Vietnam Steps Up Anti-Counterfeiting Efforts Amid US-Vietnam Trade Engagement

According to a report published by Vietnam’s Intellectual Property Office (VNIPO), authorities handled 8,200 IP infringement cases through administrative measures during the first nine months of 2026, approximately 81% more than the total for the whole of 2025. Criminal prosecutions also rose sharply, reaching 244 cases, an increase of approximately 467% over the 2025 full-year figure. During the same period, courts accepted 53 cases and tried 39, comprising three copyright cases and 36 industrial property cases.

In September alone, 634 cases were handled administratively and 33 were subject to criminal prosecution, representing year-on-year increases of 64.5% and 821%, respectively. Courts accepted 13 cases and tried 21, compared with eight cases accepted and four tried in August.

However, the momentum may be starting to weaken in some areas. Ten localities recorded fewer administrative enforcement cases than in the corresponding period of 2025, while two reported no such cases in September. Moreover, only the Ministry of Finance and Thanh Hoa Province had issued their own IP action plans at the time of reporting. The relatively low number of cases tried compared with criminal prosecutions initiated also highlights the need for stronger judicial follow-through.

The current enforcement campaign follows the issuance of Prime Ministerial Official Dispatch No. 38/CĐ-TTg on 5 May 2026, shortly after the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published its 2026 Special 301 Report on the protection and enforcement of IP rights in the trading partners of the United States. In that report, Vietnam was designated as a “Priority Foreign Country” (PFC), the highest warning category under the Special 301 mechanism.

The sharp increase in enforcement activity signals Vietnam’s intensified efforts to address concerns over IP protection in the context of its trade relationship with the United States. Nevertheless, sustaining this momentum will require more consistent action nationwide, particularly against major infringement networks and online and cross-border counterfeiting.