Vietnam seizes fake Rolex, Prada items in counterfeit crackdown, state media reports

HANOI: Vietnamese authorities have seized thousands of fake products, including imitation Rolex watches and Prada handbags, during a raid at a shopping mall in business hub Ho Chi Minh City, state media reported on Friday.

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Vietnam raided Saigon Square mall for selling counterfeit luxury brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
The raid follows US accusations of Vietnam being a piracy hub, with threats of heavy tariffs.
Authorities say fake goods hurt consumers and brand reputations; mall denies knowing product origins.

The raid at Saigon Square Shopping Mall comes as Vietnam steps up its fight against counterfeits and digital piracy, after the United States accused the country of being a major hub for these illegal activities and threatened crippling tariffs.

Earlier in May Reuters reported fake luxury goods were on display in the mall, which is on the list of "notorious markets for counterfeiting" published in January by the U.S. Trade Representative.

The items seized also included alleged fake products of other brands, including Longines, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Hermes, state radio broadcaster VOV reported.

"All of these products show signs of counterfeiting genuine goods, seriously affecting the interests of consumers as well as the reputation of protected brands in Vietnam," the report cited the trade ministry's market surveillance department as saying.

An employee of the mall on Friday confirmed the raid.

"We lease the space to the sellers and are not aware of the origins and authenticity of the products they sell," the employee, who declined to be named, said by phone.