HCM City (VNA) – A workshop was h🌌eld in Ho Chi Mi🌞nh City on November 17 to discuss tackling smuggling and trade fraud, and protecting brand names.

According to National Steering Committee 389, in the first ten months this year, over 172,000 cases of smuggling and trade fraud have been handled, and over 2,000 cases of making fake products have been detected, collecting nearly 13 billion VND (585,000 USD) and 58 billion VND (2,61 million USD) in fines, respectively. However, Tran Thanh The from the Committee said the figures only reflect a part of the problem. Taro Goto, Director General of the NGK Spark Plugs Vietnam said 20 percent of NGK spark plug products in the Vietnamese market are fake, adding that this causes big losses for his company and harms the brand name. A representative from the Ich Nhan Pharma Company said his company has struggled with fake products for years. Tran Giang Khue from the Department of Intellectual Property pointed to difficulties in implementing the Law on intellectual property. Participants suggested relevant bodies devise measures to handle violators, such as administrative fines, fake product confiscation and destruction. Meanwhile, The stressed the need to adjust relevant legal frameworks to deal with the problem while identifying the responsibilities of each stakeholder to protect consumers and the market. Participants called for close coordination among relevant bodies in the work. Efforts should also be made to raise awareness of fake products among consumers.-VNA