Illustration photo: Pham Hau/VNA
During the process of handling violations, problems related to the handling mechanism and the governing legal regulations will continue to be reviewed and evaluated to recommend competent authorities to continue to improve and enhance legal effectiveness.
In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will also focus on propaganda and warnings to raise awareness among consumers, the business community and the whole society in building and developing a healthy and sustainable e-commerce environment.
Statistics from the National Competition Commission show that: E-commerce in Vietnam has grown strongly after the COVID-19 pandemic with business-to-consumer (B2C) revenue reaching 20.5 billion USD in 2023 and more than 2.2 billion product units successfully delivered on 5 e-commerce platforms. These figures put Vietnam in the top 10 countries with the fastest e-commerce growth in the world.
However, this rapid development also poses many challenges for consumer rights protection. In 2023, the National Competition Commission - the agency assigned by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to carry out state management of consumer rights protection - received 1,567 petitions and complaints from consumers; of which, 5.5% of the petitions were related to e-commerce.
Common problems include: poor quality and quantity of goods, unsatisfactory shipping services, no compensation or return of products, deceptive advertising and false information. The main affected groups are children, the elderly, people living in rural, mountainous and remote areas. Negative consequences such as cyber fraud, "shopping addiction", spending too much time surfing social networks are becoming a worrying issue. Some e-commerce websites contain false information, which can easily negatively affect the psychology and thinking of viewers, especially young people.
In that context, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has developed and synchronously deployed groups of solutions to improve the effectiveness of protecting consumer rights in e-commerce. Specifically, the Law on Consumer Rights Protection 2023 and Decree No. 55/2024/ND-CP have added many regulations to protect consumer rights in e-commerce. The new regulations clarify the responsibilities of organizations establishing and operating intermediary digital platforms and large digital platforms, regulating the use of algorithm systems and advertising aimed at specific consumer groups. Along with that is content censorship, transparency of advertising activities and protection of the rights of vulnerable consumers such as children, the elderly, and ethnic minorities.
In 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed and the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 319/QD-TTg approving the Project on anti-counterfeiting and consumer protection in e-commerce until 2025. In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has implemented many diverse and creative measures to promote and raise awareness of consumers and the business community about consumer protection in e-commerce. These activities are not only aimed at providing legal information but also aim to build safe and smart shopping habits for consumers and ethical business responsibility for businesses.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has organized competitions and propaganda activities to raise awareness of consumer rights protection. The contest "Young Consumers in E-commerce" and "Learning about Consumer Rights Protection Law" attract more than 25,000 players each year. At the same time, it created a Tiktok account @ntdtrongtmdt (GenZ Consumers), posted nearly 30 propaganda video clips to the account with more than 200,000 views/likes and operated a Consumer Consulting and Support Hotline at the toll-free number 1800.6838 to directly advise and support consumers on issues arising.
In particular, the Ministry of Industry and Trade also encourages the participation of businesses in improving the effectiveness of consumer rights protection. The draft Law on Consumer Rights Protection has been widely published, creating conditions for the business community to contribute opinions. At the same time, it has attracted millions of views from buyers, helping to disseminate legal content to a large number of consumers and businesses.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has also organized the signing of commitments with a number of e-commerce platforms to raise businesses' awareness in improving the effectiveness of protecting consumer rights in e-commerce such as commitments on "Say no to counterfeit goods in e-commerce" in the years from 2019 to present.
Not stopping there, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has actively participated in international cooperation activities to improve the effectiveness of consumer protection in e-commerce. This cooperation not only helps Vietnam access advanced experiences and technologies from developed countries but also creates conditions for building consumer protection standards in line with international practices.
Currently, the National Competition Commission is a member of consumer protection organizations in the region and the world, including: Asean Consumer Protection Committee (ACCP), International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), and the Trade and Development Committee of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
In 2023, the Commission, in collaboration with UNDP, will publish the Code of Guidelines for Responsible Business Practices for Consumers in E-Commerce (for sellers) and negotiate to sign memoranda of understanding with consumer protection agencies of Australia, Japan and Korea.
Regarding inspection, examination and handling of violations, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has proactively coordinated closely with e-commerce platforms to promptly detect and support the handling of problems arising on the platforms. Along with that, the functional units of the Ministry of Industry and Trade have built a coordination mechanism in organizing inspection and examination activities to improve the effectiveness of monitoring the operations of e-commerce platforms. Through the coordination mechanism and the above-mentioned proactiveness, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has detected and handled many large-scale cases of counterfeit goods, fake goods, and goods of unknown origin offered for sale on cyberspace. In particular, it has promptly requested e-commerce platforms to adjust and remove information with false content that can have a negative impact on consumers.
According to Mr. Le Trieu Dung, the above efforts have been and are making an important contribution to protecting consumer rights and building a healthy and sustainable e-commerce environment. Therefore, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is committed to continuing to step up inspection, examination and handling of violations, ensuring that consumer rights are maximally protected.
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