The Vietnam Consumer Protection Association holds a workshop discussing the law protecting consumers in Hanoi on July 23. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - While more andmore Vietnamese people are turning to e-commerce, the current consumerprotection law does not properly cover online shoppers.
Attending a workshop discussing the laws heldby Vietnam Consumer Protection Association in Hanoi last week, experts saidmore effective solutions are needed to protect consumers.
Nguyen Manh Hung, the association’s chairman,said: “Ten years after the law went into effect, it has gradually helpedprotect the shopping and consumption activities for more than 90 millionVietnamese people.”
“However, the law has revealed manylimitations and not yet met the demand of local consumers. The basic rights ofconsumers are still seriously infringed in Vietnam, especially in onlinetrading which is booming now.”
According to the e-Commerce White Book 2019,about 39.9 million people shopped online in 2018, up by 6.3 million peopleagainst the previous year. Average spending for online shopping was 202 USD perperson in 2018, 16 USD higher than in 2017.
Issued ten years ago, some provisions of thelaw were still unclear or no longer relevant to the context of the currente-commerce and online business models.
In Vietnam, except common e-commerce siteslike Lazada or Shopee, many consumers bought products from individual sellersvia social networks such as Facebook and Zalo, where there are no rights forbuyers or obligations or sellers.
At the same time, the association said: “Manyconsumers still don’t know about the law and never ask for help when theirinterests are harmed.”
Through different surveys, the associationsaid only around 15 percent of consumers know about the Law on ConsumerProtection, the rest do not know their rights and obligations when shoppingonline.
As a result, while many consumers facedissues when shopping online, there were few complaints made.
Phan Thi Viet Thu, head of HCM City’sConsumer Protection Association, said while the law on commerce regulatedobligations of enterprises when they offer promotions to consumers, the law onconsumer protection did not.
Thu said: “When trading online, manycustomers were offered gifts or bonuses when purchasing products, but afterpayment, they did not receive any.”
Even when the consumers ask for help, aconsumer protection official from Da Nang City said: “It is also difficult tohelp consumers who bought their products via Facebook or Zalo as there is noinvoice or trading agreement. We have no proof of the transaction.”
At the seminar, participants agreed that thelaw should be changed with clearer regulations for online trading.
Chairman of the association told Vietnam News: “Consumers are the ones whohelp grow local production and contribute to the national economy, so all theirrights should be protected.”
Recently, Vietnam has set a target to growthe local e-commerce industry by 25 percent per year to reach 35 billion USDwith more than half of the population shopping online by the end of 2025.
The e-Commerce White Book 2019 revealed thate-commerce revenue jumped 30 percent from 6.2 billion USD in 2017 to 8.06billion USD in 2018, while the size of the local e-commerce market was expectedto reach 13 billion USD in 2020.
The e-Conomy SEA 2019 report by Google andTemasek predicted that e-commerce in Vietnam would expand 43 percent per yearin the 2015-25 period, making Vietnam the fastest growing e-commerce market inthe region./.
Attending a workshop discussing the laws heldby Vietnam Consumer Protection Association in Hanoi last week, experts saidmore effective solutions are needed to protect consumers.
Nguyen Manh Hung, the association’s chairman,said: “Ten years after the law went into effect, it has gradually helpedprotect the shopping and consumption activities for more than 90 millionVietnamese people.”
“However, the law has revealed manylimitations and not yet met the demand of local consumers. The basic rights ofconsumers are still seriously infringed in Vietnam, especially in onlinetrading which is booming now.”
According to the e-Commerce White Book 2019,about 39.9 million people shopped online in 2018, up by 6.3 million peopleagainst the previous year. Average spending for online shopping was 202 USD perperson in 2018, 16 USD higher than in 2017.
Issued ten years ago, some provisions of thelaw were still unclear or no longer relevant to the context of the currente-commerce and online business models.
In Vietnam, except common e-commerce siteslike Lazada or Shopee, many consumers bought products from individual sellersvia social networks such as Facebook and Zalo, where there are no rights forbuyers or obligations or sellers.
At the same time, the association said: “Manyconsumers still don’t know about the law and never ask for help when theirinterests are harmed.”
Through different surveys, the associationsaid only around 15 percent of consumers know about the Law on ConsumerProtection, the rest do not know their rights and obligations when shoppingonline.
As a result, while many consumers facedissues when shopping online, there were few complaints made.
Phan Thi Viet Thu, head of HCM City’sConsumer Protection Association, said while the law on commerce regulatedobligations of enterprises when they offer promotions to consumers, the law onconsumer protection did not.
Thu said: “When trading online, manycustomers were offered gifts or bonuses when purchasing products, but afterpayment, they did not receive any.”
Even when the consumers ask for help, aconsumer protection official from Da Nang City said: “It is also difficult tohelp consumers who bought their products via Facebook or Zalo as there is noinvoice or trading agreement. We have no proof of the transaction.”
At the seminar, participants agreed that thelaw should be changed with clearer regulations for online trading.
Chairman of the association told Vietnam News: “Consumers are the ones whohelp grow local production and contribute to the national economy, so all theirrights should be protected.”
Recently, Vietnam has set a target to growthe local e-commerce industry by 25 percent per year to reach 35 billion USDwith more than half of the population shopping online by the end of 2025.
The e-Commerce White Book 2019 revealed thate-commerce revenue jumped 30 percent from 6.2 billion USD in 2017 to 8.06billion USD in 2018, while the size of the local e-commerce market was expectedto reach 13 billion USD in 2020.
The e-Conomy SEA 2019 report by Google andTemasek predicted that e-commerce in Vietnam would expand 43 percent per yearin the 2015-25 period, making Vietnam the fastest growing e-commerce market inthe region./.
VNA
