Vietnam IP Enforcement, September 2026: 638 Cases Detected as Criminal Prosecutions Surge 821%

Vietnamese authorities detected 638 suspected intellectual property (IP) infringement cases in September 2026, sanctioned 634 of them administratively and imposed fines of more than VND 8.4 billion (about USD 330,000). Criminal prosecutions rose to 33 cases, up roughly 821% year on year, according to a new government report.

The figures come from Report No. 289/BC-BKHCN, submitted to the Prime Minister by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), which oversees the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam (IP Vietnam). The report covers the September reporting period (30 August to 29 September 2026) and cumulative results to 29 September 2026.

During the month, 715 organizations and individuals were sanctioned, and the infringing goods involved were valued at about VND 148.6 billion (about USD 5.8 million). The number of administrative cases rose about 64.5% year on year.

The results reflect two government initiatives: Official Dispatch No. 38/CD-TTg of 5 May 2026, in which the Prime Minister called for a decisive crackdown on IP infringement, and Vietnam’s IP Action Plan. According to the report, the Action Plan is intended to demonstrate Vietnam’s IP enforcement commitments and efforts to the United States.

Trademarks account for nearly 83% of cases

Of the 634 cases handled with administrative sanctions in September, 526 (about 83%) involved infringement of trademarks and geographical indications. Copyright and related rights accounted for 100 cases, and other types of IP for 8.

Redrawn in English by WINTER IP from MOST Report No. 289/BC-BKHCN, Appendix I.4.

On the criminal side, 24 of the 33 prosecutions were brought under Article 226 of the Criminal Code, which covers infringement of industrial property rights such as trademarks. That is 269% higher than the 2025 monthly average. The other 9 were brought under Article 225, which covers copyright and related rights.

Redrawn in English by WINTER IP from MOST Report No. 289/BC-BKHCN, Appendix I.5.

The courts are picking up pace as well. They accepted 13 IP criminal cases in September, up from 8 in August, and tried 21 cases involving 24 defendants, up from 4 cases.

Nine months: more than VND 131 billion in fines

From January to September 2026, authorities detected 9,060 suspected infringement cases and imposed administrative sanctions in 8,477. Fines totalled more than VND 131 billion (about USD 5.1 million), infringing goods were valued at about VND 587.6 billion (about USD 22.9 million), and 8,228 organizations and individuals were sanctioned.

Trademarks and geographical indications accounted for 8,027 of those administrative cases. Between June and September 2026 alone, 3,867 trademark cases were handled administratively, meeting the target set in the IP Action Plan.

On the criminal side, 244 cases were prosecuted between 7 May and 29 September 2026: 205 under Article 226 and 39 under Article 225. Prosecutions under Article 226 were up 530.77% on the same period of 2025.

Cracking down online

In August and September 2026, authorities detected 31 cases of online copyright and related rights infringement. Of these, 3 were handled with administrative sanctions and 14 were prosecuted. By comparison, only 20 copyright and related rights violations were recorded in the whole of 2025.

Blocking and takedown actions have also stepped up:

• 769 websites infringing copyright or using trademarks without authorization were blocked;
• 25 websites offering pirated films were blocked;
• Google and Apple were asked to block 80 video games that violate Vietnamese law;
• TikTok was asked to remove 48 impersonating accounts (nearly 18,000 videos), while Threads removed 3 accounts and Facebook 11 impersonating accounts.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is finalizing a draft Prime Ministerial Decision on promoting copyright and related rights enforcement in cyberspace, due to be submitted in October 2026. It will include an anti-piracy campaign for 2026–2030.

Online trademark enforcement, however, remains modest. Only 6 cases of online trademark infringement were handled between May and September 2026.

Customs triples its target

Between June and September 2026, Vietnam Customs suspended customs clearance on its own initiative (ex officio) in 18 cases. That is three times the target of 6 cases set for the entire IP Action Plan period, from June 2026 to January 2027. Customs also suspended clearance in 3 cases at the request of right holders.

In September alone, Customs suspended clearance in 2 cases ex officio and in 2 cases at right holders’ request. It also detected and seized goods in 7 cases and sanctioned 5 IP infringement cases.

The Ministry of Finance, which oversees Vietnam Customs, has drawn up a list of high-risk goods that includes counterfeit and IP-infringing products. It is also working with VACIP, the anti-counterfeiting and IP protection association of foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam, on a lookup website to support customs inspections.

Key legislation nearing the finish line

According to the report, legislative work is broadly on track with Vietnam’s commitments. Two major laws relevant to IP enforcement are expected to be passed by the National Assembly in October 2026.

In addition, the Council of Judges of the Supreme People’s Court has adopted 3 case precedents on IP.

Bottlenecks: slow trials and stalling provinces

Despite the progress, MOST points to three main weaknesses.

• Trials are not keeping up with prosecutions. Between 7 May and 29 September 2026, the courts tried only 39 cases, while 244 had been prosecuted.
• Enforcement has stalled in 12 provinces. Ten provinces handled fewer administrative cases than in the same period of 2025: Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Lao Cai, Quang Tri, Thanh Hoa, Hue, Lang Son, Dak Lak, Son La and Tuyen Quang. Lai Chau and Dien Bien handled no cases at all in September.
• Implementation plans are slow to arrive. At the time of the report, only the Ministry of Finance and Thanh Hoa province had issued their own plans to implement the IP Action Plan.

Redrawn in English by WINTER IP from MOST Report No. 289/BC-BKHCN, Appendix I.3. Shaded rows mark provinces below their 2025 monthly average.

The report adds that inspections in many areas still focus on small retailers at the end of the supply chain, rather than tracing goods back to manufacturers and ringleaders. Online, infringers frequently switch servers and methods and even use AI, making it hard to identify them and gather evidence.

What MOST is proposing

MOST put forward four recommendations to the Prime Minister:

1. Require ministries, sectors and provinces to treat IP enforcement as a regular, ongoing task. Cases should be traced back to manufacturers, wholesale suppliers and ringleaders, not stop at small-scale distribution.
2. Require provinces whose September 2026 results fell below the same period of 2025 to identify the causes, adopt specific solutions and report back in the October 2026 reporting cycle.
3. Require ministries, sectors and provinces that have not yet issued plans to implement the IP Action Plan to do so promptly, as directed by Government Office Document No. 9370/VPCP-KGVX of 14 September 2026.

Ask the people’s procuracies and people’s courts at all levels to speed up the prosecution and trial of IP cases already initiated by the police.

WINTER IP’s take

The September data shows Vietnam’s enforcement agencies moving decisively toward criminal action and online enforcement. Right holders can make the most of this trend in three ways:

• Trademarks are the main target of counterfeiters. Nearly 83% of administrative cases involved trademarks and geographical indications. Vietnam follows a first-to-file system, so registering early with IP Vietnam, watching for similar applications and keeping evidence of infringement are the foundation for any enforcement request.
• Customs remains underused by right holders. Between June and September 2026, only 3 suspensions came at a right holder’s request, against 18 initiated by Customs itself. Filing a customs recordal and supplying guides on telling genuine from fake products helps officers act faster.
• The legal framework is about to change. The amended Law on Handling of Administrative Violations and the amended Criminal Code are expected to be passed in October 2026. Businesses should review their enforcement strategy once the new rules take effect.

Key figures

Source: Ministry of Science and Technology, Report No. 289/BC-BKHCN on the implementation of assigned IP enforcement tasks and the IP Action Plan as of 29 September 2026 (in Vietnamese).