Temu Exchange is not yet allowed to operate in Vietnam

There is currently no official information on when the Temu e-commerce platform will resume operations in Vietnam.

License only granted when documents are complete and valid

Speaking to reporters from the Industry and Trade Newspaper on the morning of February 10, Mr. Hoang Ninh - Deputy Director of the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy (Ministry of Industry and Trade) - said: Temu is still waiting for a license to operate in Vietnam. According to regulations, when this trading platform completes all necessary and valid documents, it will be considered for a license to operate.

In 2024, Temu caused a stir in the e-commerce market in Vietnam when it launched a "huge" promotion with discounts of up to 70%, 80%, and even 90%. In addition, Temu also offers customers the opportunity to earn "credits", which can then be converted into future purchases, along with free gifts. The game section also displays a series of incentives if users successfully register for Temu.

The Temu e-commerce platform is currently not allowed to operate in Vietnam. Illustrative photo

According to Decree No. 85/2021/ND-CP, foreign traders and organizations with websites providing e-commerce services in Vietnam must register e-commerce activities with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and establish a representative office in Vietnam or appoint their authorized representative in Vietnam.

However, after review, Temu e-commerce platform has not been licensed in Vietnam. This not only causes difficulties for domestic businesses but also poses many risks for consumers.

In carrying out state management of e-commerce, the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy has contacted and worked with Elementary Innovation Pte. Ltd - the owner of the Temu platform to request compliance with the provisions of the law on e-commerce in Vietnam as prescribed in Decree No. 52/2013/ND-CP (amended and supplemented by Decree No. 85/2021/ND-CP) on e-commerce.

Mr. Hoang Ninh said that after the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy proactively worked, Elementary Innovation Pte. Ltd. has implemented a number of measures as required by the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy, such as: Temporarily suspending the provision of e-commerce services in Vietnam (not using Vietnamese when providing services on the website Temu.com and the mobile application Temu). Submitting an application for registration of e-commerce service provision activities through the e-commerce management information portal (online.gov.vn)...

At the same time, remove promotional programs that do not comply with the provisions of the law on trade promotion according to Vietnamese law. All products and goods with promotions of over 50% will be removed according to the provisions of Decree No. 81/2018/ND-CP of the Government detailing the Law on Commerce on trade promotion activities and other relevant laws; remove programs and models calling on users to participate in business to receive various bonuses and commissions in the Vietnamese market...

The leader of the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy added that after Temu temporarily stopped operating, orders that had been placed were also stopped from being delivered to Vietnam. The application was required to announce an apology and implement a refund policy for customers. Up to this point, Temu has fully refunded the money to customers as required by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Tighten operations, protect consumer rights

Vietnam's e-commerce and digital economy will continue to be one of the bright spots of socio-economic development in 2024, contributing more than 25 billion USD, an increase of 20% compared to 2023, accounting for about 9% of the total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue nationwide.

In the context of increasingly deep international economic integration, along with the rapid and dynamic development of e-commerce, Vietnam has become a new destination for cross-border e-commerce platforms. However, the issue that consumers are skeptical about is the price and quality of goods on e-commerce platforms.

In fact, the authorities also assessed that the management of e-commerce is still not strict, especially cross-border e-commerce platforms. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the provisions of Decree 52/2013/ND-CP and Decree 85/2021/ND-CP basically cover the regulations on e-commerce with foreign elements, but there are no strong enough sanctions for cross-border platforms that do not have a presence in Vietnam.

In addition, there are no regulations on coordination between relevant state management agencies such as customs, tax, and market management during the implementation process; there are no regulations on coordination in managing and supervising the quality of goods, managing digital payments, or ecosystems supporting cross-border e-commerce...

On the other hand, there are no specific regulations on the responsibilities of intermediary service providers supporting e-commerce activities. This leads to a lack of management and supervision of the intermediary model. Without clear regulations on the responsibilities of intermediary service providers, organizations providing infrastructure and e-commerce support services may not fully comply with regulations on security, service quality and consumer rights protection. This may lead to an unsafe trading environment, making it difficult for consumers and businesses to participate in e-commerce activities...

Faced with this reality, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is seeking opinions on the development of the Law on E-commerce and plans to include it in the National Assembly's Law and Ordinance Development Program in 2025 (to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and comments at the 10th Session of the 15th National Assembly (October 2025) and approved at the 11th Session (May 2026).

The draft law has introduced additional management measures, clearly defining the forms of e-commerce activities, participating entities, rights and obligations of entities, promoting decentralization; requiring additional responsibility for owners of information platforms for goods and services and classifying domestic or foreign goods sold on the platform, providing periodic information, reporting on business situations on the platform, etc.

In particular, people who conduct livestreams or consultants who sell goods and services in conditional business investment sectors are also specifically regulated.

Previously, in Resolution 09/NQ-CP of the Government Conference with localities and the regular Government meeting in December 2024, the Government also requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade to study and amend according to its authority or propose competent authorities to amend legal documents on e-commerce to identify sellers on e-commerce platforms through VneID.

" This is not only a solution to improve management and control of goods sources, goods quality, and transactions in the cyberspace environment, but also protects consumer rights, helps trace the origin of sellers, reduces the risk of fraud and counterfeit goods. Buyers will have more basis to trust sellers, minimizing the risk of encountering counterfeit goods, poor quality goods or fraudulent acts ," shared the leader of the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy.

To ensure consumer rights, the Ministry of Industry and Trade recommends that consumers absolutely do not conduct transactions with unregistered cross-border e-commerce platforms to ensure their legitimate rights and interests.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/san-temu-van-chua-duoc-phep-hoat-dong-tai-viet-nam-373106.html