Many young people in Vietnam are racing to show their status and stylishness through different ways.
 |
| Many young people don’t understand the real value of authentic brands |
Phuong Lan, 24 years old, works for a real estate company in Hanoi said, she’s a fake product fan, and she confirmed that fake products have become popular among urban young people. Her group of four friends who often search for fake products online and shop at Hang Ngang and Hang Dao streets in Hanoi.
“Famous brands are often imitated the most. Fake products also have their grades of quality, with some that are up to 99% like authentic products but are just 3-50% the cost of the originals,” Lan added.
She also said CK-branded authentic jeans are priced nearly USD300 each, but they can be bought for just VND300,000 (USD14.2). An authentic Louis Vuitton pair of jeans is some USD1,500 to 5,000 a pair, but a fake pair is just VND1-3 million (USD47.6-USD142.8).
Quoc Dung, an owner of a fashion shop, said most of fake products originate from China. Guangzhou hosts a major market where Vietnamese traders come to buy products.
Fake brands have never been so popular. Along fashion streets in Hanoi such as Chua Boc, Xuan Thuy, Cau Giay, Ton Duc Thang and Tay Son or Nga Tu So, Hom and Nha Xanh markets also sell fake products, Dung said.
Van Anh, a seller on Ton Duc Thang Street, said, “Teenagers often order fake products from the shop so as soon as the authentic product is launched we can release the fake.”
Hoang Hanh, Director of a property company in Hanoi, said the status of a person is not only revealed by their branded products but also their understanding of the products they use.
Mrs. Thanh Thuy, a lecturer from the Vietnam Trade Union University, said many young people misunderstand that only their clothes and shoes show their status; but forget real values such as knowledge, business capacity, communication skills or behaviour, or indeed that obviously wearing fake luxury brands indicates something about their character.
