During the 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival, the Hanoi Market Management Force (QLTT) launched a peak period of market inspection and control, focusing on food items, candy, children's toys and stationery at the beginning of the school year.
During the peak period alone, the entire force handled 353 violations, imposed administrative fines of VND 4.874 billion, and seized and destroyed goods worth VND 4.534 billion in violations.
Strengthening comprehensive inspection during the peak period
Implementing the direction of the City People's Committee and the Department of Industry and Trade, the Hanoi Market Management Department issued Plan No. 09/KH-QLTTHN dated August 13, 2025 on implementing the " Plan for market inspection and control, ensuring food safety for the 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival in Hanoi City".
In particular, the affiliated Market Management Teams focus on inspecting and controlling the following items: cakes, ingredients for making moon cakes, children's toys, publications (SGK), equipment, and school supplies for the new school year 2025-2026.
From August 15 to October 15, 2025, market management teams in the area simultaneously deployed inspections, resulting in hundreds of violations. In addition to the fine of nearly 5 billion VND, the authorities have temporarily detained and forced the destruction of goods in violation worth more than 4.5 billion VND.
Of which, food products accounted for the largest proportion, with 122,733 violating products, with a total value of about 2.330 billion VND. Many products are smuggled moon cakes and candy of unknown origin, without quality declarations, and not qualified for circulation.
In the moon cake group alone, the authorities seized 17,741 cakes, along with 3,661 other cake products and 46,551 candy products that did not ensure food safety.
Next, the group of children's toys that were handled had a total value of VND 1.654 billion, including nearly 40,000 products such as plastic toys, mock-ups, stuffed animals, puppets, car models... which were smuggled, counterfeit brands, and of unknown origin.
In addition, the authorities also discovered violations in the group of publications, stationery and school supplies, with 91,031 products, worth more than 639 million VND, including books, publications, stationery counterfeiting brands, smuggled goods, affecting the education market at the beginning of the new school year.
According to the Hanoi Market Management Department, the early and synchronous implementation of the inspection plan has helped prevent a large amount of unsecured goods in a timely manner before circulating on the market, contributing to stabilizing prices and protecting consumer rights during the peak Mid-Autumn Festival.
Determined to protect consumers
Although the inspection results have many impressions, the Hanoi Market Management Department frankly admits that there are still difficulties and problems in the implementation process.
Accordingly, some new legal regulations on inspection, examination, and handling of administrative violations have not been given detailed instructions, leading to confusing implementation. In addition, the professional system of the Market Management industry is not currently completely compatible with the electronic document management system of Hanoi City, causing difficulties in exchanging and connecting information between units.
From a social perspective, the awareness of a part of the people and production and business establishments about food safety is still limited. Many businesses deliberately do not announce product quality, produce poor quality food, or even forge. Meanwhile, the habit of buying cheap goods, of unknown origin of some consumers, especially students and low-income people, unintentionally creates "back yard" for violating goods.
In addition, the rapid development of e-commerce and logistics services also makes the management, inspection and handling of violations increasingly complicated...
To overcome these shortcomings, the Hanoi Market Management Department recommends that the Ministry of Industry and Trade coordinate with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to submit to the Government to review, update, amend, and supplement Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP detailing the implementation of the Law on Food Safety; Decree regulating administrative sanctions for food safety violations, ensuring compliance with the Law on Handling of Administrative Violations 2020;
Review and supplement guiding Circulars, national standards and technical regulations related to the field of food safety, ensuring clarity, in accordance with market developments; avoiding the issuance of overlapping legal documents, " applied at the same time and adjusted".
At the same time, the Department proposed to strengthen community propaganda and education, helping people understand and proactively choose safe foods; publicize typical violations on mass media to prevent and deter recidivism...
At the same time, consider criminal proceedings against serious violations in the field of food safety...
