Trade ministry calls for authentication from e-commerce sellers to protect consumers

The Ministry of Industry and Trade said in a recent report to the National Assembly that it is looking into regulations to better manage e-commerce businesses to protect consumer rights, including a potential requirement to authenticate individual sellers.

Individual e-commerce sellers would have to provide information to verify their accounts on e-commerce platforms if the recommendation is approved.

Management and supervision of disputes in e-commerce would also be decentralised to local levels. Responsibilities of intermediary service providers such as logistics, ISPs, affiliate marketing, and social network management services will also be clarified.

In May 2023, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked to increase connectivity and data sharing to promote the development of e-commerce, including the verification of e-commerce business accounts and transactions.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade predicted that e-commerce development will continue to be robust, after expanding 25% last year.

E-commerce is becoming increasingly popular, especially among the young, elderly, and people living in rural and remote areas. However, there are problems such as fraud and an abundance of low-quality and counterfeit products.

The Vietnamese government last year approved a project to prevent counterfeit products and protect consumers, with a goal of all major e-commerce platforms committing to stop the sale of counterfeit products.