Prime Minister orders stronger crackdown on counterfeit goods, industrial property rights infringements

Authorities ordered to decisively eliminate major copyright-infringing websites

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung has signed Official Dispatch No. 38/CĐ-TTg dated May 5, 2026 on intensifying and decisively implementing measures to combat, prevent and handle intellectual property rights infringements.

The dispatch stated that in recent years, efforts to combat, prevent and handle intellectual property rights violations have recorded positive progress, with competent authorities deploying comprehensive and effective measures, detecting and handling numerous infringement cases, thereby helping curb violations of intellectual property rights.

The Prime Minister has ordered stronger inspections and strict handling of counterfeit goods and trademark counterfeiting, aiming to increase the number of cases handled by at least 20% compared to May 2025.

However, intellectual property rights infringements remain complicated in several sectors and localities, significantly affecting the investment and business environment as well as the legitimate rights and interests of people, enterprises and relevant organizations.

The Prime Minister has ordered stronger inspections and strict handling of counterfeit goods and trademark counterfeiting, aiming to increase the number of cases handled by at least 20% compared to May 2025.

In order to create a strong breakthrough and improve the substantive effectiveness of efforts to combat intellectual property rights infringements, thereby contributing to building a transparent and healthy business environment and enhancing national credibility in international integration, the Prime Minister requested relevant agencies to strengthen intellectual property rights enforcement, focusing on several key tasks.

Authorities were instructed to decisively direct functional forces to launch nationwide campaigns, mobilize resources and immediately implement necessary measures to combat, prevent and handle intellectual property rights infringements from May 7 to May 30, 2026, strictly complying with legal regulations and seriously handling violations under the principle of no prohibited zones and no exceptions.

The Ministry of Public Security was assigned to take the lead, in coordination with ministries and relevant agencies, in verifying, investigating and prosecuting several serious cases involving infringements of copyright, related rights, trademarks and geographical indications in accordance with the law, while dismantling websites and organizations operating large-scale online copyright-infringing websites.

The Supreme People's Procuracy and the Supreme People's Court were requested to step up prosecution and adjudication activities related to intellectual property cases, ensuring strict and deterrent enforcement in accordance with the law, while focusing on investigating, prosecuting and trying several typical cases.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was tasked with immediately organizing inspections of compliance with regulations on software copyright at enterprises as well as copyright protection for films, music, television programs and video games in the online environment. The ministry was also instructed to promptly handle or transfer serious violation cases to competent authorities for handling in accordance with regulations, ensuring that the number of processed cases increases by at least 20% compared to May 2025.

The Prime Minister also directed media and press agencies to strengthen communication and public awareness campaigns to help people, businesses, communities and society identify, combat, prevent and stop intellectual property rights infringements, thereby contributing to stricter law enforcement and improving the effectiveness of intellectual property rights protection.

Strict handling of industrial property rights infringements and counterfeit trademark goods

The Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, within their assigned functions, tasks and authority, to direct market surveillance forces to closely coordinate with competent agencies in strengthening inspection, supervision and strict handling of intellectual property rights infringement cases, particularly industrial property rights violations and counterfeit trademark goods, ensuring that the number of handled cases rises by at least 20% compared to May 2025.

The Ministry of Finance was instructed to direct customs forces to coordinate closely with relevant agencies to strengthen inspections of import-export goods at border gates, proactively suspend customs clearance procedures for goods when there are clear grounds indicating intellectual property counterfeiting, and ensure that the number of suspended customs clearance cases and handled cases increases by at least 20% compared to May 2025.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was assigned to coordinate closely with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevant ministries and agencies in promptly providing full information and concrete implementation results regarding Vietnam’s intellectual property rights enforcement efforts to international partners.

Relevant ministries, agencies and localities were requested to strictly implement the daily rapid reporting regime on the detection, seizure and handling of serious and complicated cases and violations, submitting reports to the Ministry of Science and Technology for consolidation and reporting to the Prime Minister on a weekly basis or upon request. A comprehensive report on implementation results up to May 30, 2026 must be submitted on May 31, 2026.

The Ministry of Science and Technology was assigned to take the lead, in coordination with relevant ministries and agencies, in urgently implementing tasks assigned by the Prime Minister and promptly providing professional opinions and assessment conclusions to support the handling of industrial property rights infringements.

Localities urged to mobilize the entire political system

After May 30, 2026, ministries, agencies and localities are required to review and assess implementation results and continue strengthening and improving the effectiveness of the assigned tasks and solutions in relevant sectors and nationwide, ensuring that efforts to combat, prevent and handle intellectual property rights infringements are conducted regularly, continuously, systematically and with clear focus in order to achieve the set objectives and requirements.

The National Steering Committee against Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeit Goods was requested to intensify direction and coordination of inter-sectoral cooperation while directing the strict handling of major and complicated intellectual property rights infringement cases under its authority.

Provincial and municipal Party Committees were requested to strengthen leadership and direction over Party committees and authorities at all levels and mobilize the participation of the entire political system in proactively engaging in efforts to combat, prevent and handle intellectual property rights infringements, ensuring visible changes and concrete results.

The Prime Minister also requested provinces and centrally-run cities to urgently establish interdisciplinary task forces led by chairpersons of provincial and municipal People's Committees in order to decisively direct competent forces in their localities to closely coordinate and effectively perform assigned tasks in accordance with the law and the provisions of the official dispatch, while promptly reporting issues beyond their authority to competent agencies.