Vietnam charges couple over fake Ngọc Linh ginseng labels
At a glance
- Quảng Ngãi police charged a couple with industrial property infringement over ginseng sold with “Ngọc Linh” geographical-indication stamps they had no right to use (announced 12 October 2026).
- The husband, who runs the “Già làng Tây Nguyên” YouTube and Facebook channels, is in detention; his wife is under a travel ban.
- No quantities or values have been reported.
Police in Quảng Ngãi province have charged a married couple with infringing industrial property rights over ginseng sold as Ngọc Linh, one of Vietnam’s best-known geographical indications. The provincial police’s Economic Police Division announced the case on 12 October. [1], [2]
According to police, officers found ginseng soaked in rice wine and in honey, carrying “Ngọc Linh” labels and stamps, in late August at the Già Làng Tây Nguyên shop on Phan Đình Phùng street in Kon Tum ward. Police say the couple bought ginseng roots that had no traceability stamps, applied their own Ngọc Linh labels and stamps, and sold the products. They had not been granted the right to use the geographical indication. [1], [2]
Đỗ Thành Tín, born 1984, has been charged and detained. His wife, Dương Thị Phượng, born 1986, who runs the shop, is banned from leaving her place of residence. Tín runs “Già làng Tây Nguyên” channels on YouTube and Facebook with a large following, and police say he made and posted videos promoting “Ngọc Linh” ginseng wine and honey-soaked ginseng. The investigation is continuing. [1], [2]
Ngọc Linh ginseng has been protected as a geographical indication since 2016, under Decision No. 3235/QĐ-SHTT of the Intellectual Property Office and registration certificate No. 00049. It is managed by provincial science and technology departments, originally in Kon Tum and Quảng Nam, now part of Quảng Ngãi and Đà Nẵng. No quantities or values have been reported. [1], [2]
Most of the Vietnamese cases we have covered so far involve trademarks. This one turns on a geographical indication, and targets a seller who promoted the products to a large social media audience. We will follow it to see whether it reaches trial.
Sources
- VietnamPlus (Vietnam News Agency). Khởi tố đối tượng xâm phạm quyền sở hữu liên quan thương hiệu sâm Ngọc Linh. Published 2026-10-12 18:47 Hanoi time. Vietnamese. Byline: Dư Toán. Accessed 15 October 2026. Working English title translation: Suspects charged with infringing rights over the Ngọc Linh ginseng brand (working translation).
- Báo Công Thương. Quảng Ngãi: Khởi tố vợ chồng chủ kênh ‘Già làng Tây Nguyên’. Published 2026-10-12 20:33 Hanoi time. Vietnamese. Byline: Nguyễn Dương. Accessed 15 October 2026. Working English title translation: Quảng Ngãi: couple who run the ‘Già làng Tây Nguyên’ channel charged (working translation).