Fake products continue to flood Vietnamese markets and most of them are made in China and illicitly brought to Vietnam.

All attendees shared the same concern as they gathered at a conference to discuss ways to curb the smuggled and fake products held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Da Nang on Friday.

The copycat products are made more sophisticatedly than in the past, making it harder for authorities and consumers to tell them from the authentic ones, remarked Le The Bao, chairman of the association that fights against fake products and protects local brands.

It only takes foreign manufacturing facilities 15 to 30 days to make a near identical product from the sample provided by the Vietnamese traders, Bao said.

Despite the poor quality, the copycat products still sell like hot cake as they bear cheap prices and attractive designs and packaging, he added.

Fake and copycat products smuggled from China and other countries are accounting for up to 70 percent of the goods being circulated on the market.

“What poses a tough challenge for authorities that it is very easy for the goods to enter Vietnam,” he said.

Smugglers only have to bring the fake products past the borderlines. There, the goods will be transported and distributed into further areas.

Phan Hoan Kiem, head of the Ho Chi Minh City’s Market Management Agency, also said most of the fake products on the market are made in China.

Fake clothing, leather and footwear, cosmetic products and accessories like glasses and watches account for a huge proportion of the products seized by the agency, he said.

However, few of the violators are indicted or fined, thus smugglers and sellers of fake products remain unfazed.