Economy

Tightening the fight against counterfeit goods and trade fraud - Part 1: Current situation in the market

Reporter Group • DNUM_AJZAHZCACF 11:23

Although the authorities have continuously inspected the market, in reality, violations are still common in many rural and mountainous markets in Nghe An. During the peak period of inspection, supervision, and handling of smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and intellectual property infringement, the Provincial Steering Committee 389 has detected and handled many violations.

Although the authorities have continuously inspected the market, in reality, violations are still common in many rural and mountainous markets in Nghe An. During the peak period of inspection, supervision, and handling of smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and intellectual property infringement, the Provincial Steering Committee 389 has detected and handled many violations.

Genuine and fake goods mixed on the counter

In many rural and mountainous markets in Nghe An, the sale of goods of unknown origin and counterfeit goods of famous brands is still common. It is not difficult to find products that are similar to big brands, from confectionery, soft drinks to clothes and shoes. These items are often sold mixed with genuine goods, making it difficult for consumers to distinguish. Many small traders deliberately take advantage of this to mix and promote the sale of poor quality goods.

At Phu Dien commercial center, Dien Chau commune (formerly Dien Thanh town, Dien Chau district, Nghe An province), reporters recorded a situation where some dealers openly displayed products that were counterfeiting famous international fashion brands. Many items such as handbags and wallets with the brands Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, etc. were displayed in conspicuous locations, attracting the attention of consumers. Even without labels or documents proving their origin, sellers were still willing to offer prices ranging from 500,000 VND to 1.2 million VND, depending on the sophistication and brand being counterfeited.

It is worth mentioning that these fake products still attract a large number of buyers, mostly because of their cheap prices and eye-catching designs. Ms. Tran Thi Luong, a local resident, shared: “I like Chanel bags but I don’t have enough money to buy the real thing. I bought a fake one for 400,000 VND, it still looks beautiful and luxurious, who knows if it is real or fake!”

Also at Phu Dien shopping center, not only handbags, other items such as watches with many designs are labeled with famous Swiss brands, but are priced from only 1 - 1.5 million VND/piece. The stall owner admitted that these are fake goods but still confidently affirmed: "We guarantee 6 months for customers. Even though we know they are fake goods, the designs are beautiful and the prices are reasonable, so many people still like to buy them."

The situation is similar for consumer goods such as household appliances, electronics, and kitchen equipment at Phu Dien shopping mall. Many stalls sell frying pans, ladles, basins, bowls, plates, etc. made of plastic of unknown origin. When asked, the seller said: “It is normal for goods to be imported in batches without labels (!?)”.

Reporters' observations in Nghi Loc commune (belonging to Quan Hanh town, former Nghi Loc district) show that the trade of goods of unknown origin is widespread, especially in traditional markets and rows of shops along National Highway 1. Along the main road through the commune, many stalls sell suitcases with eye-catching designs and a variety of colors. However, according to the shop owners, most of these products are from China, imported in batches, without invoices or documents. The selling price ranges from 350,000 to 400,000 VND/piece.

Items such as helmets are also widely sold, with prices ranging from only 80,000 - 120,000 VND/piece, but most of them do not clearly state the place of manufacture, date of manufacture, or do not meet safety standards. Sellers often only introduce them as "popular goods", "cheap for short trips".

More worryingly, many stores selling household electrical appliances have also appeared in this area. Water pumps, electrical outlets, electrical wires, etc. are displayed in abundance, with almost no labels or documents proving their origin. A water pump is offered for sale at a price of 1.2 to 1.5 million VND/unit, but does not come with a product warranty or technical documents. The store owner said: "Chinese products do not have labels but work well, people buy a lot because of the low price."

For electrical equipment such as sockets and wires, sellers admit that they sell both “genuine” and cheap products. “Genuine” sockets cost 180,000 VND each, while cheap ones are only 80,000 to 100,000 VND. It depends on the buyer’s choice, whoever wants cheap ones can have them,” said a stall owner.

