Police in Ho Chi Minh City have detained the owner of a three-store sneaker chain for industrial property infringement after raids turned up nearly 1,500 pairs of counterfeit Nike, Adidas, New Balance and Onitsuka Tiger shoes worth more than VND3.3 billion (US$125,000).

Nguyen Tran Viet Hoang, 33, the registered owner of the K.W Sneaker chain, was detained on May 20 by the Economic Police Division under Ho Chi Minh City Police after officers raided three K.W Sneaker locations across the city simultaneously.

Hoang told investigators he began selling counterfeit footwear in February 2023, sourcing his stock through online groups on social media with no invoices or origin documentation.