Ho Chi Minh City police arrest Dwatch director over fake Hermès, Rolex and Cartier goods

On Friday, Ho Chi Minh City police said they had prosecuted Tran Trung Du, 29, director of Dwatch Trading and Services Co., and detained him pending investigation on charges of industrial property rights infringement.

Police had detected signs of counterfeit foreign-brand watches and jewelry being sold in the area. 

Economic police investigators tracked the operation using digital forensics, online data analysis and financial tracing, while also collecting product samples for examination and verifying delivery activities.

After gathering evidence, Economic Police Team 6 and Market Surveillance Team 3 inspected Dwatch at 200-200A Go Dau Street in Tan Son Nhi Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. Du is the company’s director and legal representative.

Officers found large quantities of unused watches, earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings bearing the names of luxury brands including Hermès, Richard Mille, Rolex, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Louis Vuitton, Omega and Hublot.

The goods lacked required labeling and invoices or supporting documents, and were suspected of infringing trademarks protected in Vietnam. Their total listed retail value exceeded VND2.5 billion (US$95,000).

During questioning, Tran Trung Du told investigators that he had established Dwatch and registered the business around January 2025.

Du admitted to the violations, acknowledging that he knew the Hermès, Richard Mille, Rolex, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Louis Vuitton, Omega and Hublot trademarks were protected in Vietnam but continued to openly advertise the products on websites, Facebook and Zalo to sell to customers for profit.