According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, in the first nine months of this year, Vietnam imported more than 4,400 silk scarves from China worth USD6,100, which means roughly USD1.50 a scarf.
The Khaisilk scarves with signs that Made in China labels had been removed
The figure raised the total number of silk scarves imported from China to Vietnam between 2015 and by the end of September 2017 to 8,800.
The company’s fraud was brought to light after a buyer found that one of 60 scarves he bought in the Hang Gai shop in Hanoi retailing for VND644,000 (USD28) had two labels reading Khaisilk Made in Vietnam and Made in China.
The buyer said he had checked the rest of the 59 scarves and found signs that Made in China labels had been removed.
The brand’s owner, Hoang Khai, later admitted that half of the silk used by Khaisilk came from China, while the remainder came from Vietnamese craft villages. But he was adamant that his company always used high-quality materials.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade said on October 30 it had passed on all relevant documents to the police, who are set to investigate Khaisilk.
The General Department of Vietnam Customs reported that Vietnam imported 753,000 metres of silk cloth from 2015 to the end of September this year.
