTO: INDEPENDENT

"During our field visits, we observed that domestic businesses' factories are very well-invested in producing quality goods. However, their products struggle to compete with clearance sales of old stock; even if the quality is still good, the prices are lower. Similarly, products and goods nearing their expiration date, or strategies launched by businesses to gain market share, often have lower prices," Mr. Phuong said, acknowledging that while inspections and seizures of counterfeit, fake, and smuggled goods are ongoing, they are still limited.

According to Mr. Phuong, there's a paradox: many products face difficulties competing domestically but perform very well in exports. This means consumers are still willing to pay higher prices for quality goods, but the important thing is how they can identify good, high-quality, and food-safe products. "We have a solution: 12 supermarket chains nationwide will receive the 'green tick' certification, initially for food products, and then for other goods. Businesses participating in this program commit to producing and selling quality goods; if they violate the regulations, the supermarket chain will remove those products from the shelves. Supermarkets will have designated areas for these product groups so consumers can identify and purchase them," Mr. Phuong explained.

According to Mr. Phuong, when authorities conduct inspections, they take qualitative samples followed by quantitative testing. However, by the time the qualitative testing is completed, the goods may have already reached the market and consumers' tables, because if they wait for quantitative testing, the goods are no longer usable. Therefore, this is a challenge for authorities, which is why the "green tick" program is being actively implemented. Mr. Phuong said that in South Korea, goods sold in stores are more expensive than those in markets. When consumers inquire about prices, they are told that goods sold in stores have a certification mark from the authorities, giving consumers much more peace of mind. Consumers seek out products from places where the quality is certified.

Many businesses are reluctant to list their commodities on the stock exchange because they fear... lack of transparency.

Citing a story about airline tickets from the US to Vietnam, which everyone knows are very expensive, but recently someone bought one for just 1 USD, Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong said that this price sounded absurd, but upon inquiry, it was learned that the person had accumulated points through shopping, and once they reached a certain threshold, the airline ticket would be discounted to 0 VND. The Department of Industry and Trade also wants to do this to increase domestic shopping. Through research with bank card issuers, it was found that consumers receive cashback on purchases. Similarly, in Thailand, during the shopping season, airline tickets, hotels, and food are discounted.

"This is quite normal, but implementation is extremely difficult because some large, well-established businesses refuse to participate, citing reasons such as not being aligned with other brands, or requiring approval from their parent companies abroad… In general, businesses have countless reasons to refuse participation," Mr. Phuong explained. Similarly, regarding food safety, there are thousands of slaughterhouses nationwide supplying pork to the market. Ho Chi Minh City has an international trade center, including a commodity exchange, which is planned to pilot pork trading, but it is also extremely difficult. Because participation requires transparency and cutting out intermediaries to reduce costs. "However, this is an established ecosystem; people have lived off this profession for a long time, so putting it on the stock exchange would change everything. That's why they are silently resisting and refusing to participate. As a result, life is incredibly complex. Ho Chi Minh City has six industrial slaughterhouses that implement traceability. The management of these slaughterhouses is currently very good, but to achieve this result, we also went through a difficult process," Mr. Phuong stated frankly.

Box:

Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong:

168 wards and communes will participate in stimulating consumer demand.

"To encourage consumption, the Department of Industry and Trade maintains two promotional campaigns to stimulate demand from July to September and from November to December. These two campaigns last three months instead of the stipulated one month, so the full participation of businesses is needed. We propose that 168 wards and communes actively participate in this program. Each ward and commune will have a program or event accompanying the promotional campaign to create a widespread response across the city, providing more choices for consumers and attracting more customers from other provinces and cities as well as international tourists."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nguoi-tieu-dung-mua-hang-chat-luong-o-dau-185260522104213798.htm