"Sister, We Have Everything Here"?Vendors Grab Arms in a Rush... The 'Vietnam Package Tour' Must-Visit Spot [Attack of the Counterfeits] ⑪

Ben Thanh Market Freezes Amid Trump Tariff Crackdown
Vietnam Shifts from Sales Hub to Emerging Manufacturing Base

"Sister, sister, do you want Dior? Do you want Gucci? We have all the bags."

Last month at Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. As soon as I passed through the entrance, I heard Vietnamese locals speaking Korean. The market is a labyrinth of dozens of narrow alleys, with shops barely larger than one pyeong packed tightly on both sides. On small stalls, hundreds of counterfeit luxury bags and wallets were hung in layers. In front of the stores, vendors wearing T-shirts and belts emblazoned with luxury logos aggressively pushed their products at passing tourists, competing for attention. The alleys were so crowded with foreign tourists, including many Koreans, that there was barely room to walk. Ho Chi Minh City's largest "counterfeit market" was bustling with energy once again.

Inside Ben Thanh Market, shops barely larger than one pyeong are densely packed, separated by alleys just wide enough for one person to pass through. Photo by Minji Lee.

US Slaps 46% Tariff on Intellectual Property Infringement... Crackdown Intensifies in Tourist Cities

Ben Thanh Market, a shopping hotspot in Vietnam's largest economic city, Ho Chi Minh, has been a core hub of the country's counterfeit goods industry, along with Saigon Square. However, earlier this year, the Donald Trump administration in the United States designated Vietnam as a "center of intellectual property (IP) infringement" and announced a 46% reciprocal tariff on imports from Vietnam, effectively bringing the market to a standstill.

As the Vietnamese government launched a large-scale crackdown on counterfeit goods, most shops closed down, and the market, once filled with touts, fell silent. Major tourist cities such as Hanoi, Danang, and Nha Trang also saw intensive crackdowns on counterfeit products. According to the Vietnamese government, a nationwide crackdown over the course of a month led to inspections of 3,891 locations, with violations found at 3,114 sites. The total value of goods seized amounted to 630 billion dong (approximately 34.6 billion won), and 360 billion dong (about 19.8 billion won) was recovered for the national treasury.

However, as the government's crackdown has eased, major counterfeit markets are once again thriving. A Korean resident living in Vietnam said, "Just a few months ago, because of Trump, this place was dead and there was nothing to buy. But now, although it's not fully recovered, there are a lot more sellers and tourists than back then."

Vietnam's Counterfeit Markets Revived as a Must-Visit for Package Tours

Hundreds of luxury logo bags were hung layer upon layer along the narrow shop wall, making the wall itself appear to be covered with bags.

In fact, on the day of the visit, Ben Thanh Market was a must-stop for foreign package tours. Everything from luxury brands like Christian Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Rolex to outdoor brands such as Nike, Adidas, Polo, New Balance, and The North Face were openly sold. Market vendors targeted Korean tour groups, fluently speaking Korean and saying, "Sister, it's really identical," as they recommended counterfeit bags of famous luxury brands. At first glance, the bags looked quite convincing,but upon closer inspection, loose threads and rough seams were clearly visible.

When I asked, "Don't you have anything better?" the vendor pulled out a new bag from deep within the display. Carefully showing the inside, she repeatedly emphasized, "It's exactly the same as the real one." The price was 600,000 dong (about 30,000 won). When I exclaimed, "Dat qua! (It's expensive!)" and put the bag down, the vendor quickly pulled out a calculator. When I typed in 500,000 dong, she shook her head and said, "No, no!" and countered with 550,000 dong.

When one of my companions said, "It's cheaper over there. Let's go," the vendor, noticing this, quickly grabbed my arm and said, "I'll give you a better deal." The price dropped rapidly to 400,000 dong, and the vendor explained that payment could be made by cash, card, or QR code.

Luxury T-shirts from Stussy, Celine, and Gucci are displayed on the racks.

Ben Thanh Market, in particular, was overflowing with apparel from global brands such as Nike and Adidas, as well as other outdoor wear. The vendors, eager to attract buyers, insisted that their goods were "not fake." They claimed the products were "lost items" from the brands' manufacturing process-excess, defective, or leftover goods unintentionally produced in the factories. Given that Vietnam is home to many original equipment manufacturing (OEM) factories for global apparel brands, the fact that employees are frequently caught smuggling out genuine products is used as a selling point for counterfeit goods.

However, unlike in the past when Chinese-made counterfeits were brought in and sold at tourist spots, Vietnam is now emerging as a production base for counterfeit goods. According to Vietnamese online media outlet Vietnam Net, there have been repeated cases of large-scale factory production of cosmetics, health supplements, cooking oil, pharmaceuticals, and other daily and medical products in areas such as Hanoi, Bac Giang, and Phu Tho. During the crackdowns, authorities seized dozens of tons of counterfeit food and supplements, records of more than 100,000 online orders, and infant formula and medicines imitating hundreds of brands.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.