A market inspection team check the goods at a shop in Danang City on May 20. Photo by NDO
On the morning of May 22, the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development under the Ministry of Industry and Trade released details of an inspection conducted on fashion stores across several main streets in Danang City.
According to the department's report, on May 20, inspection teams visited several shops, including Black Label (156 Tran Phu), CoCo Accessory & Bag (144 Tran Phu), Gu (27 Hung Vuong), and Mirror Shop (15 Nguyen Thai Hoc), all located in Hai Chau District, a central area with high tourist traffic, particularly international visitors.
Photo by NDO
Despite the surprise inspections, several stores were found to have shut down unexpectedly. One notable case involved Black Label, a store known for selling handbags and wallets. Staff there refused to serve Vietnamese customers, claiming the shop was temporarily closed for relocation. However, they continued to welcome foreign visitors and locked the doors once they entered.
Market surveillance officers managed to enter the premises and discovered numerous Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, Celine, and YSL-branded items sold at suspiciously low prices.
For example, a Chanel 22 calfskin handbag with a gold-tone metal clasp was priced at VND 8.6 million (approximately USD 337), whereas a similar model listed on Chanel's official website costs nearly VND 162 million (approximately USD 6,360), a 95 percent price difference.
At CoCo Accessory & Bag, inspectors found a variety of bags, wallets, and footwear labelled with brands such as LV, Chanel, Hermès, and YSL, priced from just a few hundred thousand dongs to under VND 2 million (approximately USD 78) per item.
Similar counterfeit goods were found at shops on Nguyen Thai Hoc and Hung Vuong streets, including clothing, shoes, and belts falsely labelled as Burberry, Chanel, LV, Celine, and YSL.
By the end of May 20, nearly 2,000 fashion items, including handbags, wallets, clothes, accessories, and footwear, labelled with brands such as Hermès, Chanel, Gucci, Christian Dior, Celine, Prada, and Louis Vuitton were temporarily seized, alongside many untraceable goods lacking invoices or origin documentation.
Thousands of fashion items, including handbags, wallets, clothes, accessories, and footwear, labelled with brands such as Hermès, Chanel, Gucci, Christian Dior, Celine, Prada, and Louis Vuitton are temporarily seized. Photo by NDO
According to Tran Viet Hung, Head of the Market Surveillance Division, the inspections aim to penalise violations, protect consumer rights, particularly those of international tourists, and enhance the reputation of Vietnamese goods.
Hung stated that inspections would be expanded nationwide, especially in major urban centres and key market areas. Authorities will intensify spot checks, strictly handle deliberate violations, and increase awareness campaigns to educate business owners on legal compliance, especially those operating in tourist-heavy areas."
