On June 2, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung chaired a national conference reviewing the implementation of Official Dispatch No. 38/CD-TTg, issued by the Prime Minister on May 5, 2026, which calls for the decisive and concerted implementation of measures to combat, prevent, and handle infringements of intellectual property rights (IPR).
The conference was held virtually, connecting ministries and central agencies with authorities in all 34 provinces and cities nationwide.
Attending the conference at the Ho Chi Minh City venue were Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong; Director of the city's Department of Science and Technology Lam Dinh Thang; and representatives from relevant departments and agencies.
As one of the four localities nationwide achieving outstanding results in handling intellectual property rights (IPR) infringements, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Nguyen Manh Cuong, reported to the Deputy Prime Minister on behalf of the city leadership that, in implementing Official Dispatch No. 38/CD-TTg dated May 5, 2026, issued by the Prime Minister on strengthening efforts to combat smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and infringements of intellectual property rights, Ho Chi Minh City detected and handled 293 violations related to counterfeit goods, goods infringing intellectual property rights, and other IPR-related legal violations in May alone, representing an increase of 1,465 percent compared with the same period in 2025.
Of these cases, 231 were subject to administrative sanctions, with total fines amounting to nearly VND3 billion (US$114,000). In addition, three cases showing signs of criminal offenses were referred to investigative authorities for further examination and handling in accordance with the law.
In addition, the protection of copyright and related rights has seen significant progress, with 20 copyright infringement cases detected and handled, marking a 2,000 percent increase compared with the same period in 2025. This demonstrates that intellectual property rights enforcement has expanded beyond traditional industrial property infringements to encompass areas where violations are increasingly prevalent in the digital environment and the creative economy.
According to Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong, despite the initial achievements, the city acknowledges that efforts to combat counterfeit goods and intellectual property rights infringements continue to face numerous emerging challenges. Among them is the growing sophistication of violations conducted in the digital space. Offenders are increasingly shifting their operations to e-commerce platforms, social media networks, and cross-border digital platforms.
To further implement Official Dispatch No. 38, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Nguyen Manh Cuong, proposed several recommendations to the Government and ministries and central agencies.
He called on the central authorities to expedite the development and operation of a shared national database system to support law enforcement activities nationwide. He also urged the Government to improve policies and strengthen sanctions against the trading of counterfeit goods and intellectual property rights (IPR)-infringing products in the digital environment, which is expanding rapidly, while certain existing regulations have yet to keep pace with evolving methods and forms of violations.
In addition, he recommended the early establishment of a clearer accountability framework for e-commerce platforms in preventing and combating counterfeit goods and intellectual property rights infringements.
After listening to reports from ministries, agencies, and localities on the progress made and challenges encountered, as well as recommendations and proposed solutions for the period ahead, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung highly commended the efforts of ministries, sectors, and local authorities in implementing Official Dispatch No. 38/CD-TTg issued by the Prime Minister.
He noted that in just over three weeks since the launch of the nationwide campaign, competent authorities across the country had detected more than 2,000 cases showing signs of violations, imposed administrative sanctions in 1,616 cases, and stepped up the application of criminal proceedings in a number of serious cases involving intellectual property rights (IPR) infringements.
These are highly encouraging initial results, reflecting strong political determination, the coordinated engagement of authorities at all levels and across sectors, as well as close cooperation among law enforcement agencies in combating counterfeit goods and intellectual property rights violations.
In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister candidly pointed out that the achievements recorded so far are only initial results. Compared with the requirements and objectives set out, the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) still face a number of shortcomings and challenges that require continued attention and corrective measures.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the recent peak enforcement campaign served as an important exercise for ministries, sectors, and localities to gain a clearer understanding of the difficulties and obstacles involved, thereby providing a basis for further improving the legal framework, strengthening enforcement capacity, and developing more effective coordination mechanisms in the coming period.
He requested ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and chairpersons of provincial and municipal People's Committees to continue thoroughly implementing and strictly enforcing Directive No. 02/CT-TTg dated January 30, 2026, on strengthening intellectual property rights enforcement, as well as Official Dispatch No. 38/CD-TTg issued by the Prime Minister.
From now until the end of the year, the Deputy Prime Minister urged ministries, sectors, and localities to launch a new peak enforcement campaign, conduct a comprehensive review of the situation, and intensify efforts to combat intellectual property rights (IPR) infringements more decisively.
He called on all agencies to formulate, review, and update detailed action plans, with clear assignments of responsibilities, specific tasks, implementation timelines, and measurable outcomes. The entire enforcement system should strive to increase the number of detected and handled IPR violations by at least 20 percent compared with 2025, across all stages of enforcement, including inspection, examination, administrative sanctions, criminal investigation, prosecution, and adjudication.
This is not only a domestic requirement but also an important basis for Vietnam to demonstrate to its international partners its strong commitment and tangible effectiveness in protecting intellectual property rights, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung stressed.
)
)
