Ho Chi Minh City Police said on May 20 that authorities had launched criminal proceedings against Nguyen Tran Viet Hoang, born in 1993 and residing in Nhieu Loc Ward, on charges of infringing industrial property rights.
Defendant Nguyen Tran Viet Hoang (Photo: Nguyen Trang).
Earlier, police inspected three retail outlets operated by K.W. Sneaker in An Hoi Tay Ward and Tan Binh Ward, represented by Hoang.
During the inspections, authorities seized more than 1,400 counterfeit pairs of shoes and sandals bearing the Nike, Adidas, New Balance and Onitsuka Tiger brands.
Investigators estimated the value of the counterfeit goods at more than VND 3.30 billion (approximately USD 127,000).
Counterfeit products bearing well-known brands (Photo: Nguyen Trang).
At the investigation agency, Hoang admitted trading in counterfeit branded footwear since February 2023.
He told investigators the products had been purchased through online groups and came without invoices or documents proving their origin.
Although aware the products were counterfeit, Hoang admitted continuing to sell thousands of pairs because the goods were cheaper than authentic products, easy to sell and generated high profits.
Police alleged he earned more than VND 1 billion (approximately USD 38,500) from the operation.
Ho Chi Minh City Police said trading counterfeit branded products infringes intellectual property rights, damages the reputation of legitimate companies and may result in criminal prosecution and severe penalties.
Authorities also urged consumers not to purchase suspiciously cheap products and to report potential intellectual property violations to police.