11/12/2025

Attention Exporters: Vietnam Is Ramping Up Its Crackdown on Smuggled Counterfeits – These Product Categories Are in the Crosshairs

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If you ship goods to Vietnam – whether via B2B, cross-border e-commerce, or traditional wholesale – you need to treat 2025 as a turning point. The country is no longer just a “cheap sourcing base” or a convenient transshipment hub. It is rapidly becoming one of Southeast Asia’s most aggressive enforcers against smuggling and counterfeit goods.

In late 2025, Vietnam’s government announced a nationwide campaign against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit products, running from December 16, 2025 to March 15, 2026, with all ministries, local authorities and enforcement forces mobilised. This builds on a multi-year effort by customs and market-surveillance agencies, including a 2024 enforcement plan specifically targeting counterfeit goods and intellectual property violations.

At the same time, the United States has pressured Vietnam over its role in counterfeit trade, including naming Ho Chi Minh City’s Saigon Square as a “notorious market” for fakes. In May 2025, Vietnamese authorities raided the mall and seized thousands of fake Rolex watches, Prada handbags and other luxury-brand items.

For exporters and cross-border sellers, this means one thing: your shipment is more likely than ever to be inspected – and seized – if there is any sign of IP infringement, mis-declaration or grey-market activity.

Below is a practical breakdown of what is happening, which categories are being targeted, and how legitimate businesses should adapt.

Why Vietnam is tightening the screw on counterfeit and smuggled goods

Several overlapping forces are behind the current crackdown:

Domestic pressure from honest businesses
Vietnamese manufacturers and brand owners have long complained that they are being undercut by fake and substandard goods. Local media report that legitimate producers in sectors like food, honey and health supplements struggle to compete because counterfeits are sold at extremely low prices via social media and informal channels.
Rising e-commerce fraud
In 2024 alone, Vietnam’s market-management forces conducted more than 3,400 inspections focused on e-commerce; 1,256 of these cases involved counterfeit or IP-infringing products sold online. Platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Shopee and Lazada are now under growing pressure to remove fake listings and strengthen seller verification.
US tariff and trade negotiations
Vietnam has been under scrutiny from the US for issues like illegal transshipment and counterfeit trade. Draft regulations propose harsher penalties for goods falsely claiming “Made in Vietnam” origin to avoid tariffs on Chinese products, especially in sectors like furniture, electronics and steel. A high-profile crackdown on counterfeit luxury goods in Saigon Square was explicitly linked to US pressure over piracy and fakes.
Government-wide campaigns and enforcement targets
Vietnam’s National Steering Committee against smuggling has reported hundreds of thousands of violations over the past few years, including more than 10,000 cases involving counterfeit or substandard goods. Hanoi alone handled thousands of cases of smuggling and counterfeit trade in the first five months of 2025, with dozens of criminal prosecutions.

In short, the political signal from Hanoi is clear: turning a blind eye to fake or mis-declared goods is no longer acceptable.

Key product categories under special scrutiny

Although any commodity can be seized if it violates customs or IP rules, certain categories have been repeatedly mentioned in official campaigns and media coverage. Exporters in these sectors should assume a high-risk profile.

Table 1 – High-risk product categories in Vietnam’s current crackdown

Category	Why it’s high-risk	Typical enforcement focus
Luxury fashion & accessories	Vietnam identified as hub for fake luxury goods; Saigon Square raid seized Rolex, Prada, Gucci, LV, Dior, Hermès, etc.	Trademark infringement, lack of invoices, mis-declared value and description
Footwear & sportswear	Commonly counterfeited global brands; often sold in markets and online	Use of famous logos, import of unbranded goods later labelled with fake trademarks
Watches & jewelry	High value, small size – ideal for smuggling; counterfeit Rolex highlighted	Counterfeit trademarks, under-invoicing, routing via third countries
Electronics & phone accessories	Large volumes via e-commerce; fake chargers and accessories exposed in Hanoi raids	Safety standards, counterfeit marks, lack of origin documentation
Pharmaceuticals & health supplements	Sensitive to public health; targeted in prime minister directives on counterfeit food, milk and drugs	Unregistered products, fake or altered labels, online sales without licence
Cosmetics & personal care	Frequently counterfeited, widely sold via social media and live-streaming	False origin, mis-labelling, violation of health regulations
Food & beverages (including milk)	Cases of counterfeit milk and food products cited in government documents	Food safety certificates, origin traceability, labelling language and expiry dates
Auto parts, machinery & industrial goods	Linked to transshipment and origin fraud in US-bound exports	HS code mis-declaration, false “Made in Vietnam” labels, missing IP licences
Toys & stationery via e-commerce	Strong growth in counterfeit cases in online trade across the region	Safety standards, IP infringement, age-warning and safety-mark violations

If your exports to Vietnam fall into any of these categories, you should assume that both customs and market-surveillance officers are actively hunting for non-compliant shipments.

How Vietnam is enforcing the crackdown

Vietnam’s enforcement strategy can be summarised in three layers:

Border inspections and customs risk-profiling

Vietnam Customs has reported thousands of customs-law violations and hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of seized goods in just the first months of 2024. Authorities are strengthening risk-profiling at:

Land borders with China and Laos, where smuggling of consumer goods, frozen food and fuel is common;
Major seaports, particularly for containerised shipments and fuel smuggling;
Airports and express-delivery hubs used for small parcels containing counterfeit goods or drugs.

