US Customs Finds No Direct Evidence of Transshipment via Vietnam; Vietnam Seizes Fake Nike Shoes; Talks

US Customs officials conducted on-site inspections at Chinese-invested factories in Vietnam. The inspectors reviewed documents, raw materials, and production processes to clarify the value-added ratio of products before export to the United States and to investigate potential software intellectual property infringement. As of now, no direct evidence of illegal transshipment of Chinese goods via Vietnam into the US has been uncovered.

Vietnam’s government, led by President To Lam, has stated that Hanoi is cracking down on such issues, including the recent seizure of 50,000 pairs of counterfeit Nike shoes. Vietnam stepped up enforcement after being designated a key country for intellectual property allegations by the US in April. In a 3,581-page submission to the US, Vietnam highlighted nearly 20,000 infringement cases handled by authorities between 2021 and 2025.

The US and Vietnam have been negotiating for months to implement a trade framework agreement reached last October. The talks continue as the two sides failed to reach agreement on transshipment and other non-tariff barriers. US President Donald Trump is seeking to build tariff walls around the US economy, and the search for illegal Chinese goods has become a core allegation against Hanoi. United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer reiterated to Vietnam: 'There is pure illegal transportation; they ship goods to Vietnam and then label them “Made in Vietnam.