Effective management of the e-commerce market.

E-commerce is currently becoming one of the key growth drivers of Vietnam's digital economy, as we are witnessing the explosion of online shopping platforms and millions of consumers gradually changing their shopping habits with just a few taps on their smartphones.

Consumers are gradually shifting their shopping habits from in-person to online through e-commerce platforms.

However, this trend is accompanied by increasing challenges in management, especially the prevalence of counterfeit, fake, and substandard goods, as well as intellectual property infringement on online platforms. e-commerce and social media. These issues not only erode consumer confidence but also threaten the healthy development of e-commerce and the legitimate rights and interests of manufacturing businesses.

Strong growth

2025 marked a significant leap forward for Vietnam's e-commerce sector. According to reports from the Ministry of Industry and Trade and research organizations, in just nine months of 2025, total revenue across the four largest e-commerce platforms in Vietnam reached VND 305.9 trillion, an impressive 34.35% increase compared to the same period the previous year.

Forecasts for 2025 indicate that the Vietnamese e-commerce market could surpass $30 billion, accounting for approximately 10% of the country's total retail sales of goods and consumer services. Other sources estimate this figure could reach $32-40 billion, with a sustained growth rate of 25-27%.

Vietnam continues to maintain its position in the top 10 countries with the fastest e-commerce growth rate in the world , ranking third in Southeast Asia in terms of market size. This boom is driven by a strong increase in internet users (over 80 million people), a high smartphone usage rate, and large promotional campaigns from various platforms.

E-commerce is now not only changing shopping habits but also becoming a crucial distribution channel for millions of small and medium-sized enterprises, especially in the context of national digital transformation.

However, despite impressive growth figures, the e-commerce market still faces many shortcomings, most notably the problem of counterfeit, fake, and substandard goods, as well as infringement. intellectual property rights.

Violations are becoming increasingly sophisticated, exploiting anonymity in cyberspace to deceive consumers; counterfeit goods of famous brands such as Nike, Adidas, Gucci, or dietary supplements and cosmetics of unknown origin are rampant on online platforms and social media.

Market management forces in Quang Ninh province inspected an online business in the area.

According to the summary report of the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development (Ministry of Industry and Trade), in 2025, market management forces nationwide inspected more than 27,000 cases, detected and handled 23,402 violations, and collected nearly 372 billion VND for the state budget. The violations mainly focused on trading counterfeit goods, goods infringing intellectual property rights, goods of unknown origin, price violations, and food safety violations.

In particular, in the e-commerce environment, authorities have recorded more than 4,052 violations, a number that shows the seriousness and complexity of the problem.

Several typical cases of trademark and brand counterfeiting, frequently discovered by authorities on e-commerce platforms or livestream accounts selling fake health supplements that harm consumers' health, have caused public outrage.

This situation not only causes direct economic damage to consumers and legitimate businesses, but also undermines the credibility of e-commerce platforms, hindering the sustainable development of the industry.

For example, recently in Ho Chi Minh City, market management forces inspected a business selling granulated sugar on social media and discovered nearly 2 tons of sugar without legal invoices or documents. In Hanoi, more than 2,000 counterfeit products of famous brands such as Hermes and Gucci, worth approximately 20 billion VND, were seized. Another case involved the discovery and seizure of 126,000 products without invoices or documents, worth 20 billion VND, at the Mailystyle business.

The common thread in these cases is that the perpetrators exploit social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok, and livestream sales to distribute infringing goods; their warehouses are dispersed and frequently change locations to evade inspection. In many cases, they use celebrities or influential social media personalities (KOLs, KOCs) to advertise, exaggerate quality, and label products as "imported," "regional specialties," "homemade," or "100% clean," misleading consumers and exploiting their trust.

Towards a transparent and healthy e-commerce market.

To effectively prevent violations and build a safe and transparent e-commerce market, state management agencies need to implement a series of synchronized solutions, from perfecting the legal framework to applying modern technology.

First and foremost, perfecting the legal framework is a crucial foundation. The National Assembly has passed the new E-commerce Law, effective from 2025, with many groundbreaking regulations. Notably, it requires the identification of sellers on e-commerce platforms through the national electronic identification system VNeID.

This regulation facilitates easier traceability and minimizes the use of fake accounts to sell counterfeit goods. At the same time, Decree 117/2025/ND-CP on tax management for business activities on e-commerce platforms also contributes to strengthening the responsibility of platforms and sellers.

In addition, the application of technology, which is being promoted, is needed to control violations. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is coordinating with e-commerce platforms to deploy AI technology and automated scanning to detect counterfeit and fake goods right from the listing stage.

Major e-commerce platforms like Shopee and Lazada must commit to removing stores when violations are detected and must cooperate in providing data to authorities.

Continuing to raise awareness and protect consumer rights is key. Public awareness campaigns on how to identify counterfeit goods and encouraging shopping at official stores are being intensified. At the same time, the complaint and refund mechanisms on online platforms need to be further improved to build trust.

Market management forces in Can Tho city inspect business operations at a store in the area.

Authorities, with market management as the core, need to continue to coordinate closely with the police, customs, health, and local governments in inspecting and monitoring online business activities.

Tran Huu Linh, Director of the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development, emphasized that combating counterfeit goods in e-commerce must be identified as a priority task. Accordingly, it is necessary to strengthen online monitoring, enhance multi-sectoral coordination, and review and improve relevant legal regulations.

Besides inspection and handling of violations, raising awareness among consumers and businesses also plays a crucial role. Businesses need to proactively invest in anti-counterfeiting technology, cooperate with e-commerce platforms and authorities in detecting and preventing violations; and at the same time improve product quality and build brand reputation in the digital environment.

In the long term, sustainable e-commerce development should not only focus on tightening regulations, but also go hand in hand with mechanisms to encourage legitimate business practices and promote the "Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese goods" program on digital platforms.

In particular, close coordination between ministries, localities, and businesses is essential. Currently, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is leading the development of a long-term plan, combining strict handling of major cases to deter future offenses, while simultaneously supporting legitimate businesses to thrive in the digital environment.

With these decisive solutions, the Vietnamese e-commerce market promises to enter a more sustainable development phase in the future, with a healthy environment that not only protects consumers but also creates momentum for the industry to continue being a pillar of growth in the digital economy, contributing to bringing Vietnam closer to its goal of becoming a regional e-commerce hub.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/quan-ly-tot-thi-truong-thuong-mai-dien-tu-3389260.html