On August 11, 2025, authorities in Phu Tho province, Vietnam, revealed the dismantling of a sprawling network producing and distributing counterfeit food products, a scandal that has sent shockwaves through the region and beyond. At the center of the operation was MQ FOOD Company, based in Vinh Hung commune, where police allege that hundreds of tons of fake dried buffalo meat—marketed as a regional delicacy—were manufactured and sold, generating revenues estimated to run into the hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong.
According to Tuoi Tre Online, the investigation began when the Economic Police Department of Phu Tho province inspected the MQ FOOD facility, formerly known as Cuong Hung Company. The inspection uncovered three cold storage warehouses packed with 30 tons of frozen buffalo and pork meat, one ton of frozen fresh offal, and a separate storage area containing three tons of dried buffalo meat and 3.4 tons of dried pork meat, all packaged as finished products. The company was unable to provide any documentation verifying the origin or source of these food items, a red flag that triggered a deeper probe.
Digging further, police extended their search to another facility run by Vũ Thị Hiền, sister of MQ FOOD’s director, Vũ Thị Hường. There, they found an additional 300 kilograms of dried meat in the process of being packaged, two vacuum sealing machines, and a trove of packaging materials bearing the Cuong Hung Company brand. The initial police assessment, as reported by baophutho.vn, indicated that all the raw materials—frozen buffalo and pork meat—were imported from India, with most shipments lacking clear origin or invoices. Some of the frozen inventory had already spoiled and emitted a foul stench.
The scale of the operation was staggering. Authorities estimate that, since 2020, MQ FOOD had processed over 1,000 tons of frozen meat to produce around 400 tons of dried meat, with revenue exceeding 100 billion VND. To win over consumers, Vũ Thị Hường reportedly established a fictitious branch, Cuong Hung Company, listing its address in Ha Giang city. The company printed the phrase “specialty from highland region” on its packaging, even though it had no production or business activities in Ha Giang. Additionally, Hường purchased a HACCP certification—an internationally recognized food safety management system—and printed it on the product packaging, alongside self-designed QR codes, none of which were registered with the relevant authorities.
But MQ FOOD was just the tip of the iceberg. According to VnExpress, during the investigation, police discovered that an entire village had joined in producing counterfeit dried buffalo meat. The input meat quantities reached several thousand tons, with most of the buffalo meat imported from India but falsely labeled as originating from the mountainous province of Ha Giang, a region famed for its authentic dried buffalo meat. After the police crackdown, all the facilities in the village closed their doors.
Phu Tho’s police chief, Major General Nguyễn Minh Tuấn, directly oversaw the investigation. Speaking to the press, he highlighted the sophisticated methods used by the criminal groups. “They continuously changed production and business locations, kept warehouses closed except during transport, and registered counterfeit trademarks with high-quality labels to deceive consumers,” he explained. The groups exploited the high demand for everyday food staples such as cooking oil, MSG, and seasoning, focusing their efforts on products that Vietnamese families use every day.
MQ FOOD’s case was just one among four major food fraud cases exposed in Phu Tho province this year. Another involved FUSI Pharmaceutical Company, where police prosecuted three suspects for producing and selling counterfeit health food products and forging official documents. Between November 2020 and June 2025, FUSI signed contracts to manufacture 37 types of health food products for Thao Nguyen Xanh Group; 14 of these were confirmed to be counterfeit, with a total value exceeding 875 million VND. Police seized 31 types of these products—over 716,000 coated tablets, 1,800 liters of liquid food, and more than 31 kilograms of powder.
In a separate case, Famimoto Vietnam Company was discovered to be producing fake food products on an industrial scale. Police prosecuted five individuals, including the company’s director—an industry veteran with experience in market management and food production. Investigators confiscated over 40 tons of MSG, 22 tons of seasoning, nearly one ton of soup powder, more than 71,000 liters of cooking oil, over 84 tons of additives, and more than 1.5 million packaging bags and plastic containers used for production and packaging. The counterfeit goods were mainly funneled into workplace and school canteens, raising serious concerns about public health and food safety.
The largest case, in terms of product volume, involved Santex Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company. Here, police prosecuted six suspects and seized 11.8 million counterfeit functional food tablets and nearly 77,000 liters of liquid health supplement. The counterfeit production network had been operating since 2018, flooding the Vietnamese market with tens of millions of fake functional and health food products.
Police identified several common tactics across these cases. The criminal groups frequently changed their production and storage locations to avoid detection. Warehouses were kept locked and only opened for the transport of goods. To further mislead consumers, the counterfeiters registered fake trademarks and printed high-quality labels, sometimes claiming quality standards equal to or higher than those of legitimate, well-known brands. Packaging was sourced from various suppliers, while the actual food ingredients were purchased cheaply from unregulated sources. By exploiting the massive demand for common food items, the groups were able to move huge quantities of fake goods into the market with relative ease.
Authorities say the success of these operations was rooted in a deep understanding of consumer psychology. By focusing on products that are staples in every Vietnamese kitchen—like MSG, cooking oil, and seasoning—the counterfeiters ensured a steady market for their goods. The use of fake certifications and QR codes further reinforced the illusion of legitimacy, making it difficult for everyday shoppers to detect the fraud.
As the dust settles on these raids, the broader implications remain troubling. The scale and sophistication of the counterfeiting operations uncovered in Phu Tho suggest that food fraud remains a persistent and evolving threat in Vietnam. For now, the police have shuttered the offending factories and prosecuted the ringleaders, but the episode serves as a sobering reminder of the need for vigilance, robust regulation, and consumer awareness in the fight against food fraud.