Suspected counterfeit Nike shoes seized from Ho Chi Minh City factory in one of Vietnam’s biggest raids
11 August 2026
Almost 50,000 pairs of suspected counterfeit shoes bearing the Nike, Nike Air and Air Jordan trademarks were seized by Vietnamese authorities from a Ho Chi Minh City factory in July 2026 in what authorities describe as one of Vietnam’s biggest raids involving counterfeit products.
Each pair of shoes even bore an authentication code that appeared legitimate.
The seized items, which were being processed for export to the U.S., were valued at more than D100 billion (US$3.8 million).
Authorities from Vietnam’s Agency for Domestic Market Surveillance and Development were tipped by the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) regarding the facility in June 2026. According to the website of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, HIS “has broad legal authority to conduct federal criminal investigations into the illegal cross-border movement of people, goods, money, technology and other contraband throughout the United States.”
Prior to the raid, 11 containers of Nike- and Air Jordan-branded shoes from the factory valued at over D25.46 billion (US$976,600) had already been exported to the U.S.
Hoa Tran | a partner and head of trademarks @ Baker McKenzie, Hanoi
Hoa Tran, a partner and head of trademarks at Baker McKenzie in Hanoi, shared that historically, Vietnamese authorities did not place heavy emphasis on goods produced purely for export or manufactured under processing, or Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), arrangements. “The assumption was that if the goods were not being sold domestically, the harm to the local market was limited. That position has now clearly changed.”
In its 2026 Special 301 Report released on April 30, 2026, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) designated Vietnam as a Priority Foreign Country (PFC), or the most serious category under the Special 301 framework. The USTR cited persistent concerns over IP protection and enforcement, including weak enforcement against counterfeiting and inadequate border measures. It was the first time since 2013 that a jurisdiction had been designated a PFC, and Vietnam was the only country to receive the designation in the 2026 report.
According to Tran, Vietnam’s amended IP Law expanded the authorities' administrative powers to penalize the storage of counterfeit goods. With this change, not only are the authorities now able to raid factories and warehouses, but their power to order the destruction of infringing goods and tools used to produce them is also now more reinforced. “Given the scale and value involved here, which appear to be well above criminal thresholds, the matter could move beyond administrative handling into criminal proceedings. Corporate offenders may face substantial fines and, potentially, prosecution under the Penal Code.”
Tran added that from an enforcement perspective, what stands out from this development is that it began with foreign intelligence, not with a domestic complaint. “HSI flagged the operation, and Vietnamese authorities then developed a confidential inspection plan to prevent the goods from being moved or disposed of. This intelligence-led, government-to-government model is increasingly how large export-counterfeiting cases are detected. It also gives brand owners a stronger practical toolkit when their goods are being copied for overseas markets,” she explained.
“The raid looks less like a one-off event and more like a signal of where Vietnamese enforcement is heading. We are likely to see more focus on export and OEM operations, closer international cooperation and a greater willingness to escalate serious cases.”
However, Tran said that the real test will be whether there is a follow-through –whether cases like this will not stop at mere seizure of counterfeit products and instead lead to meaningful penalties and criminal accountability.
- Espie Angelica A. de Leon
