Director of the Department of Industry and Trade: Efforts to combat trade fraud have been vigorous, but not yet as successful as desired.

On the morning of July 11th, the 21st session of the Nghe An Provincial People's Council, 18th term, 2021-2026, continued with the question and answer session.

Comrades Thai Thanh Quy - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, Head of the Provincial Delegation of National Assembly Deputies; Nguyen Nam Dinh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; and Nguyen Nhu Khoi - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, presided over and conducted the session.

Attending the meeting were: Comrade Nguyen Van Thong - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Comrade Vo Thi Minh Sinh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province; members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, members of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committee, Deputy Heads of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, delegates of the Provincial People's Council; and leaders of departments, agencies, and localities.

During the questioning session, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade Pham Van Hoa answered questions from provincial People's Council delegates regarding state management of food safety; prevention, control, and handling of violations in the transportation and trading of smuggled goods and goods of unknown origin; planning, model transformation, investment in construction, business, exploitation, and management of markets in Nghe An province.

Efforts to combat trade fraud have not been successful.

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Questioning the Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, delegate Nguyen Cong Van (from Nghi Loc district) requested information on the current situation regarding the prevention, fight against, and handling of violations in the transportation and trading of counterfeit, substandard, and illegally sourced goods; the existing shortcomings, limitations, causes, responsibilities, and solutions for the future.

Responding to a question from Representative Van, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade Pham Van Hoa stated that counterfeit goods and goods of unknown origin are various manifestations of commercial fraud, representing the negative side of the market mechanism and existing objectively. Preventing and combating commercial fraud has been a fierce battlefront in the past and present.

Mr. Pham Van Hoa argued that not only in Nghe An, but in Vietnam, wherever there is a market, commercial fraud occurs. The extent of its occurrence depends on the level of market development and national governance. Market development encompasses the level of production, business practices, and consumer awareness.

In terms of consumer behavior, people tend to prefer buying goods from unofficial sources; they are not vigilant or concerned about origin invoices; and they have little awareness of fighting against counterfeit, fake, or goods of unclear origin.

Over the past period, from the central to local levels, Party committees and governments at all levels have issued numerous directives related to commercial fraud and food safety. However, the effectiveness of the propaganda work has not reached where it is needed, namely the market, including producers, businesses, and consumers.

Currently, the coverage of legal documents in this field is essentially complete. However, in practice, there are still gaps and discrepancies in the legal framework, although these are not significant.

While the authorities have been decisive in their efforts recently, what's lacking is the connection between the strength of law enforcement and the power of the market. This has resulted in the fight against commercial fraud not achieving the desired results.

Representative Hoang Lan (from Nghi Loc district) requested information on the current situation regarding the organization and enforcement of laws on product quality and pricing, as well as the organization of seminars, tours, and tourism activities for sales purposes in the province; the existing shortcomings, limitations, causes, responsibilities, and solutions for the future?

In response to this question, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade Pham Van Hoa stated that, recently, in some localities, several groups and organizations have been introducing and advertising products in various forms.

Legally, all individuals and businesses are permitted to promote their products; there is no prohibition against it. However, in practice, some groups have taken advantage of this to engage in fraudulent activities, using village or commune halls to sell products, which is against regulations.

In the coming period, the Director of the Department of Industry and Trade requested increased supervision of establishments, and that any incidents be reported to the relevant authorities for inspection and handling. In particular, he urged the public to research information about the seller, product, company, and invoices to avoid being scammed.

Responding to a question from delegate Tran Dinh Toan (Do Luong district) regarding solutions to strengthen and improve trade promotion and expand markets for the consumption of OCOP products in the province in the coming time, the Director of the Department of Industry and Trade stated that in the past year, trade promotion activities for OCOP products in the province have been successful, with many sectors participating.

Through trade promotion activities, we have connected products to the supply chain, and some products are hoping to be exported abroad. On the other hand, support for e-commerce for OCOP products has also been done well. However, while the province has many OCOP products, they lack quality; the important issue is quality over quantity.

The current state of the market still has many shortcomings and inadequacies.

Answering a question about the current status of market planning and implementation, the Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, Pham Van Hoa, said that currently there are 371 markets in the province that have been reviewed and added to the provincial planning.

Government Decree 60, soon to be issued, outlines the plan for investing in and developing markets in the coming period. The Department of Industry and Trade will advise the Provincial People's Committee on this matter; localities must develop specific plans for investing in and developing markets in the future.

Also concerned about the issue of markets, delegate Ho Van Dam (from Quynh Luu district) requested the Director of the Department of Industry and Trade to provide solutions for handling spontaneous and illegal markets that have been operating for many years in many places, posing potential risks of accidents, environmental pollution, and food safety.

According to Pham Van Hoa, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, the regulations allow for temporary markets, but only in locations where markets have been planned but the conditions for construction to serve the public are not yet met. Other locations are considered spontaneous business points.

