Hanoi (VNA) - The fraudulent practice of giving foreign goods a fake Vietnam origin in an illegal attempt to take advantage of the Govern๊ment’s export tax incentives is not only causing direct damage to the country’s economy but also ✱adversely affecting the products’ reputation and trademark, making it a subject of anti-dumping lawsuits.

Question: Fraudulent practices are getting trickier every day. Can you tell us some 🎐of the types of origin-related fraud?

Mr. Dam Thanh The: Goods with fake Vietnam origin can be easily made in a foreign country and then labelled “Made in Vietnam”. Products like this are often illegally traf𓃲ficked into Vietnam via border trails.

They could also be imports whose original labels are immediately replaced with those for domestically-made goods upon arrival. Another form is non-labelled products smuggled into Vietnam. There are also some people who establish several companies that appear to produce different types of components for making complete products, which are then labelled Made in Vietnam.

Question: Vietnam has joined many free trade agreements (FTAs), most 🌊recently the EU-Vietnam FTA (EVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Is this a cause of the increasing number of fraudulent origin goods?

Mr. Dam Thanh The: Vietnam’s participation in various FTAs has resulted in more incentives for Vietnamese goods than for those from the countries without such agreements. Some foreign producers🍃 have committed origin fraud to enjoy Vietnam’s tax incentives or distribute the products in Vietnam for illegal profits.

Question: What are the other reasons for this to remain a pressing issue in Vietnam despite the efforts of relevant agenc꧅ies?

Mr. Dam Thanh The: Under the orientations and policies of the Party and State, Vietnamese firms have invested heavily in creating valuable brands. The “Vietnamese pe♔ople prioritise Made-in-Vietnam goods” campaign, in particular, is credited for having been boosting the competitiveness of locally-made products by instilling a preference for high-quality domestic goods among locals.

Question: What damage does this fraud cause to Vietnam amid its💖 global economic integration process?

Mr. Dam Thanh The: These counterfeits cost Vietnam its reputation on the international st🦩age. Once uncovered, the crime is punished under international law b🀅ut has a direct impact on consumers and Vietnamese enterprises.

Question: What is the greatest obstacle facing authori𒉰ties in handlin⭕g the issue?

Mr. Dam Thanh The: Many use several tricks to sneak fake goods into the country and then distribute them, while relevant agencies, including the customs force, must take on various tasks apart from combating counterfeit goo🤡ds.

Question: ꦯWhat measures has National Steering Committee 389 taken ♍to deal with this fraud?

Mr. Dam Thanh The: It regularly advises the Government and the Prime Minister on developing strategies to combat smugglin🔯g, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods, particularly origin fraud.

The committee’s Plan No 19 was signed on July 23, 2019, directing ministries, sectors such as the customs force, and localities to focus on cracking down on the exploitation of Vietnam origin, particularly illegal trans-shipments. After more than a year implementing the plan, responsible forces, including the customs force, have pooled efforts in the fight and uncovered a large number of cases./.