Although forces of market control coordinated closely with related authorities to implement sanctions against counterfeit goods, smuggling, fraudulent trade, market control is facing many difficulties!  Provincial market control strengthens inspecting, controlling local businesses. Image: Inspecting at Thu Dau Mot market.That was the evaluation of Head of provincial Market Control Branch Truong Nhat Nam at the meeting held by Binh Duong Industry and Trade Department to report the market control condition of the first 9 months to provincial People’s Committee. Forging customs documents to import goods for fraud or tax evasion; abusing preferential tax policies to import excessively allowed quantity of materials, then sell in domestic market; counterfeiting fertilizers, liquefied gases; storing, extracting gas illegally; disguising foreign goods as Vietnamese goods; measurement fraud etc. are violations of Vietnamese laws. During the first 9 months, the number of violation is growing. According to Mr. Nam, counterfeiting, infringement of intellectual properties are happening complicatedly. Everything is counterfeited, even small, less-valuable things like: clothes, monosodium glutamate, cooking oils, light bulbs, mobile phones etc. Offenders use all tactics to deceive authorities, like: transporting fake goods at night to avoid attention of authorities. Recently, market control force seized a case of storing 5,490 contraband cigarette packages at Thuan An town. Authorities also detected production of fake fertilizers at Di An town through purchasing material of unknown origins, unregistered business, manual production labeled foreign producers etc.Food safety and hygiene is also now a “hot” issue. Namely, authorities detected poor- quality monosodium glutamate labeled as popular brand names. Agency seized 1,750 cooking oil bottles labeled as Dai Nam and Cai Lan, in which fake oil were packed into authentic bottles to distribute. Gas is the fuel of many businesses, and used popularly by households, restaurants. Because of great demand, some businesses and companies still extract, store illegally fake gas to make profits. According to Mr. Nam, a new type of violation is abusing the campaign “Vietnamese people using Vietnamese goods” to counterfeit Vietnamese brand names for easy distribution. This violation is growing in many fields. Offenders even manufacture fake Vietnamese goods in foreign countries and then bring into domestic market. In October 2013, provincial market control seized hundreds of fake light bulbs labeled as Rang Dong, 800 Chinese bras labeled as Vietnamese brands. These fake goods were displayed and sold at a big supermarket in Thu Dau Mot City. Obviously, trickeries are increasingly complicated. According to explain of market control leaders, despite strengthening of inspecting, handling, propagating, law educating, as well as detection of many big violations, fake good trading, smuggling are not completely handled.Vice Chairman of provincial People’s Committee Tran Thanh Liem assessed, Binh Duong province is not a “hot” frontier of smuggling, but is a center spot as transporting counterfeit goods from northern to southern areas of Vietnam. Therefore, provincial market control force continues to cooperate with related authorities to intensify inspecting, controlling market, especially goods consumed exceedingly on Tet holidays, like: alcohol, beer, cigarettes, clothing, kid’s toys etc. as well as have severe sanctions against goods of unknown origins or not ensuring standards of food safety.During the first 9 months, provincial authorities inspected 2,823 cases, detected 633 violations, making up 22.4% of total inspected cases. Most violations were trading banned goods, smuggled goods, violations of pricing, business registering, fake labeling and other violations. 647 cases were penalized with a total fine of VND3.8bln. Additionally, provincial market control suggested penal prosecution against 4 cases of manufacturing fake, banned goods.Reported by T. Huynh – Translated by Ngoc Huynh