Residents of the southern province of Ben Tre can buy a Sony, Samsung or Panasonic TV at prices far lower than those of the originals, as they are in fact cheapies sold under the fake labels of the famous electronics brands.

Local electronics sellers reveal that supplies for such bogus TVs, loudspeakers and amplifiers are abundant and always ready for shipment to the Mekong Delta province from traders in Ho Chi Minh City.

Brands such as Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, Arirang and California are popular in Ben Tre, and most consumers are willing to pay for any product sold under the labels of such names, without much attention paid to their origin and authenticity.

At the Hoang Kim electronics store in Ba Tri Town, a 17-inch Sony TV is on sale for only VND650,000 (roughly US$30), which store owner Nguyen said is only “50 percent of the official price.”

The cheap device comes with a cardboard box with several tech specifications, but there is no information on the manufacturer and product origin.

When asked about such dubiety, Nguyen admitted that the “Sony TV” is in fact branded as “Panasany,” an obvious Panasonic imitation.

“I ordered it from Ho Chi Minh City and placed the Sony logo there to find customers more easily,” he said.

Nguyen said the Panasany TVs are transported to his store by truck from a man named Tam in the city’s Binh Tan District.

The store will place fake Sony, Panasonic or Samsung logos on these devices, depending on what brand customers want to buy.

The bogus logos are bought from different sources for only VND30,000 ($1.4) each, he added.

At the Hoang Kim electronics store, fake California speakers are also available at VND650,000 a pair, which are also counterfeit products.

“The authentic ones must cost up to VND1.2 million [$55] a pair,” Nguyen said.

“I also sourced these speakers from Ho Chi Minh City, and the California logos are placed in advance, my job is only selling them.”

The store sells copycat Sony microphones, branded Sonys, as well.

The same forgeries of Sony and Panasonic TVs and Arirang speakers are available at the Tien Loi electronics store, located in Ba Tri Market.

Shop owner Le Thanh Thuy said she began sourcing the devices from a woman named Duyen in Ho Chi Minh City three to four years ago, and did not know these are bogus products.

Both of the above stores have been fined by the Ben Tre market watchdog for selling fake products.

Market surveillance team No.5 has found 15 fake Sony, Samsung and Toshiba TVs, and 20 bogus Arirang speakers at Hoang Kim, according to Ho Thanh Long, deputy leader of the team.

 “A store representative said they bought the TVs from Nhat Tao Market in Ho Chi Minh City, and the fake logos from different sources,” Long said.

“Locals here are not so knowledgeable about electronics so they are duped.”

Officers also found 14 fake Arirang speakers at Thuy’s store at Ba Tri Market.

The market watchdog in Giong Trom District has also detected dozens of fake Samsung and Sony TVs in the locale, which were on sale for only VND550,000 to VND1.1 million ($25.5-51) each, far lower than the prices of authentic products.

The owner of one of the detected stores said placing fake logos of famous brands on the cheapies would enable them to sell the products easier because “local people are familiar with them and have trust in suchbrands.”

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