20,000 Fake Lavie Bottles Filled with Tap Water Seized in Hanoi

A shocking case in Hanoi has revealed that thousands of households were unknowingly drinking tap water sold as Lavie mineral water.

Hanoi’s economic police have dismantled a large-scale counterfeit operation that produced and distributed tens of thousands of fake Lavie bottles filled with tap water to homes and businesses across the city.

Investigators identified Le Van Viet as the mastermind behind the scheme. Viet purchased used 18.5- and 19-liter Lavie bottles from unverified sources and operated a hidden workshop in Long Bien District. There, his team used industrial sealing machines, shrink-wrap film, counterfeit Lavie labels, and cleaning chemicals to make ordinary tap water look like genuine mineral water.

Three workers were hired to clean, refill, and reseal the bottles before transporting them to warehouses across Hanoi. The counterfeit products were mixed with authentic Lavie bottles and sold to offices and households for about VND70,000 (US$2.66) each, even though production costs were only around VND10,000.

Between March and October 2025, the group sold approximately 20,000 fake bottles, earning profits seven times higher than their production costs.

On October 2, authorities raided the workshop, seizing over 500 counterfeit bottles and arresting four suspects: Le Van Viet, Pham Tien Hung, Le Thi Cham, and Ly Quoc Khanh, for producing and trading counterfeit food and beverages in violation of Vietnam’s Penal Code.

The incident serves as a wake-up call about the growing issue of counterfeit bottled water. It underscores the need for consumers to be more vigilant when purchasing drinking water, and for producers and distributors to strictly comply with hygiene standards, quality control, and proper certification to ensure public safety.

Source: VnExpress