Vietnam Tightens Rules on Online Piracy to Dodge US Tariffs

Vietnam is stepping up its fight against digital piracy and fake goods, aiming to spot more violations before the United States threatens new trade barriers. The government announced a plan that should raise detection rates by 20% in the next month, with customs officials expected to halt more shipments that prove counterfeit. The move comes after Washington labeled Vietnam a major IP offender, warning of possible tariff investigations by the end of May. The country’s trade balance is a key factor in this drama. Vietnam enjoys a huge surplus with the US, even larger than its trade with China for the year so far. Yet the U. S. is pressing Hanoi to fix intellectual property problems that hurt American products. Last year, Vietnam faced a 46% duty on imports from the US, which was later lowered to 20% and then 10% after court rulings. The U. S. trade office has now named Vietnam a top priority for IP violations, the first time in 13 years.Prime Minister Le Minh Hung issued directives to ministries on Thursday. He wants customs to stop more shipments that clearly contain counterfeit goods and to increase the number of cases they process by 20% compared with last year. He also set a deadline for the same rise in enforcement of copyright infringements across software, movies, music, TV shows, online games and local counterfeit sales. Vietnam operates under a one‑party system where prosecutors and police have broad authority. A similar crackdown was launched last year, following the U. S. tariff announcement. The new rules expand that effort to cover a wider range of IP violations, from digital media to physical products. The government claims it has made serious strides in protecting intellectual property and calls for a fair review by Washington. The stakes are high. If the U. S. follows through on its threats, Vietnam could face higher trade barriers that would hurt its exports to the U. S. The country is trying to avoid that outcome by tightening enforcement, hoping to show the U. S. it can meet international IP standards and keep its trade surplus intact.