Vietnamese brands at risk of being stolen again

Many famous Vietnamese products associated with Vietnamese geographical indications are stolen abroad.

The risk of trademark theft is increasing as Vietnam joins the ASEAN Economic Community.

“Connected” products right on the packaging

Thai fish sauce exported to the US and European countries is labeled as Phu Quoc fish sauce. Thai exported vermicelli, pho, and dried noodles have the label “Vietnamese's New Noodle” on their packaging...

Vietnamese instant noodle and vermicelli products are often "borrowed" by other countries for export.

Brand expert, Mr. Ly Truong Chien, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tri Tri Corporation, commented that this is a risk of "assimilation" of brands in ASEAN, so that consumers around the world cannot distinguish between Thai and Vietnamese products.

Thai people are very smart when they know how to take the “quintessence” of Vietnamese brands to make export products. This situation is very alarming.

According to Mr. Chien, the more integration, the greater the risk of losing the brand. In fact, moving towards a common consumer market is very important for the consumer goods industry. However, awareness of business opportunities and taking advantage of those opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises is still weak. For example, most fast-moving consumer goods of enterprises in other countries have started to be printed in multiple languages.

For example, Thai products sold in the Malaysian market will be printed in both Malaysian and English. Indonesian products sold in Thailand will be printed in both Thai and English. Mr. Chien said: “Take Nestle’s Kitcat, produced in Malaysia but sold in Vietnam, and right on the packaging it clearly states “made in Malaysia” in both Vietnamese and English. While Vietnamese products are still “standing up and sitting down” in the regulation on how much of the packaging is printed in English and how much in Vietnamese, how far have the countries in the region gone? The language on products of each country shows great regional connectivity, which domestic enterprises have not been able to do, even in the ASEAN market.”

In addition, garment products also face many risks of brand abuse, because ASEAN is positioned as a large consumer market that "world factory" countries like China covet.

According to Mr. Ly Truong Chien, when Chinese enterprises want to bring goods to ASEAN markets, they send them through Vietnam and attach the "made in Vietnam" label, then they can easily sell their goods to ASEAN.

According to Mr. Le Phung Hao, Chairman of the Vietnam Marketing Association, agricultural products and specialty products associated with geographical indications of localities have been the most vulnerable to trademark infringement. For example, the story of Buon Ma Thuot coffee and Phu Quoc fish sauce has been widely sold in China.

This can be present in other countries within the ASEAN region, especially developing countries with incomplete legal systems. Because while businesses focus on protecting their own brands, brands associated with localities and countries have not been properly registered for protection in foreign markets, so they will be used by local businesses to mislead users. Not to mention, there is a risk that these products will return to the Vietnamese market, penetrate the market in remote areas and gradually spread more widely in the Vietnamese market.

Risk of losing brand

Brand consultant Robert Tran commented that the culinary culture of the ASEAN region has many similar elements. Although there are typical salty and sour flavors, Vietnamese people can still easily eat Thai, Cambodian, Laotian food... and vice versa.

This means that the risk of losing fast-moving consumer goods brands and food brands with good brands in Vietnam is very high. After Phu Quoc fish sauce products are being "borrowed" in Thailand, who knows that one day, we will discover that Binh Thuan dragon fruit, Hoa Loc mango, Nam Roi grapefruit, Lo Ren star apple... are not lost in these markets?

Currently, Vietnamese dried vermicelli and dried pho products are very popular in foreign markets. To maintain geographical indications, the intangible assets of national brands, the role of localities and associations is very important.

Industry associations and business associations must focus on reviewing and promptly registering trademark protection for products with geographical indications in ASEAN markets and markets where ASEAN goods are exported.

“The role of associations and local leaders must accelerate further, because the heat of integration is coming close behind us. If we continue to be slow, we will burn ourselves in this competitive market,” said Mr. Robert Tran.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Le Phung Hao said that for geographical indications, an individual or enterprise does not have the right to register intellectual property. Therefore, it is necessary to have the attention and implementation of local and even national authorities for higher-level brands.

“Only by registering trademark protection in export markets will we have a legal basis to sue when counterfeiting or falsification occurs. In addition, in countries without a complete legal framework such as Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, etc., we can implement additional commercial measures such as increasing promotion and expanding distribution channels so that consumers have the opportunity to access genuine products and have a basis to compare and choose good quality products,” said Mr. Le Phung Hao.

According to VOV