Shipments from known high-risk origins, or involving high-risk product codes, are more likely to face detailed inspections, including physical examination, valuation checks and IP-rights verification.

Market-surveillance raids & local campaigns

In cities like Hanoi, the Market Surveillance Department has launched targeted campaigns such as “Say No to Counterfeit Goods, Commercial Fraud, and Smuggling”, which resulted in hundreds of violations and significant fines in just one month.

Authorities cooperate with the police and specialised inspectorates to:

Raid warehouses and small factories that relabel or assemble fake branded goods;
Inspect shops and markets known for selling cheap branded items to tourists;
Seize counterfeit pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and supplements that violate health regulations.

These offline raids often trace back to import records, which can then trigger retrospective customs investigations into previous shipments.

E-commerce and social-media enforcement

Vietnamese authorities now explicitly call on major platforms—Shopee, Lazada, TikTok, Facebook, Zalo—to strengthen measures to prevent the listing and sale of counterfeit and untraceable goods.

Key measures include:

Requiring sellers to provide business registration and product certificates;
Removing listings that infringe trademarks or lack proper origin/labelling;
Sharing information on repeat offenders with enforcement agencies.

For cross-border sellers, this means your online storefront and product pages may be reviewed not only by the platform, but also by regulators.

What foreign exporters and cross-border sellers must do now

Given this environment, exporters should treat compliance as a strategic investment rather than a bureaucratic burden. Here are concrete steps:

Clean up your product portfolio

Remove all counterfeit or “inspired” copies of branded goods from any shipments to Vietnam. Selling look-alikes that “happen to” use similar logos or colour schemes can still be treated as infringement.
If you are an OEM or white-label producer, ensure you have written IP licences or contracts that allow you to manufacture goods bearing particular trademarks.
For grey-market goods (genuine products re-routed without authorisation), be aware that brand owners may cooperate with Vietnamese authorities to stop such parallel imports.

Strengthen documentation and declarations

Make sure your commercial invoices, packing lists and HS codes match the real goods, not a “cheaper” description used to reduce duty.
For sensitive sectors (pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, electronics), prepare all mandatory certificates – for example, product registration, test reports, or conformity marks.
Provide clear origin documentation (such as Certificates of Origin) and avoid any practice that could be interpreted as faking “Made in Vietnam” status for third-country goods.

Work with local, compliant partners

Choose importers and distributors with a track record of proper customs clearance, not those who promise “any product, no paperwork”.
Ask local partners how they handle potential inspections and what internal compliance procedures they follow.
Consider localising packaging and labelling to Vietnamese language and regulatory requirements, rather than relying on generic global packaging.

Prepare for inspections and post-clearance audits

Train your team to respond quickly if customs or market-surveillance officials request documents or samples.
Keep an archive of contracts, IP licences and technical sheets that can be shared with Vietnamese authorities to prove legitimacy.
Budget for possible delays due to inspection; rushing importers to cut corners can push them toward risky shortcuts.

Strategic opportunities: compliance as a competitive edge

While the crackdown may feel like a headache, it also opens space for reputable exporters:

Fake products are being removed from the market, especially in high-risk segments like luxury goods, cosmetics and health supplements, which revives hopes for honest businesses who follow the rules.
Platforms and retailers are actively seeking reliable brands that can provide documentation and traceability.
Vietnam’s own brands are trying to reposition from a “counterfeit hub” to a “Made in Vietnam quality” image, and foreign partners who take IP and safety seriously will be more welcome.

If you can demonstrate robust compliance, you are more likely to secure stable partnerships and premium positioning as the market cleans up.

Checklist before you ship to Vietnam

Before your next shipment leaves for Vietnam, run through this quick checklist:

Product legality
- Are any items direct copies or trademark infringements?
- Are any items restricted or banned under Vietnamese law (e.g., certain medicines, devices)?
IP and brand authorisation
- Do you have written permission to use every brand and logo on your products or packaging?
Customs documentation
- Do HS codes, descriptions and declared values accurately reflect the goods?
- Do you have valid Certificates of Origin and other supporting documents?
Regulatory compliance
- For food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, supplements, electronics: do you or your importer hold the required registrations and test reports?
Partner due diligence
- Is your Vietnamese importer known for compliant operations?
- Do they have a plan for inspections and audits?
Online presence
- If you sell via Shopee, Lazada, TikTok, Facebook or other platforms, are your listings fully compliant with IP and labelling rules?

Final takeaway

The message behind Vietnam’s renewed crackdown is not subtle: smuggled and counterfeit goods are no longer “low-risk, high-margin side business” – they are enforcement priorities.

For exporters, this is the time to:

Exit any grey or black-area business models;
Invest in documentation, traceability and relationships with reputable partners;
Treat Vietnam as a long-term, rules-based market, not just a cheap gateway.

If you adjust now, you can avoid painful seizures and instead position your brand as part of Vietnam’s move towards cleaner, higher-quality trade.