Vietnam Steps Up IP Rights Enforcement Amid Sophisticated Counterfeiting

Smuggling and the production and trade of prohibited goods are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with criminal networks operating across both physical and online spaces. In the first six months of 2026, the ministry initiated legal proceedings against 1,333 cases involving 2,354 suspects. Authorities detected and handled 67,937 violations in the first half of the year, up 36.66% year-on-year. Budget revenue from enforcement reached nearly 9.65 trillion VND (nearly 367 million USD), an increase of 49.36%, while investigation was launched into 1,676 criminal cases involving 2,789 suspects. Prime Minister Le Minh Hung offered flowers and incense in tribute to President Ho Chi Minh and fallen heroes in the northern province of Dien Bien on July 25, marking the 79th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day (July 27). Prolonged heavy rains have triggered severe landslides across many mountainous communes in Lao Cai province, severing key transport routes, damaging hundreds of homes, and causing severe hardship for local residents. In response, local authorities are urgently mobilizing personnel and equipment to clear debris, assist residents with relocation, and help them quickly stabilize their lives. Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung has signed a decision approving the National Digital Transformation Strategy for 2026–2030, with a vision to 2045, setting out ambitious targets to build a prosperous, secure and human-centred digital nation while accelerating economic growth through data and AI. From fragmented, low-yield farming areas, Ho Chi Minh City has gradually established specialised high-tech agricultural zones. July is a month of remembrance and gratitude. During these days, people from across Vietnam make their way to the Quang Tri Citadel, where the 81-day battle to defend the citadel took place in 1972, to offer incense in memory of the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the nation’s independence and freedom. Marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Vietnam (August 6, 1976 - August 6, 2026), the Royal Thai Embassy in Vietnam and the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on July 24 opened the photo exhibition themed “The Lens of Diplomacy: 50 Years of Thailand-Vietnam Relations” in Hanoi. Nestled within the Heroic Vietnamese Mother Monument in Quang Phu ward, Da Nang city, is a unique museum showcasing a rich collection of precious artifacts and historical documents honoring heroic Vietnamese mothers from every corner of Vietnam. The 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum convened on July 23 as part of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Related Meetings in the Philippines, formally adopting the Manila Plan of Action for 2026–2036, which will serve as the guiding framework for the ASEAN Regional Forum 's activities over the coming decade. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced several major diplomatic activities scheduled for the coming period at its regular press briefing in Hanoi on the afternoon of July 23. Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on July 23 reaffirmed that caring for revolution contributors remains a consistent policy of the Party and State, reflecting the profound humanitarian value of the socialist regime. The Central Highland province of Dak Lak is home to 34 martyrs’ cemeteries with 15,222 graves, of which 4,124 remain unidentified. Since early June, the province has been exhuming unidentified martyrs' graves to collect biological samples for DNA testing. Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung and UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Ed Miliband co-chaired the ASEAN–UK Post-Ministerial Conference on July 22 as part of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-59) and related meetings in Manila, the Philippines. For more than six decades, Tran Huu Hue, 74, from the Mekong delta province of An Giang, has devoted himself to collecting postage stamps, building a collection of more than 300,000 stamps and 24 thematic collections with strong historical value, including those featuring President Ho Chi Minh and a collection titled Hoang Sa-Truong Sa Archipelagos Belong to Vietnam. Le Hoai Trung, Politburo member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on July 22 met with Wang Yi, Politburo member, Director of the Office of the Commission for Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, on the sidelines of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM-59) and Related Meetings in Manila, the Philippines. Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung is in the Philippines to attend the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM-59) and Related Meetings. National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man received Hagiuda Koichi, Executive Acting Secretary-General of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), in Hanoi on July 22. The war has long ended, yet hundreds of thousands of fallen soldiers remain unidentified. Behind every unnamed grave is a family that has waited in anguish for decades. Determined to honour those who sacrificed their lives for the Fatherland, the Ministry of Public Security is conducting a nationwide campaign to collect DNA samples from relatives of fallen soldiers. Following the recent flash floods, many households in Muong Than Commune, Lai Chau Province, lost their homes and were forced to evacuate. To help residents rebuild their lives as quickly as possible, the provincial authorities have mobilised maximum manpower and equipment to fast-track the construction of an emergency resettlement area in San Bay village. Prime Minister Le Minh Hung held his first phone talks with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on July 21 evening. The Vietnam–Singapore Semiconductor Industry Development Cooperation Forum 2026 was held in Ho Chi Minh City on July 21 to promote investment connectivity, technology transfer, human resource development and broader cooperation in the semiconductor industry. Copyright, VietnamPlus, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Editor-in-chief, Mr. Tran Tien Duan.