Electronics enterprises were encouraged to implement measures to improve information security, respect customer privacy and increase the quality of their services in order to succeed in e-trading activities, a conference heard on Nov. 30.

The conference themed "Customer protection in e-trade", which aims to raise awareness of customer protection in e-trading and contribute to the healthy and sustainable development of e-commerce in Vietnam, opened on Nov. 30 in Hanoi.

The event was organised by the Competition Administration Department and the Vietnam E-Commerce Portal.

Nguyen Phuong Nam, deputy head of the department, said along with the robust development of internet services in Vietnam, e-trading activities had grown significantly in recent times and had provided customers with many benefits.

"E-trade enables customers to access the global market to buy almost any type of products, with a variety of options and preferential prices thanks to reduced costs by avoiding middleman services," Nam said.

However, Nam warned that e-trade customers were still concerned about information security and had a fear of being exploited by unfair trade practices, unsecure payment methods and personal data leaks.

"These are some of the biggest challenges to e-commerce development in Vietnam which Vietnamese authorities and e-commerce companies are striving to overcome," he said.

E-commerce has expanded significantly since people first began using the internet in Viet Nam electronic payments with their bank cards while the number of e-commerce websites, such as www.chodientu.vn and www.azshop.vn, has risen robustly.

Vu Thi Bach Nga, head of the department's customer protection section said in addition to its outstanding advantages, e-commerce had also brought about many risks for customers who did not have a clear understanding of e-commerce regulations and practices.

"E-commerce helps companies reduce the costs of production, marketing and sales as well as decrease transaction times. However, unsafe information security, user data leaks, ambiguity in pricing and product advertising have been damaging to customer rights as well," Nga said.

She urged companies to strictly adhere to current e-trade laws and regulations and strengthen customer belief in good e-trade practices by improving information security and the quality of their products and services.

E-trade customers also needed to do their part to raise their own awareness of good e-trade practices and increase their supervision of websites offering electronic products and services to protect their rights, Nga said./.