Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City seized about 30,000 pirated compact discs and VCDs, the largest amount in a single raid in Vietnam, an official said Monday. The CDs and VCDs were seized Friday from a shop by police and cultural inspectors, one of the inspectors said. The inspector, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was the largest single seizure of pirated disks in Vietnam. Counterfeit CDs are widely available in Vietnam for about 75 cents each, while DVDs can be purchased for as little as dlrs 1.35. Under a trade agreement with the United States ratified last year, Vietnam is required to protect intellectual property rights in return for low tariffs on its exports to the United States.

Last week, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Vietnam and four other Asian countries have been placed on a "watch list" of countries with somewhat inadequate intellectual property protection.

The official Vietnam News Agency reported Monday that Ho Chi Minh City police also confiscated more than 19,000 CDs in a raid on Saturday at a video rental shop.