Authorities discovered thousands of counterfeit products bearing famous brands during the afternoon of May 29 at Saigon Square Shopping Center.
Translated by ELITE Law Firm
Present at Saigon Square Shopping Center in the early afternoon of May 29, six task forces from the Market Surveillance Operations Division under the Department of Domestic Market Surveillance and Development simultaneously conducted inspections. Despite efforts to slam shut store doors to evade the raid, thousands of counterfeit products bearing world-famous brands, such as watches, handbags, wallets, and eyewear, were still discovered and seized on the spot by the authorities.
This was not the first time the Market Surveillance forces had inspected business outlets within Saigon Square Shopping Center. Previously, during a late-2024 inspection, authorities had also seized thousands of products imitating well-known brands, indicating that violations remain rampant and prone to recurrence despite multiple prior interventions.
Under the direction of the leadership of the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development, on the afternoon of May 29, 2025, the Market Surveillance Operations Division split into six task forces and simultaneously inspected major business points in different areas of Saigon Square Shopping Center. As with previous inspections, the very appearance of Market Surveillance officers immediately prompted many stallholders to hastily slam down shutters to obstruct the inspection process, complicating authorities’ access and handling of violations.
However, through professional measures, Market Surveillance officers quickly reached the pre-designated inspection points and promptly thwarted stallholders’ attempts to resist and evade inspection. According to records, as soon as the inspection teams appeared, the walkie-talkie system of Saigon Square’s security staff was immediately activated, and internal loudspeakers broadcast warnings to stallholders to close their shops, thereby hindering the inspection and violation-handling process.
At the business outlets, inspection teams initially recorded a series of products on display bearing famous brands such as Rolex, Longines, and Patek Philippe watches; handbags and wallets from LV, Gucci, Dior, YSL, Celine, Goyard, Chanel, Hermès, Bottega Veneta, and Prada; along with numerous eyewear models labeled Gucci, among others. However, all of these items exhibited signs of being counterfeit, seriously infringing on consumer rights and the reputation of protected brands in Vietnam.
According to IPT Intellectual Property Consulting Co., Ltd. — the unit representing and protecting trademarks for famous brands such as Rolex, BVLGARI, and Chanel — most of the products currently being handled by the inspection teams show clear signs of infringing on trademarks under the Firm’s protection.. Specifically, goods sold at certain stalls featured packaging that did not meet the brand’s standards, uneven and crooked stitching, and even excess threads; logos or lettering on the products were blurred and lacked sharpness. Notably, these products were offered at prices far below those of genuine items.
In addition to IPT Intellectual Property Consulting Co., Ltd., numerous law firms and Intellectual Property law companies representing trademarks were also present at Saigon Square to identify signs of infringement among goods at these business outlets.
Due to the large volume of goods, as of 6:00 p.m. the same day, task forces from the Market Surveillance Operations Division were still counting the number of infringing products. It is estimated that the quantity of seized items will reach into the thousands.
According to Mr. Tran Viet Hung, Head of the Market Surveillance Operations Division, this is one of the typical cases during the peak month launched by the Department of Domestic Market Surveillance and Development. Inspection activities at Saigon Square will continue to be carried out by the Department in the near future, as this area is a central hub that attracts a large number of domestic and international tourists when they visit Ho Chi Minh City. The laxity in local Surveillance not only leads to violations in the trading of goods but also damages consumer trust, while tarnishing the image of Ho Chi Minh City. This situation also negatively affects the business environment of legitimate enterprises.
Source: doisongvaphapluat
