VietNamNet Bridge – Around 500 Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones have not been recalled in Vietnam, according to the Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In Vietnam, 12,633 Note 7s should be taken back from buyers as their batteries might catch fire. From October 18 to November 18, the South Korean tech giant collected 12,140 units, making up 96% of the total.

In a recent report on the Note 7 refund and exchange program sent to VCA, Samsung Electronics Vietnam said it would continue taking back the remaining 493 devices until December 31 this year at four Samsung customer service centers in Hanoi, Haiphong, Danang and HCMC.

Samsung has repeatedly warned that Note 7 phones could catch fire even though they are switched off. For the sake of consumer safety, VCA has urged Note 7 owners to immediately power down, stop using the device and contact any Samsung centers nationwide to obtain full refunds, or call the free hotline 1800 588 889 for assistance.

Individuals and organizations can contact VCA via its toll free number 1800 6838 if they need advice or assistance.

Earlier, Samsung announced Vietnamese owners of Note 7s, both original and replacement ones, could get 100% refunds of VND18.9 million (US$834) each. In addition, Samsung offered VND1.5 million (US$66) worth of coupons for all Note 7 users to shop at any Samsung mobile stores.

It is estimated that the company would have to spend VND240 billion (US$10.5 million) collecting all the fire-prone Note 7s in Vietnam as part of its global recall campaign.

Samsung last week announced plans for software updates designed to prevent Note 7 devices from charging and eliminate their ability to work as mobile phones to ensure that Note 7 owners turn in their phones.

VCA said the recall did not significantly affect Vietnam’s export revenues. The country’s outbound sales of phones and phone parts amounted to US$3 billion last month, up 5.8% month-on-month, and 7.8% year-on-year.

SGT