Ho Chi Minh City couple prosecuted over $280,000 fake Havaianas flip-flop bust

The municipal investigation police unit said on Thursday that it has prosecuted Le Ngoc Hien, 28, owner of the Tieu Vi House, and his 26-year-old wife, Phan Thi Thanh Vy, for allegedly trading in counterfeit goods.

Hien has been detained pending investigation, while Vy has been prohibited from leaving her place of residence as a preventive measure after they were caught trading in flip-flops bearing the Havaianas trademark, which is owned by Alpargatas S.A., a Brazilian footwear company.

The case was uncovered after city police detected signs that Hien and Vy were trading in counterfeit flip-flops through their business household, primarily via online sales.

Police then inspected the Tieu Vi House warehouse in Hoc Mon Commune.

At the time of the inspection, police caught Hien, Vy and several employees organizing the online sale of fake Havaianas flip-flops.

Authorities seized more than 11,000 pairs of such counterfeit flip-flops, along with other relevant exhibits and documents.

Investigators initially determined that the seized goods would have been worth more than VND7.3 billion (nearly $280,000) had they been genuine.

The investigation police agency is continuing to investigate the origin of the goods, the methods used to organize their purchase and sale, the process of distributing the products, and the roles of other people involved in the case.

The city's police said the detection and handling of the case demonstrated their proactive and determined efforts to combat the production and trading of counterfeit goods and violations of intellectual property rights.

The effort also helps protect the legitimate rights and interests of businesses, both domestic and foreign, that manufacture and trade genuine products, as well as those of consumers, the city's police said.

The municipal police advised consumers to buy products from reputable establishments, authorized dealers and distribution channels, and to carefully check their origins, invoices, documents and signs of authenticity.

They also urged people who detect organizations or individuals suspected of producing, storing or trading counterfeit goods or products that infringe intellectual property rights to promptly provide information to the nearest police agency for verification and handling in accordance with the law.

The city's police further called on legitimate manufacturers and businesses to proactively register their intellectual property rights to help authorities combat counterfeit and substandard products.