A Hanoi market surveillance officer inspects infringing goods on February 23, 2023. Source: Vietnam Directorate of Market Surveillance

Leasing luxury apartment to store goods

In 2022, the market surveillance force has inspected and handled many large-scale violations, which are hot spots for illegal production and trading of counterfeit goods in provinces and cities: Thanh Hoa, Tuyen Quang, Bac Ninh, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, seized hundreds of thousands of infringing goods. It is worth mentioning that the infringing goods are stored in the warehouses of businesses, people's houses, and even in remote places.

During the peak, deployment to check the market during the Tet holiday and in recent months, the market surveillance force continued to conduct irregular inspections simultaneously in many localities. As a result, it destroyed many places and establishments producing and trading counterfeit goods and poor quality goods. Violators often change storages and even use high-class apartments as cargo gathering places, so it takes much time for the competent forces to handle them. Moreover, all goods are mainly traded on e-commerce platforms. There are no stores, as well as legal business registration procedures.

On February 16, 2023, at 227/25 Nguyen Tu Gian, Ward 12, Go Vap District, HCM City's market surveillance force seized more than 6,000 products that are Singaporean green medical oil, spa scrubs, pomelo conditioner, Bach Ngoc Lien body cream, French face cream, French body cream, makeup remover cotton valued at nearly VND1.2 billion g. On the same day, at 284/1 Pham Van Chieu, ward 9, Go Vap district, HCM City's market surveillance force seized over 30,000 tubes/bottles of products such as Coast deodorant, 24k Gold mask, and OUD AL SUNTAN perfume, Karri perfume, M'AYCREATE sunscreen spray, valued over VND738 million.

Then, on February 23, 2023, the Hanoi market surveillance force presided over and coordinated with the Criminal Police Department, the Ministry of Public Security and the Hoang Mai District Public Security to unexpectedly inspect the gathering place of goods at Room 2.11.12, Park 2, Times City Urban Area, Mai Dong Ward, Hoang Mai District, Hanoi City, seizing nearly 1 ton of packaging and labels and nearly 2 tons of finished products, medicinal ingredients and supplementary food, equivalent to millions of capsules of all kinds. All pharmaceutical products are packaged in large and unlabeled bags—the owner Ms N.T.K.A (born in 1991), living in an apartment in Park9, Times City Urban Area, Mai Dong, Hoang Mai, Hanoi, confessed that these are diuretic and digestive drugs. However, she failed to present the legal documents related to the trading of the above goods.

According to the leader of the No. 1 market surveillance team, the Hanoi Market Surveillance Department, Hoang Dai Nghia, the competent forces took much time to verify and check the case due to the complexity of the transaction method. Taking advantage of the strict security and low house rent cost, the suspect often changes the storage places to distract the attention of people and authorities. All changes are done quickly and professionally by packing boxes, using elevators and trucks waiting in the basement to move to another place.

"It only took a few hours. The suspect erased all traces at the place we identified and then moved to another place, causing difficulties for the market surveillance force in verifying information. However, all information and transactions are done through social networks and shipped via ship code, so the removal of traces is very fast", said the leader of the No. 1 market surveillance team.

Strictly handle violations

At the Conference to deploy the direction and tasks for 2023 of the National Steering Committee 389, Deputy Director General of the Directorate of Market Surveillance Nguyen Thanh Binh forecasted that the situation of smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods would develop complicatedly, so the market surveillance force will focus on implementing the plan on strengthening the fight against smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods in e-commerce activities; fight against smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods across borders, sea areas and inland areas.

"The Vietnam Directorate of Market Surveillance focuses on building a skilled and proactive, unified force that has quick, continuous and efficient response 24/7 for the development of businesses and protection of the consumers' interests; effectively maintaining a hotline to receive complaints from individuals and businesses to check and strictly handle violations promptly; strengthening internal inspection to promptly handle errors in the process of market inspection and control and strictly handle violations of organizations and individuals in public duty performance; promptly praise officers and units with high achievements", said Mr Nguyen Thanh Binh.