Health authorities reinforced inspections after e-commerce platforms and social media channels exposed consumers to unverified medical products, counterfeit goods, and deceptive advertising.
The Ministry of Health issued Official Circular No. 7863/BYT-QLD on Oct. 19, 2026, directing local regulators to crack down on intellectual property violations, commercial fraud, and online sales of fake healthcare items.
The regulatory push follows widespread market expansion in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and dietary supplements that outpaced digital oversight.
“The locality continues supervisions and controls rigorously on private medical and pharmaceutical establishments, especially those dedicated to the pharmaceutical industry and beauty and cosmetic services,” said Hoang Hai Long, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Mong Cai 1.
District inspections uncover dozens of violations
Local authorities moved quickly to enforce compliance through physical site visits and documentary audits. In early October 2026, police in Viet Hung District inspected 49 drug-selling establishments to verify professional licenses, business conditions, invoices, and product origins.
Officers in Viet Hung screened establishments for substandard, expired, or unauthorized medications while guiding operators on prescription drug regulations and special medication controls. Businesses in the district also signed commitments to refrain from trading counterfeit, imitation, or low-quality products.
Meanwhile, Mong Cai District 1 authorities inspected 12 medical and pharmaceutical facilities out of 52 private establishments operating in the area. Regulators resolved two citizen complaints and imposed administrative fines totaling 128 million Vietnamese Dong across four establishments.
Health department expands product testing
In the first nine months of 2026, the department inspected and conducted post-market reviews at 165 establishments, sanctioning 33 of them with fines totaling 743 million Vietnamese Dong for food safety, healthcare condition, and product quality infractions.
The provincial health sector monitored 652 establishments overall, collecting 855 product samples that included 679 drugs, 53 cosmetics, and 123 dietary supplements. Laboratory testing confirmed that 100 percent of the 816 analyzed samples met quality requirements, preventing any large-scale trafficking of fake medicines in the region.
Ministry guidelines target digital networks
The national directive targets warehouses, distribution centers, commercial accounts, and e-commerce networks suspected of intellectual property infringement and false advertising regarding product ingredients and uses. Regulators are now accelerating data traceability connections, encouraging businesses to adopt electronic labels, identification codes, and QR codes for inventory control.
The department also published suspension and recall notices during the first nine months of 2026 for eight types of medicines and herbal products, alongside 1,316 cosmetic products.
Authorities simultaneously revoked 2,827 cosmetic product registration numbers and 117 drug registration certificates in Vietnam. Officials maintain a direct hotline at 0966.631.313 to intake citizen reports regarding smuggled, illegal, and counterfeit medications for joint investigation with police and market management teams.
Frequently asked questions about Vietnam pharmaceutical oversight
What specific penalties were issued by health inspectors in 2026?
Mong Cai District 1 fined four establishments a total of 128 million Vietnamese Dong.
What technologies are regulators implementing to verify product origins?
The Ministry of Health is deploying a pharmaceutical database system and encouraging businesses to utilize electronic labels, identification codes, and QR codes to share traceability data and control product origins.
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