E-commerce service providers look to promote consumer protection

The 2023 E-ecommerce Week, the largest of its kind in Vietnam, is scheduled to take place from November 27 to December 3 and will attract the participation of several leading local e-commerce service providers such as TikTokShop, Shopee, Lazada, Tiki, VnPay, ZaloPay, and Viettel Post.

The event will feature numerous activities, including a Vietnam e-commerce development conference, 60 hours of shopping on online platforms in Vietnam, and an e-commerce festival in Hanoi, with a view to protecting consumers’ rights.

“This year’s e-commerce week will deliver the message of consumer protection, during which the role of State management agencies, e-commerce platform developers and product suppliers will be discussed intensively. Recommendations will be submitted to State management agencies to take appropriate measures in support of consumers,” said Nguyen Lam Thanh, a representative of TikTok Vietnam.

“Platform developers and service providers are required to change their policy. If consumers feel safe, e-commerce will not only develop as it has done over the past 10 years but will also create a breakthrough in the coming time,” stressed Thanh.

As a means of strengthening the management and supervision of e-commerce activities in Vietnam, the E-Commerce and Digital Economy Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has deployed a range of comprehensive solutions, including launching communication campaigns, raising the responsibility of e-commerce platforms, applications, and websites, as well as boosting international cooperation in monitoring and managing e-commerce activities.

The E-Commerce and Digital Economy Department is currently working with the General Department of Market Management to implement a project on combating counterfeit goods and protecting consumers in e-commerce until 2025. They are therefore working on a plan to build a centralised database system capable of managing and monitoring e-commerce activities in the country.

Most notably, the E-Commerce and Digital Economy Department is now building a digital ecosystem which can protect consumers in e-commerce, said Nguyen Thi Minh Huyen, deputy director of the department.

“We believe that with the application of digital technology, the management and supervision of e-commerce activities will be increasingly promoted, helping to ensure consumer trust in e-commerce,” stated Huyen.

Nguyen Quynh Anh, deputy head of the National Competition Commission under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, affirmed that the commission would aim to protect consumers before, during, and after purchases of products online, citing new provisions set out in the 2023 Law on protection of consumer rights that focuses on the responsibility of e-commerce platforms and the role of key opinion leaders (KoL).

“We still expect people to be smart consumers, but to make smart shopping decisions, consumers must be provided with enough information. In the upcoming draft decree, we will require businesses to provide consumers with full information about the product, payment, and delivery as well as product return,” said Anh.