Brian Jeffrey
On October 3rd, the General Department of Market Management reported that its E-Commerce Task Force discovered a significant stash of over 10,000 bottles of suspected smuggled perfume at the Eco Green apartment complex in Hanoi’s Thanh Tri district.
The perfumes were being marketed via livestream by a well-known TikToker, Phan Thuy Tien, who has amassed an impressive following of over 4 million users on the platform.
The operation unfolded on the first floor of the CT3 building, which was organized with dedicated spaces for livestreaming, processing orders, and packaging the products. This site is owned by Zenpali Group, managed by a person identified as C.V.T.
On the morning of October 3rd, the task force arrived at a well-structured venue that featured distinct areas for live streaming, processing orders, boosting views artificially, packaging items, and storing inventory. This comprehensive operation covered around 1,000 square meters.
Inspectors discovered hundreds of packed perfume orders from a previous livestream, stored in two large sacks, and ready to be shipped across Vietnam, including to regions like Quang Ninh, Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Dong Nai.
Prices for these orders ranged from several tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of VND.
Authorities found numerous boxes filled with more than 10,000 bottles from various brands such as True Love, First Love, Mon Paris, Maiden, and Karri. These items were primarily marketed through livestreams on TikTok and Facebook under the account “Phan Thuy Tien,” which boasts over 4 million followers.
The perfumes were missing essential details regarding their origin, featuring foreign labels without Vietnamese translations, as required by law. Furthermore, the barcode numbers beginning with “697” suggested possible smuggling activities.
When approached by investigators, Zenpali Group representatives could not provide any invoices or documentation proving the legal origin of the seized perfumes. Authorities are continuing the investigation into the matter.
