On May 27, Lao Cai Provincial Police said authorities had prosecuted Vu Minh Hoang, born in 1993, and Vu Thi Man, born in 1984, on charges of infringing industrial property rights.
Hoang and Man at the police station (Photo: Lao Cai Police).
Earlier, on May 14, authorities inspected a business in Yen Bai Ward operated by Hoang and seized nearly 5,900 counterfeit footwear products carrying famous brand names including Adidas, Nike and Crocs.
The estimated retail value of the counterfeit goods exceeded VND 1.5 billion (approximately USD 57,700).
On the same day, officials inspected a business in Sapa Ward owned by Man and confiscated more than 2,000 counterfeit backpacks, shoes and clothing items branded as The North Face, Nike and Adidas.
The estimated retail value of those goods was more than VND 300 million (approximately USD 11,500).
Police inspect goods displayed at Vu Thi Man's shop on May 14 (Photo: Lao Cai Police).
During questioning, both suspects admitted purchasing the products through social media platforms and wholesale markets in Hanoi before reselling them for profit.
Police said the goods lacked invoices and documents proving legal origin. Representatives responsible for protecting the brands’ intellectual property rights in Vietnam also confirmed the seized products were counterfeit.
The investigation remains ongoing.
