COUNTERFEIT MEDICINES & DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS: A DANGER LURKING IN VIET
Recently, counterfeit medicines and dietary supplements have been on the rise sharply in Vietnam, and the frightening part is that many of these products are being aimed at children too.
Recent investigations have uncovered a number of worrying cases: from calcium supplement milk for babies and beauty cosmetics to imported pharmaceutical medicines... all cleverly disguised under the names of well-known foreign brands.
-In April 2025, the authorities broke up a counterfeiting ring run by Herbitech Technology Company - which specialised in making products such as “BABY SHARK Calcium” and “Medi Kid Calcium K2”, complete with forged test certificates and labels claiming they were “genuine imports from the United States and France”
-In Thanh Hoa, police arrested 14 people producing 21 types of counterfeit pharmaceutical medicines (mostly bone and joint medicines), earning almost 200 billion VND (equivalent to 8 million US dollars)
-A warehouse disguised as a “chicken farm” was found to hold 840 bottles of counterfeit “Blackmores Evening Primrose Oil” and more than 16,000 bottles of counterfeit “Femfresh Intimate Skin Care”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 11% of medicines in developing countries (Vietnam among them) are counterfeit. In other words, for every 9 medicines or dietary supplements you buy online, 1 could be a fake!
And the consequences are not just the money lost, but treatment that fails, poisoning, dangerous complications and even death.
What parents should do :
• Buy medicines and dietary supplements only from reputable, licensed pharmacies
• Be cautious with products sold through social media or e-commerce platforms
• Report any suspected counterfeit to the health authorities straight away
• Ask a doctor before giving a child any new product
Counterfeit medicines are not merely a scam, they are a real threat to health. With just a little vigilance, you can protect yourself and your children from risks that are impossible to predict.
Wishing you and your family continued good health,
Dr Jonathan
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