Resolutely combat and prevent smuggling and trade fraud.
On the morning of January 9th, the National Steering Committee 389 held a nationwide online conference to summarize the work of 2025 and implement tasks for 2026.
The conference was chaired by Central Committee members Bui Thanh Son - Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the National Steering Committee 389, and Nguyen Van Thang - Minister of Finance, at the Hanoi venue.
Comrades Phung Thanh Vinh - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Steering Committee 389; and Pham Van Hoa - Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, presided over the meeting at the Nghe An branch.
Many cases have been discovered, arrests made, and legal action taken.
In 2025, the buying, selling, and transportation of prohibited goods, smuggling, illegal transportation of goods, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods across land borders, border gates, trails, border crossings, maritime borders, seaports, sea areas, air routes, inland areas, and cyberspace will continue to be complex.
In response to this situation, the Party, State, National Assembly, and Government have given strong attention and direction to combat, prevent, and thoroughly address smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and intellectual property infringement. Specifically, the Government and the Prime Minister have issued numerous directives and instructions instructing ministries, agencies, functional forces, and the entire political system to engage in a decisive fight and thoroughly address these issues.
In 2025, ministries, agencies, and localities intensified inspection, control, and supervision efforts to prevent, detect, and handle violations. As a result, the whole country detected, arrested, and processed 123,513 violations (a 10% decrease compared to 2024). These included: 9,404 cases of illegal trading and transportation of prohibited and smuggled goods; 109,180 cases of commercial fraud and tax evasion; and 4,929 cases of counterfeit goods and intellectual property rights violations. Total revenue collected for the state budget reached 15,394,667 million VND. Functional forces initiated criminal proceedings in 3,178 cases involving 5,477 individuals.
In Nghe An province, the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods has been promptly addressed by the Provincial People's Committee through the development of work plans and the issuance of directives tailored to the local situation, from advisory work to direct enforcement.
Regarding strengthening the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods in the new situation, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Directive No. 19/CT-UBND dated June 16, 2025, on continuing to intensify the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and intellectual property infringement. Based on this directive, functional forces have effectively implemented the campaign and achieved many positive and important results.
In 2025, authorities in Nghe An province handled 5,201 administrative violations, initiated criminal proceedings in 407 cases involving 549 individuals, and collected nearly 331 billion VND in fines. Typical violations across various sectors were promptly detected and addressed; violations in the e-commerce environment, including the sale of goods via social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Zalo, received significant attention from authorities for effective inspection and control.
Decisive action to combat counterfeit and smuggled goods in 2026.
At the conference, representatives from ministries, departments, and localities focused on discussing and thoroughly evaluating the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods; analyzing the current state of goods control through border gates, unofficial border crossings, e-commerce, and illegal immigration. They also made important observations on the developments of intellectual property crimes and counterfeit goods, and discussed solutions to prevent them in the future.
Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son acknowledged and highly appreciated the efforts of ministries, localities, and functional forces in the fight against counterfeit and pirated goods, contributing to promoting production and business and protecting consumer health.
Based on an analysis and assessment of shortcomings, limitations, and future difficulties, in order to effectively implement the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods in 2026, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son requested the Steering Committee 389 of ministries, sectors, units, and localities to thoroughly understand and effectively implement the thematic plans and guiding documents. They should proactively grasp and accurately predict the situation; identify key routes, areas, targets, and goods, especially those related to consumer health.
Develop and implement programs, plans, thematic campaigns, intensive campaigns, and solutions for inspecting, controlling, detecting, preventing, and handling smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods. This process should combine inspection and supervision with the dissemination of legal information to the public and relevant stakeholders.
In the spirit of no forbidden zones and no exceptions, the Head of the National Steering Committee 389 also requested localities and forces to coordinate and share information to focus on targeting the masterminds and leaders of smuggling rings, organized groups, and complex and prominent hotspots; and to identify new methods and tactics of operation. He also called for increased inspection, detection, prevention, and strict handling of organizations and individuals who violate discipline and laws, cover up, abet, or protect smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods; and linking the responsibility of the head of each unit and locality to the results of their work...
