In 2023, more than 6,200 online sales booths violating the law will be locked and removed.

The above are figures related to the management, supervision and protection of consumer rights in e-commerce activities, mentioned in the report of the Ministry of Industry and Trade sent to National Assembly deputies before the question and answer session of the 7th Session of the 15th National Assembly.

Transferred many cases to the police agency for handling

The report stated that in 2023, e-commerce activities in Vietnam will continue to grow strongly with a growth rate of 25% compared to 2022, ranked among the top 5 countries with the highest growth rate in the world, and is forecast to continue to grow positively in the coming years.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien is one of four industry leaders who will answer questions from National Assembly deputies at the 7th Session of the 15th National Assembly.

However, the rapid development of e-commerce activities also poses challenges to the management, supervision and protection of consumer rights in the face of counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, violations of intellectual property rights, violations of laws on consumer rights protection, etc.

To develop healthy and sustainable e-commerce activities, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has focused on synchronously implementing many tasks. Accordingly, in addition to completing the law and receiving and handling complaints from consumers, the Ministry regularly monitors, supervises, detects and handles violations through online sales and livestreaming.

In 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Trade requested platforms and websites to review, prevent and remove/lock 6,254 booths with 23,359 violating products. The market management force (Ministry of Industry and Trade) inspected 834 cases, handled 764 cases, and imposed fines of 12 billion VND.

The Ministry also closely coordinates with the National Steering Committee 389, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Health and other functional forces to review and handle hundreds of violating websites/applications each year, transferring many cases to the police to handle, preventing the risk of causing large-scale damage to people.

Many prominent cases of selling counterfeit goods/goods infringing intellectual property rights on social networks have been cracked down on, the report stated.

Typical examples include: Ansan Cosmetics - Ho Chi Minh City (seized 7,678 product units); TS Vietnam - Hanoi (seized 14,000 products with an estimated total value of over 11 billion VND); Menshop79 - Hanoi (2,000 products with signs of counterfeiting Gucci, Louis Vuitton brands..., worth over 20 billion VND); 145 Hoang Dieu - Lao Cai (seized 237 items with 158,014 products); transferred to the investigation agency the Mailystyle case in Ha Dong, Hanoi (seized over 126,000 products without invoices and documents worth over 20 billion VND)...

Fraudulent and counterfeit online sales methods are increasingly sophisticated.

In addition to the achieved results, the report also mentioned shortcomings and limitations in the management, supervision and protection of consumer rights in e-commerce activities such as the complicated situation of counterfeit, fake and poor quality goods.

E-commerce is having an increasingly large impact, especially on young people, the elderly, people living in rural, mountainous and remote areas... which has caused some negative consequences such as fraud in cyberspace and "shopping addiction".

Besides the achieved results, the management, supervision and protection of consumer rights in e-commerce activities still have some shortcomings and limitations. (Illustration photo)

The reasons for the shortcomings and limitations reported are that regulations on responsibility and sanctions for violations of counterfeit and fake goods are still lacking and not strong enough; online sales are developing too quickly over a large area (the whole country), with a very large number of transactions while human resources for monitoring and handling are still thin.

Along with that, fraudulent and counterfeit sales tricks on the internet are becoming more and more sophisticated, while a segment of consumers who are new to online shopping are easily lured by fraudulent tricks and enticements to buy cheap goods.

Online sales may require identity verification

To overcome the above shortcomings and limitations, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that in the coming time, it will urgently develop and submit to the Government for promulgation a Decree amending and supplementing Decree No. 98/2020/ND-CP and Decree No. 17/2022/ND-CP, in which sanctions against violations of the law on consumer protection in e-commerce will be strengthened.

At the same time, continue to research and propose amendments to regulations related to e-commerce such as: adding new concepts in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Electronic Transactions 2023 and the Law on Consumer Protection amended in 2023; decentralizing and delegating power to localities in managing, supervising and resolving online disputes in e-commerce activities.

The Ministry will also study and supplement regulations on authenticating individual seller accounts and providing information on websites and applications providing e-commerce services; enhance the responsibility of digital platform owners/intermediary digital platforms and influencers; clearly define the responsibility of intermediary service providers supporting e-commerce activities such as logistics, ISPs, affiliate marketing services, etc.

In addition, policies on managing social networks providing e-commerce services and management regulations for foreign-invested economic organizations providing e-commerce services in Vietnam will also be considered for supplementation.

In addition to the above solutions, the report also mentioned promoting propaganda, dissemination, and guiding businesses to improve their spirit of law compliance and consumer protection in cyberspace; strengthening propaganda, encouraging consumers to be cautious, carefully researching product information, seller information in online transactions; guiding and encouraging consumers to have skills to check and evaluate brands, product quality, and supplier reputation in cyberspace, detecting and avoiding fraudulent and enticing tricks.

Along with that, actively and proactively review e-commerce websites/applications in compliance with the law; proactively detect and handle cases of trading in counterfeit, fake, and poor quality goods;

The Ministry of Industry and Trade will also strengthen connectivity and data sharing among ministries, sectors and localities to exploit information to serve the protection of consumer rights in e-commerce; closely coordinate with the National Steering Committee 389, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Health and functional forces to detect and thoroughly handle lines, establishments and individuals violating the law.

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