Thai Nguyen's famous tea brands are intellectual assets built up over many years

Protecting intellectual assets, preserving the reputation of local brands

Along with the strong growth of e-commerce and digital platforms, the production and sale of counterfeit goods, imitation goods, and goods infringing intellectual property rights have become increasingly sophisticated, difficult to detect, and difficult to control. For Thai Nguyen - a land with many products and brands that have become a source of local pride, such as Tan Cuong tea and Thai Nguyen tea - protecting intellectual property rights is not only a market management requirement but also a task of protecting the reputation, value, and competitive advantage of local products.

Recognizing this clearly, immediately after the Prime Minister issued Official Telegram No. 38/CD-TTg dated May 5, 2026 on focusing on directing the decisive implementation of measures to combat, prevent, and handle acts of infringing intellectual property rights, Thai Nguyen Province moved swiftly to act. The Provincial People's Committee issued Plan No. 205/KH-UBND dated May 13, 2026 to give concrete form to these tasks within the province, and at the same time established an Interdisciplinary Task Force headed by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee to direct and coordinate inspection and violation-handling activities in a unified manner.

The province’s consistent guiding principle is: "Direction must be focused, coordination must be close, handling must be strict, and results must be substantive." Following this direction, departments, sectors, localities, and functional forces have simultaneously reviewed their areas, inspected high-risk product groups, and stepped up oversight of business activities in both traditional markets and the online environment. Each key area has been assigned a responsible force, and each sector and product group has been closely monitored, creating a peak campaign against intellectual property rights violations carried out with a high sense of responsibility.

Inspection team of the Department of Science and Technology conducting a thematic inspection on industrial property at Nhu Loc Tea Establishment, Tan Cuong Commune

Clear results from the peak campaign

After nearly a month of implementing the peak campaign, from May 7 to May 30, 2026, the whole province detected and handled, or is handling, 39 cases of intellectual property rights infringement and related violations, including 37 cases subject to administrative penalties. The total amount of fines exceeded VND 325 million; the total value of violating goods was nearly VND 1 billion.

Notably, compared with the same period in 2025, the number of cases detected and handled increased by more than 105%; the number of cases subject to administrative penalties increased by nearly 95%; and the total amount of fines increased by more than 113%. These results not only exceeded the Prime Minister's requirement of a minimum 20% increase in the number of cases handled, but also demonstrated the province's determination to make the business environment healthier and to protect legitimate businesses and the rightful interests of consumers.

Among the participating forces, the Market Surveillance force under the Department of Industry and Trade detected and handled 30 administrative violations involving counterfeit-trademark goods and goods infringing intellectual property rights in the categories of clothing, footwear, accessories, and consumer goods. The Department of Science and Technology conducted a thematic inspection on industrial property, detecting and handling 7 tea production and trading establishments that infringed upon the rights to the "Thai Nguyen Tea" collective mark and the "Tan Cuong" geographical indication. This result is of particularly important significance, as these intellectual assets are directly tied to the reputation, value, and brand of the province’s flagship product.

In addition, the Provincial Police detected 2 business establishments showing signs of infringing industrial property rights over several well-known trademarks, with a total goods value of about VND 800 million. These cases are continuing to be verified and clarified for handling in accordance with the law.

Inspection team of the Department of Science and Technology inspecting the Huong Thanh Phu packaging production establishment, Quan Trieu Ward

From handling violations to raising compliance awareness

Alongside inspection and handling efforts, communication activities have also been stepped up. The province's press and media agencies regularly publish news and articles reporting on the results of the peak campaign, warning of the methods and tactics used in violations, and disseminating legal regulations on intellectual property. This has helped raise the awareness and responsibility of organizations, businesses, and residents in protecting intellectual property rights, while also creating a deterrent effect against violations.

Behind every trademark and every protected product lies not only economic value, but also a story of the diligence, creativity, and effort of producers and businesses to assert their position in the market. Therefore, protecting intellectual property rights is not simply about handling counterfeit and imitation goods; it is also about protecting the fruits of labor and preserving the values that form the identity and competitive advantage of the locality.

From the results of the peak campaign, it can be seen that when direction is implemented in a focused manner, coordination among forces is carried out closely, and violations are handled strictly, the effectiveness of intellectual property protection improves markedly. This also serves as a foundation for Thai Nguyen to continue maintaining regular inspection and oversight, building a healthy business environment, protecting local brands, and promoting sustainable economic development.