A woman shops online via her smartphone. E-commerce is expected to boom in Vietnam in the next few years.(Photo: VNA) Online shopping has become increasingly popular in Vietnam in recent years andtrade fraud in e-commerce and social networks has also increased, Tran HuuLinh, Director of the Vietnam Directorate of Market Surveillance, said.
2020 saw the rapid development of e-commerce in the context of theCOVID-19 pandemic, as warehouses could be located everywhere while deliveryservices and online payment made the circulation of goods faster than ever,Linh said, adding that this was causing difficulties in the fight against smugglingand trade fraud.
Linh said that the task force in charge of fighting smuggled andcounterfeit products in e-commerce was established early last year.
He forecast that trade fraud on e-commerce platforms would account forabout 50-60 per cent of all trade fraud in the next three years.
The legal framework must be adjusted to better manage the operation ofe-commerce and prevent trade fraud, Linh stressed.
A decree to replace Decree 52/2013/NĐ-CP about e-commerce which the ministryproposed to the Government late last year and expects to be issued thisyear would provide important changes to the environment for thedevelopment of e-commerce, he said.
Linh said the new decree would create a fair playground for e-commerce andtraditional trade with regulations to regulate the responsibilities ofe-commerce platform operators.
Relevant services such as e-payment, e-wallet and shipping – factors thatcontributed to the boom of e-commerce – should also be regulated, he said.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, it is critical toimprove the legal framework for e-commerce.
Under the ministry’s proposal, product information on e-commerce platforms mustbe transparent to prevent trade fraud. In addition, there is a need forsolutions to encourage the rating of e-commerce websites to increase trust.
The Vietnam e-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency plans to implement theGoOnline programme this year to support enterprises to put their business one-commerce platforms.
The agency aims to develop a healthy online market in Vietnam, consolidatethe trust of consumers and help businesses create a breakthrough for e-commercedevelopment.
Under the Government’s master plan of e-commerce development in 2021-25,one focus is to develop e-commerce to make Vietnam among the threeleading countries in ASEAN in terms of e-commerce development.
E-commerce expanded at 18 percent to reach 11.8 billion USD last year, making Vietnamthe only country in ASEAN to see two-digit growth in e-commerce.
The percentage of e-commerce revenue in total retail sales increased from 3.6percent in 2018 to 4.2 percent in 2019 and 5.5 percent in 2020.
A report from Google and Temasek found that Vietnam’s e-commerce market wouldreach 43 billion USD by 2025 to rank third in ASEAN./.
VNA