In urban areas, this is a limitation that needs to be eliminated, and local authorities should be held accountable for urban management. Currently, the management of this issue is not good, and the Department of Industry and Trade will soon advise the Provincial People's Committee to direct localities to improve this work.

Representative Nguyen Duy Can (from Vinh City) stated that fire prevention and control at markets is very difficult and complex, and fires cause significant damage. Currently, only a few markets have been upgraded and renovated, resulting in relatively good fire prevention and control systems; the majority of remaining markets still have many shortcomings. So, what are the solutions for the future?

Responding to a question from Representative Can, the Director of the Department of Industry and Trade stated that fire prevention and environmental sanitation are currently the biggest problems in markets. The reasons include the markets' dilapidated condition, lack of renovation for many years, inadequate management and organization, and infrequent coordination among various forces in inspection and supervision.

In the coming period, the province will implement Government Decree 60 on the transformation of market management models; review the current state of markets to rectify shortcomings. At the same time, it requests the Fire Prevention and Control Agency to actively support localities and market management boards in implementing fire prevention and control guidelines; pay attention to supporting investment in fire prevention and control projects; and localities to strengthen inspections and rectify violations.

Concerned about the qualifications of market management staff, delegate Le Thi Theu (from Tan Ky district) emphasized that the staff's skills are insufficient and they lack much knowledge. However, from 2021 to the present, the Department of Industry and Trade has only organized two online training sessions on COVID-19 prevention and control. She requested clarification on the department's responsibilities and solutions regarding this issue.

The Director of the Department of Industry and Trade stated that before 2020, training and professional development were conducted regularly; however, from 2021 to 2024, training was insufficient and did not meet requirements due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to await a new decree for simultaneous implementation.

Many delegates also requested the Director of the Department of Industry and Trade to present solutions for the 104 markets that have not yet been classified; a plan for investing in the construction of market systems in mountainous and border areas; and solutions to prevent traditional markets from being wasted...

According to the Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, the reason 104 markets throughout the province have not yet been ranked is because they do not meet the standards. In the near future, when implementing Government Decree 60, a comprehensive review will be conducted. Markets deemed necessary and with a market demand will be upgraded and renovated to meet the required standards. Markets deemed ineffective will be closed down.

Furthermore, the fact that markets are not yet classified does not affect the investment orientation for construction, renovation, and upgrading. The Department is currently conducting research on the development orientation of markets in mountainous regions, especially those associated with tourism.

In implementing Government Decree 60, a thorough assessment of the current state of markets will be necessary, with particular attention paid to market competition, especially in urban markets. If a market is still deemed necessary, it should be included in the renovation and upgrading plan to serve the needs of the people.

Food safety concerns ahead of school

Regarding food safety, delegate Tran Thi Khanh Linh (from Vinh City) argued that managing street vendors in front of schools and hospitals poses many risks to food safety and hygiene due to goods of unknown origin.

Representative Linh requested that the Director of the Department of Industry and Trade provide solutions for managing and ensuring the health of residents and students; and for managing and monitoring the quality of clean water at kindergens in Vinh City.

According to Mr. Pham Van Hoa, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, this issue is the responsibility of urban management, and the solution lies with the local authorities. Therefore, he requested that local authorities strengthen urban management; and direct schools to disseminate information and encourage teachers, students, and parents not to participate in this market.

Regarding the inspection of food safety and clean water at kindergens in Vinh City, Mr. Hoa emphasized that the guidance and inspection work is carried out regularly, and the main responsibility lies with the schools.

Regarding the low percentage of food products meeting food safety standards compared to other products on the market, which affects consumer health, the Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, Pham Van Hoa, stated that there are currently 14,000 businesses in this sector, with many new products, while the state's published standards are limited, and many products have not yet been officially declared. Furthermore, many products have self-declared their standards, some of which are inaccurate.

In the future, the solution is to propose that central ministries and agencies improve the national technical standards system; pay attention to strengthening post-inspection work, and enhance the role of localities.

Speaking at the questioning session, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Hong Vinh discussed and clarified the issues of concern to the delegates, especially providing an in-depth analysis of the current situation, difficulties, and obstacles in planning, model transformation, investment, construction, business, exploitation, and management of markets in Nghe An province.

The Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee stated that, compared to Decree 02, many markets do not meet the standards regarding the area of ​​stalls, but in practice, the requirements are basically met in rural areas.

On the other hand, a large number of markets still do not meet fire safety standards, including many that were built by individuals themselves. From 2021 to the present, 41 billion VND has been allocated for the construction, renovation, and upgrading of markets. However, apart from 176 markets with management boards established by the district level, state management of other markets remains limited.

Currently, attracting investment into markets faces many difficulties related to legal procedures and efficiency, while state budget resources are limited, so investment, management, and development of markets have not met the requirements.

Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Hong Vinh affirmed that Nghe An province is one of the localities that is decisive, proactive, and at the forefront in the fight against trade fraud. However, this work faces many difficulties. In the coming time, the province will direct all levels and sectors to implement measures decisively.