Vietnam is one of the countries that pay due attention to protecting consumers’ interests and France is ready to cooperate and share experiences with Vietnam in this field.

The statement was made by French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean Francois Girault at a seminar entitled “Protecting Consumers from Asian and European Angles” which opened in Hanoi on September 27.

The two-day seminar is co-organised by the Vietnam-France Law House and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) with the support from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Francophone Organisation (OIF).

Speaking at the event, MoIT Deputy Minister Tran Tuan Anh said that the rapid socio-economic development has not only brought in many opportunities for consumers but also yielded violations of their interests.

Meanwhile, there are many shortcomings in the existing law’s regulations that raise difficulties for the detection and settlement of violations, he added.

“Therefore, building a law on consumer protection is a necessary requirement and an useful tool to protect the legitimate interests of consumers,” Anh said, adding that the draft Law on Consumer Protection is expected to be approved at the National Assembly’s upcoming session scheduled for October this year.

According to Dr. Nguyen Nhu Phat, Director of the Institute of State and Law under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Vietnam’s law has acknowledged basic rules on protecting consumers’ rights, including the rights to be informed, to safety, to select and to complain as well as regulations on responsibilities of agencies, units and individuals in protecting consumers.

However, the protection of consumers in Vietnam is still limited as few people know regulations on consumer protection, he noted.

Experts from France, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos emphasised the importance of protecting consumers’ interests in the market-oriented economy and integration process./.