Hanoi (VNA/VNS)- The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is seeking solutions to stop fakegoods appearing on e-commerce websites, said an official at a conference heldin Hanoi recently.

Nguyen Huu Tuan, head of theE-commerce management division of MoIT’s Vietnam eCommerce and DigitalEconomy Agency, said 2018 was the busiest year for online businesses, with agrowth rate of more than 30 percent. “If this level of growth continues in2019 and 2020, the market will reach 13 billion USD.”

However, he said management of the e-commercesector faced difficulties because forecasts were out of date compared to therapid growth and development of the industry.

“Such limitations are not only challenging Vietnam,but also many other countries. In Europe, up to 55 percent of customersreceive counterfeit goods when ordering online,” Tuan said.

The problem of counterfeit goods on e-commercesites is causing headaches for State management agencies in Vietnam.

In 2018, about 250 violations among e-commercebusinesses were discovered, including issues with the transparency ofinformation, transactions and contracts with customers.

Government Decree 52/2013/ND-CP on thee-commerce sector does not cover all issues relevant to payments, informationtransparency and consumer protection, Tuan said.

Regarding online lending models such aspeer-to-peer (P2P), which are not yet permitted in Vietnam, Tuan said thiswas a relatively new area and the law had not been fully adjusted to adaptto this model.

In addition, the MoIT’s CircularNo.47/2014/TT-BCT on the management of e-commerce websites excludes websites inthe financial sector. “This segment is related to the management of theMinistry of Finance and the State Bank of Vietnam. Peer-to-peer lending has notbeen specifically defined so we are unable to license it,” Tuan said.

“The Government has assigned ministries andagencies to study this issue,” he added.

Tuan said the Vietnam eCommerce and DigitalEconomy Agency was focusing on preparing for the rapid growth of the market,creating a legal framework for e-commerce activities, as well as solutions tostop the trade of fake goods.

“E-commerce businesses operate like a normalmarket. If we want to check goods sold on e-commerce platforms, we need to haveinspection measures like those for regular sales,” Tuan said.

In order to limit counterfeit goods, the MoITwill focus on several key areas, including amending Decree 52 to create a legalcorridor protecting consumers.

The agency will work closely with customsauthorities, market watch team and police to thoroughly eliminate poor qualitygoods sold online.

The MoIT is working with the National SteeringCommittee for Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeited Goods (National SteeringCommittee 389) to develop a master plan to prevent the trade of counterfeit andsmuggled goods on e-commerce sites. This will be submitted to the Government assoon as possible, according to Tuan.-VNS/VNA