Vietnam proposes tighter seller checks as e-commerce reaches US$31 billion
A proposed scheme would strengthen product tracing and platform oversight as authorities confront violations and consumer complaints.
Vietnam’s industry and trade ministry has proposed tougher checks on online sellers and greater responsibility for shopping platforms under an e-commerce development scheme running through 2035, with a vision to 2045. The ministry said the market reached about US$31 billion in 2025.
The proposals would bring together information on sellers, the origins of goods and transaction records to help authorities identify violations. The Ministry of Public Security would lead work on coordinated rules for verifying business operators and linking transaction data.
The ministry reported e-commerce growth of 25 per cent in 2025, with online transactions representing around 11 per cent of retail sales across goods and services. With 60 per cent of its population shopping online, Vietnam ranked among the three biggest ASEAN e-commerce markets.
Consumer safeguards remain a challenge. Of 896 complaints and reports received by the National Competition Commission in 2025, 191 concerned e-commerce, representing 21.3 per cent and the largest proportion of any category. Authorities also ordered nearly 50,000 infringing products removed and blocked around 13,000 online shops over violations, according to the ministry.
The ministry said inadequate identity checks and product tracing enabled sellers to use fake accounts and short-lived shops across multiple channels. It also cited inconsistent coordination between platforms, merchants, delivery firms and payment providers when resolving consumer disputes.
The scheme proposes stronger platform monitoring of listings and better coordination over complaints and after-sales obligations. Other measures would standardise product quality, make labels and product information more transparent, expand digital payments and gradually reduce cash-on-delivery transactions.
