The end of an international trade embargo against Vietnam encouraged U.S. consumer goods giants to invest heavily in factories in Vietnam. By 1998, for example, Tide, Lux, and Clouse-Up were top sellers. So, were Lever-Viso (Unilever's Vietnamese joint venture) and Procter & Gamble happy? No, the products, while genuine, were Thai-made and smuggled into Vietnam. The season was the devaluation of the Thai baht versus the Vietnamese dong. The Thai-manufactured goods were far cheaper than identical Vietnamese-manufactured goods. The Vietnamese companies were frustrated by government officials against smuggling.