Checking and inspecting fake Cefixim 200mg at a pharmacy in Hue City. Photo: Department of Health

Worry, be alert

The prosecution and arrest of many subjects in the chain of production and trading of fake milk and fake medicine on a large scale has shocked the community. The Ministry of Public Security informed about 12 milk products identified as counterfeit and 72 milk products under further investigation of the violating enterprise. A series of questions were raised, such as management and supervision of functional foods; consumer rights, especially the vulnerable; business ethics; famous people advertising milk/medicine; legal and criminal responsibilities...

The most confused are mothers because of a number of fake milk brands of Rance Pharma and Hacofood put on the market for young children. Ms. HNUT in Thuy Bang, Thuan Hoa district, was upset: “I bought calcium supplements for the elderly in my family. Every time I saw the list of milk names announced during the investigation, I was so nervous. My relatives also bought nutritional milk online for people with diabetes and joint pain. They bought and drank 11 cans but it had no effect.”

Recently, on the group Hoi ly do dung me va be Hue 75, a mother posted a picture of Bold milk prescribed by a doctor at a clinic on NCT street (Phu Hoi ward, Thuan Hoa district). This milk is among 600 types of fake milk that the authorities have just discovered. Another mother, Ms. TM, said that two years ago, her 6-month-old child had a cough. When she went to the doctor, the doctor told her to buy this milk. "Because of taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor and drinking the above milk, my child had a stomachache for a whole week. Luckily, my hometown is far away and there is no such milk to buy, there is a nearby market. If I were blind, I would have bought a few more cans," she explained.

The fake milk incident has affected consumer psychology. At a large grocery store on Dang Huy Tru Street, Phuoc Vinh Ward, Thuan Hoa District, purchasing power has decreased by more than 30% compared to before. “Compared to the same period in 2024 as well as the first quarter of 2025, the number of customers coming to buy is lower. The reason is that people are wondering whether the milk they are giving their children is of guaranteed quality. Some people have switched from milk to other supplements. After the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Public Security announced the list of fake and poor quality milk, we carefully researched and checked each product we are selling and will continue to update information from the authorities,” said Mr. Nguyen Minh Tri, the store owner.

Many consumers are cautious when choosing milk for their families. Photo: T. Huong

After the fake milk seizure, two hospitals in the north, after checking, stopped consulting and recalled two types of milk Hofumil Gold Plus, Hapomil of the violating enterprise that entered the unit through bidding. In Hue, up to this point, there has been no specific report, but there has been a situation of taking advantage of information and reputation of the health sector to invite to buy milk and functional foods. This is also a loophole in internal supervision of hospitals that needs to be controlled.

Mr. Tran V.D. on the southern bank of the Huong River said that he had taken his mother to the Hue Central Hospital for a check-up and to receive medicine, but the next day he received a call from a strange phone number. This person knew his mother's condition and invited him to buy a functional food, a type of milk with a foreign name. Although he refused, he continued to receive calls for the same product over the next few days. Angry, he threatened to report the patient's information to the authorities, and the other person stopped contacting him.

Receiving the above information, MSc.BSCKII. Hoang Thi Lan Huong, Deputy Director of Hue Central Hospital, said that she will check whether or not there is impersonation or abuse of the reputation of medical staff in the purchase and sale of functional foods to promptly correct the situation.

Ms. TMH, a patient in Thuan Hoa district, also fell into a similar situation. After going for a check-up and ultrasound at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Hue University, she received a call and a text message advising her to buy a functional food that helps detoxify and purify the body for 800-850 thousand VND/box. Due to financial difficulties, she refused the invitation to buy the product.

Check carefully, handle seriously

Recently, the Ministry of Health issued an official dispatch requesting medical facilities to strengthen inspection and supervision of the implementation of legal regulations in medical examination and treatment.

Authorities inspect milk products at a store.

As a grassroots medical unit, Master, Doctor, Le Viet Cuong, Director of Phu Loc Medical Center said: Implementing decentralization, every year, the unit organizes an interdisciplinary inspection team to inspect modern medicines. Through review, the hospital currently does not sell any milk, and medicines are organized through a methodical bidding process. Every year, the Center for Testing Drugs, Cosmetics, and Food comes to collect samples for testing, and no fake or poor quality products are detected.

At Hue Central Hospital, the unit's leaders continue to strengthen the implementation of reviewing and checking the prescription of non-medicinal products (milk, functional foods)... reviewing the information, advertising, and consulting on the sale of milk products, functional foods to patients and their families... according to the direction of the Ministry of Health. Previously, the legal department regularly organized inspections to review the origin, price, listing... of the above-mentioned items. "If violations are detected, we will rectify and handle them according to regulations. Absolutely do not cover up or tolerate violations," said Master, Doctor, Doctor Hoang Thi Lan Huong, Deputy Director of Hue Central Hospital.

Regarding the request to review fake milk from the Ministry of Health, the City Department of Health affirmed that from 2021 to now, the Department has not received any product declarations from 11 companies according to the list as requested in the Official Dispatch of the Food Safety Department sent to localities. The unit also did not receive any application for food safety certificates from these 11 companies.

In the work of inspecting new drugs, according to Master, Doctor, Tran Dinh Oanh, Chief Inspector of the Department of Health, in 2024, the Department of Health Inspectorate discovered a number of violations and handled them according to legal regulations. In particular, this force discovered fake Cefixim 200 antibiotics at PK pharmacy, the type of drug that was recently seized by Thanh Hoa authorities. In the first quarter of 2025, the Department of Health established an inspection team to inspect the implementation of regulations related to the origin and quality of drugs; drug prices... to inspect and take samples for testing at 21/23 facilities, and no fake drugs or drugs of unknown origin or origin were detected.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Kiem Hao, Director of the Department of Health, said that the Department has issued a document requesting units to strengthen the management of self-declared products, register declarations, develop post-inspection plans, and implement post-inspection. At the same time, closely coordinate with local authorities and competent agencies to inspect and strictly handle violations, if any.

In response to the press's reflection on the pediatric clinic of Dr. BBBS on NCT Street as mentioned above, the Department of Health conducted an inspection of this clinic. Through the inspection, the clinic has a license to operate in pediatrics; no drug or milk sales were discovered at the clinic.

At the time of inspection, pharmacy N. Ng. at the same address as the clinic was selling a Nestlé NAN Supremepro 1 formula nutritional product of Nestlé Vietnam Co., Ltd., for children aged 0-3 years old (with a product declaration and a certificate of registration of the product declaration). According to the owner's explanation, the pharmacy previously sold two types of formula milk for children aged 0-3 years old, including: Bold milk Lacto Free Colostrum 1+ formula nutritional product of Rance Pharma International Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company and Nestlé NAN Supremepro 1 formula nutritional product of Nestlé Vietnam Co., Ltd. After hearing information about the types of milk that did not meet quality standards, the facility recalled the remaining products and returned them to the manufacturer.


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Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-tri-xa-hoi/theo-dong-thoi-su/sau-con-dia-chan-sua-gia-thuoc-gia-hue-ra-soat-va-hau-kiem-quyet-liet-152968.html