In Yen Thanh commune, there are also many establishments selling household electrical appliances and cosmetics of unknown origin, without labels, without warranties, posing many potential risks to quality and safety for users. Many stores in this area are commonly selling electrical equipment such as rechargeable fans, ceiling fans, wall fans, etc. at prices much lower than the market. It is worth mentioning that most of these products do not have warranty cards, do not have inspection stamps, and it is impossible to determine the place of manufacture. When making purchases, consumers mainly rely on the seller's recommendation, without any commitment to quality.

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Ms. Nguyen Thi Xinh, a resident of Yen Thanh commune, shared: “I bought a rechargeable fan in Cau Dinh area, Yen Thanh commune. After using it for less than a week, the machine broke down. When I took it to the store, no one took responsibility, there was no warranty or place to repair it. I lost my money and the fan was left in the trash.”

Furthermore, cosmetics are also widely sold as “hand-carried goods”, with attractive advertisements about quality and effectiveness. Lipstick, powder, perfume, sunscreen… all have no labels, ingredient information or instructions for use in Vietnamese. Many products have unclear production dates, expiration dates, and no inspection certificates from competent authorities.

"Cheap goods" in the mountains

In mountainous communes of Nghe An province, among the poor quality goods of unknown origin that are still being sold, especially confectionery of unknown origin, expired or violating labeling regulations; counterfeit household appliances are being sold openly in markets and on mobile carts.

At Muong Xen market, Muong Xen commune (former Ky Son district), many goods are sold right at the entrance. In particular, confectionery is the main product in the area in front of the gate with dozens of different types, from branded goods to products without names or labels. Some items are contained in large plastic bags of 5 - 10 kg, without secondary labels, no manufacturing address or expiration date.

Counterfeit goods of famous brands are sold in many traditional markets.

The situation is similar for consumer goods such as household appliances, electronics, and kitchen equipment at Phu Dien shopping mall. Many stalls sell frying pans, ladles, basins, bowls, plates, etc. made of plastic of unknown origin. When asked, the seller said: “It is normal for goods to be imported in batches without labels (!?)”.

In general, at the commune central markets or highland market venues, candies, instant noodles, soft drinks, cheap clothes... are displayed everywhere. However, most of these items do not have invoices, no Vietnamese labels, but have colorful packaging, eye-catching goods, attracting the attention of people. Some types of candies and cakes are roughly packaged in large sacks, without the name of the manufacturing unit, only a small piece of paper with a few lines written by hand in a ballpoint pen. These types of items are consumed quite strongly because they are very cheap, suitable for the budget of people in the highlands.

Ms. Luong Thi X, a trader in Tri Le commune, shared: “People here are very poor, if we sell expensive goods, no one will buy them. We import goods from familiar vehicles, they bring them to our place, and when they see a good price, they take them back to sell. As long as there are buyers, that’s it.”

Mr. Lo Van The - Chairman of Chau Binh Commune People's Committee said: Local people still do not pay much attention to the issue of counterfeit goods, fake goods... In Chau Binh Commune, the market is not operating effectively, people mainly buy goods from small grocery stores and mobile trucks. These vehicles often go into villages with all kinds of goods to sell to people at cheap prices, which are consumed quite strongly, however, the quality of these items has not been fully verified and requires coordination and inspection by inter-sectoral units.

The root cause of this situation lies not only in the sellers, but also in the specific socio-economic conditions of the mountainous areas. People's living standards are low, incomes are unstable, there is a lack of information, and there is a lack of access to quality-tested products. Meanwhile, despite their efforts, the authorities have not been able to tightly control the entire network of small-scale, mobile traders in remote areas. The gap between demand and ability to meet the demand for safe goods has created a gap for cheap goods, floating goods, and goods that do not guarantee quality.

Another reason that cannot be ignored is the subjective mentality and limited awareness of a segment of consumers in the highlands. With low incomes, many people often choose cheap products with eye-catching packaging, rarely paying attention to the origin or expiration date. Many people do not even know what information to check on the label to evaluate the quality of the product, and do not have electronic devices to trace the origin or look up. That has unintentionally caused counterfeit and poor quality goods to still appear commonly in mountainous areas.

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During the peak period of inspection, supervision and handling of smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods and infringement of intellectual property rights, the functional forces of Steering Committee 389 of Nghe An province have continuously detected and handled many violations in the province with many goods without invoices, documents, Vietnamese sub-labels, conformity marks...

(To be continued)