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The C03 and Market Surveillance Department check infringing goods in April 2020.

Ha Noi – area for transshipment and consumption of smuggled goods

According to the Hanoi Steering Committee 389, banned goods are transported from the northern border provinces and Noi Bai International Airport into inner Ha Noi for consumption.

To avoid inspection and supervision, perpetrators often change routes and means of transport. Goods mainly are essential goods with high demand such likealcohol, beer, clothes, footwear, cosmetics, supplemental food, health food, electronics, refrigeration, mobile phones, foods andpetroleum products. The production and trafficking of banned goods, goods infringing intellectual property rights, goods with forged origin and trademarks also take place.

The representative of the Investigation Police Department on corruption-related crimes, economy and Smuggling (C03- the Ministry of Public Security) said fake goods are not only produced domestically but also in foreign countries, especially in China. The C03 department has coordinated with Ha Noi Police, surveillance market forces to tackle groups of transporting, trafficking of fake drugs and supplemental foods made in China and transported to Ha Noi and then transshipped into southern provinces for consumption.

According to statistics of Ha Noi Steering Committee 389, the Ha Noi Market Surveillance Department has workedwith C03 department to inspect a warehouse of Vo Minh Thien Company (Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi). Through inspection, forces seized 5,000 blisters of Viagra Pfier 100mg (4tablets/blister); 2,966 boxes of Japan Tengsu 0.5 g without invoice and documents.

In April, Ha Noi Police and Market Surveillance forces inspected a car license plate No. 29H-267.52 transporting 835 kg of dry provisions and cakes; 480 boxes of cereals and 6,860 packages of chestnuts from Lao Cai to Hanoi. All of these goods are food products made by foreign countries with original labels in foreign languages and without additional labels in Vietnamese and without invoices and documents.

Need coordination

A representative of C03 Department forecast that when the pandemic is controlled, increased demand for production and consumption will help smuggling, trade fraud and fake goods production to increase. Goods are smuggled from abroad to Vietnam and then transported to a third country. Fake goods and smuggled goods are transported into Ha Noivia land routes, especially from northern provinces. Viathe air route, smuggled goods are transshipped from Noi Bai International Airport to the southern area for ​​consumption, especially high-value items. Abusing the openness in business establishment registration, many smugglers have used fake information and documents to establish bogus enterprises to buy and sell invoices, evade taxes and smuggle. Therefore, competent agencies such as the Department of Planning and Investment, Customs, Police, Market Surveillance need to share information to provide warnings and prevent in advance.

According to Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Dang Hoang An, Hanoi is a major economic centre of the country, with a large population and great purchasing power; Favourable transport infrastructure is also a condition for smugglers to operate, causing difficulties for competent forces. On the other hand, the northern border region is the place for gathering goods, if it is not well controlled, goods smuggling and transportation into Ha Noi will increase.

“It only takes about 2.5 hours to move from Lao Cai to Hanoi; 1.5 hours from Quang Ninh and 40 minutes from Hai Phong to Hanoi,” Deputy Minister An said.

Deputy Minister Dang Hoang An also forecast that in the near future, smuggling, trade fraud and fake goods will continue to be complex. Therefore, it is necessary to coordinate among competent forces in Hanoi, as well as coordination with neighbouring provinces and border provinces.