A "shield" to protect consumers.

According to the agenda, this afternoon (November 3rd), the National Assembly will discuss the draft Law on E-commerce in committees. One of the important contents is that the draft Law adds provisions for identifying domestic sellers according to the law on electronic identification and authentication, and foreign sellers through documents proving their legality, in order to accurately identify sellers and ensure transparency in e-commerce transactions; and adds responsibilities for entities participating in livestream selling activities.

Along with the rapid development of global e-commerce, the size of Vietnam's e-commerce market reached US$25 billion in 2024, contributing nearly 10% of the total revenue from consumer goods and services nationwide in 2024. The e-commerce market is an attractive investment destination for many foreign investors, helping Vietnamese consumers become global consumers. Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have leveraged modern platforms to develop their distribution channels for goods and products.

We have witnessed a recent explosive growth trend in e-commerce: livestreaming sales. While offering consumers a wide selection of products to meet their needs, the uncontrolled proliferation of livestreaming sales has led to buyers purchasing low-quality products despite paying real money. The cases of Miss International Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, Quang Linh Vlogs, and Hang "the nomad" selling vegetable-based candy via livestream, exaggerating the product's functions, are examples. The lack of control over livestreaming sales not only harms consumers but also results in significant tax revenue losses for the government, amounting to billions of dong, from these "deal closing" sessions.

Meanwhile, current legal regulations govern livestreaming sales activities as an advertising activity accompanying sales, but lack specific regulations regarding the entities participating in livestreaming, such as: account holders, livestream participants, minimum information fields that must be provided to viewers, the professional qualifications of the livestreamers, account holder identification, tax obligations, and issues related to information control during livestreaming.

Due to a lack of information, consumers find it difficult to verify the reliability of sellers on e-commerce platforms if seller information is not clear and transparent. This directly affects consumer rights and erodes consumer trust in e-commerce platforms. The absence of strict regulations on verifying and storing seller information makes investigating and handling violations in e-commerce transactions complicated. Authorities also find it difficult to trace warehouses or sellers when violations occur.

To fill this legal gap, the draft Law on E-commerce clearly stipulates regulations for livestreaming sales. Accordingly, the platform owner of an e-commerce platform must verify the identity of the livestreamer, publicly disclose and implement real-time control mechanisms and measures for livestreaming sales content. The draft Law also specifies the responsibilities of sellers in livestreaming sales. Specifically, sellers must provide livestreamers with complete documentation proving they meet the investment and business conditions for conditional business sectors before livestreaming; and documents proving that their products and goods meet the quality standards as prescribed by law.

In addition, the draft Law also specifies the responsibilities of those who livestream sales. Accordingly, those who livestream sales must provide information to the e-commerce platform's management for the purpose of electronic identification and authentication. They are prohibited from providing false or misleading information about the uses, origin, quality, price, promotions, warranty policies, and other content related to goods and services; and they must adhere to the advertising content that has been approved by the competent authority for goods and services that are legally required to have their advertising content approved...

Thus, the requirement to provide electronic identification and authentication in the draft law shows that the drafting agency expects to restore order and integrity to the livestreaming market in particular, and e-commerce activities in general. With regulations defining the responsibilities of each entity, the passed E-commerce Law will create a transparent and equal playing field for those participating in business on e-commerce platforms. This also means we are creating a safe "shield" to protect consumers from the widespread problem of counterfeit, fake, and substandard goods in e-commerce transactions.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/la-chan-bao-ve-nguoi-tieu-dung-10394050.html