The Can Tho City Police investigation agency on Aug. 14 opened a criminal case against Pham Van Tan, 43, and barred him from leaving his registered residence while it investigates him for infringement of industrial property rights. The crime carries a fine of VND50 million to VND500 million (US$1,900 to 19,100) or up to three years of non-custodial reform.

Officers from the city police's Economic Crime Division searched the store at 103 Mau Than Street as part of a campaign against intellectual property offenses. They found shoes and sandals bearing brands protected in Vietnam, priced from a few hundred thousand dong to several million dong a pair.

Tan could not produce invoices or documents proving where the goods came from. Police seized 1,520 pairs carrying the Polo, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Adidas, Gucci, Crocs, Burberry, Dior, Versace, Lacoste, Nike and Hermes labels, among others.

Tan said in his initial statement that the business had traded counterfeits worth more than VND200 million ($7,600).

Counterfeit shoes and sandals seized from a store in Can Tho, southern Vietnam, Aug. 14, 2026. Photo courtesy of Can Tho City Police

Two other store owners named as accused

The same police division raided Thanh Duong Luxury on Tam Vu Street in Tan An Ward in the city on June 5 and found four workers producing sandals falsely branded as Hermes, Gucci, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Versace.

The sandals sold over Zalo, TikTok and Facebook for between VND600,000 and VND2.2 million ($23 to $84) a pair. Police seized 1,716 finished products along with leather stock, cutting moulds and stamping machinery, valuing the goods at more than VND1.4 billion ($53,400).

Owner Huynh Phuong Duy, 33, who told investigators production had been running since March 2025, was named as accused on Aug. 11 along with a second person, Huynh Thanh Duong.

Police searched a second store the same day, Thanh Hien Luxury on Nguyen Binh Street in Cai Khe Ward, owned by Huynh Thanh Hien, 24. They seized 2,949 items of clothing, bags, hats, belts and backpacks falsely branded as Hermes, Gucci, Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Dior.

Hien told investigators the stock had been bought on the open market with no documentation of its origin. Can Tho City Police named him as accused on Aug. 12 and put the value of the goods at more than VND1.9 billion ($72,500).