Vietnam competition watchdog intervenes, Shopee delays new fee policy

Shopee has postponed the rollout of a new fee policy under its "Visibility Maintenance Program" after Vietnam's competition regulator raised concerns over its impact on sellers and market competition.

The National Competition Commission (NCC), under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said it had received multiple complaints in May regarding fee adjustments and new charges introduced by several e-commerce platforms.

The regulator said such changes could increase operating costs for merchants, potentially affecting product prices and competition in the market.

The NCC held meetings with sellers operating on Shopee and TikTok Shop to gather feedback on difficulties arising from increases in fixed fees, transaction processing fees and the introduction of new service charges during May.

The commission also requested information and supporting documents from several digital retail intermediary platforms, including Shopee, and conducted direct discussions to clarify the basis, rationale, implementation methods and potential impact of the new fee policies on sellers and market competition.

Particular attention was given to Shopee's planned "Visibility Maintenance Program", which had been scheduled to take effect on May 29, 2026.

Under the proposed policy, Shopee would automatically deduct a percentage of revenue from completed orders and allocate the amount to sellers' advertising accounts to maintain product promotion activities on the platform.

The standard contribution rate was set at 1% of revenue, excluding value-added tax, with sellers allowed to adjust the rate between 1% and 50% depending on their needs. The amount would be deducted before sales proceeds were transferred to merchants.

Following its review, the NCC requested Shopee reassess both the rationale for the program and its impact on the seller community.

On May 27, Shopee reported to the regulator that it would postpone implementation of the new fee policy and planned to formally notify sellers on May 28.

The commission said it would continue monitoring existing fees, including fixed fees, transaction processing fees, infrastructure fees and other service charges imposed by e-commerce platforms.

The regulator also instructed Shopee, TikTok Shop and related companies to provide complete information and ensure transparency and reasonableness in fee collection mechanisms while minimizing adverse effects on merchants' business operations.

The NCC said digital retail intermediary platforms must ensure that policy changes do not impose unreasonable burdens on sellers, distort competition or negatively affect consumer interests.

Previous enforcement actions

According to market reports, Shopee remains Vietnam's largest e-commerce platform with an estimated market share of around 65%.

However, the company has previously faced penalties related to competition and consumer protection violations.

In April 2026, the NCC fined Shopee VND200 million ($7,600) for providing misleading information that caused consumers to misunderstand the terms of a promotional campaign held on August 8, 2025.

In addition to the fine, the company was ordered to publicly correct the information across all platforms under its management.

Earlier, in 2025, SPX Express, Shopee's logistics unit, was also fined VND200 million for providing misleading information aimed at attracting customers.

TikTok has likewise faced regulatory scrutiny. In early 2026, the NCC fined TikTok Pte. Ltd. VND880 million for multiple violations of consumer protection regulations.

According to the regulator, TikTok failed to provide consumers with a mechanism to opt in or out of the use of personal information for advertising purposes, included inappropriate terms in standard transaction conditions, and provided incomplete or misleading information about transaction content and characteristics.

The platform was also found to have inadequate procedures for handling complaints and resolving disputes involving vulnerable consumer groups.

The commission ordered TikTok to cease the violations and review its policies to ensure full compliance with Vietnam's consumer protection regulations.