Down-market TV Sets Cause Chaos in Domestic Market

Cheap TV sets illegally imported from China are flooding the domestic market and have brought about a chaos due to their uncontrolled prices and quality.

The prices of the Chinese-made TVs are just half of those manufactured by domestic well known companies, a seller at the bazaar market in Tran Cao Van Street in the capital city Hanoi said. A Chinese 25-inch TV costs VND1.8 million (US$112) while a set made by LG in Vietnam is VND4 million (US$250) and a Chinese 14-inch TV set is sold at more than VND500,000 (US$31) with luring long-term warranty, according to TV traders.

 

The quality of Chinese TV sets is questionable. They have a short lifespan and easily break because they are fitted with low-quality accessories so as to minimize costs, an electronics repair shop assistant in Tran Cao Van street said, adding that it is not easy for consumers to distinguish between the genuine product and imitations.

 

Most illegally-imported TVs of different types with the screens ranging from 14 inches to 29 inches sold without brand names in the domestic market are imitations of famous brands such as LG, Samsung, Panasonic, JVC and Sony. Sellers will stick a brand name on a set as required by their customers, a TV-seller at some market said.

 

TV smugglers often buy accessories in other countries and assemble TV sets in Vietnam to avoid the police and inspection by market watchers, the TV covers are made locally, an electronics engineer, Ly Duc Hung said.

 

Hung also advised local consumers to buy only certified brand name TVs from official electronics shops, so that they do not have to worry about the origin and quality of the products.