On June 30, 2026, the Government issued Decree No. 248/2026/ND-CP detailing a number of articles of the Law on E-Commerce ("Decree 248"), designating December 12 each year as National E-Commerce Day. Plans for activities responding to National E-Commerce Day will be carried out regularly and continuously throughout the year, with a particular focus on the last month of the year and the first three months of the following year, revolving around activities such as dissemination, education, and training on e-commerce laws, online shopping skills, and other related activities.
In addition, Decree 248 contains several notable points regarding electronic identity verification for sellers and livestreamers; transparency in transaction policies; tightened management of livestreaming activities and complaint-handling mechanisms; and regulations aimed at strengthening the management of foreign e-commerce platforms in Vietnam. The details are as follows:
1. Platform-governing bodies of intermediary e-commerce platforms are responsible for conducting electronic identity verification for sellers and livestreamers starting from January 1, 2027
Decree 248 stipulates and provides specific guidance on the responsibilities of platform-governing bodies of intermediary e-commerce platforms in conducting electronic identity verification for sellers, taking effect on January 1, 2027. This regulation aims to enhance transparency in e-commerce activities, curb identity fraud and the trading of goods of unknown origin, and improve traceability when violations occur.
Accordingly, for domestic sellers, the platform must verify the identity information of individuals (including full name, date of birth, and personal identification number) or organizations (including organization name, head office address, organization identification number, and identity information of the legal representative).
For foreign sellers, verification is conducted based on passport information or valid equivalent documents with at least 6 months of validity remaining for individuals. For foreign organizations, the platform must verify information regarding the organization's name, head office address, country or territory of registration according to the business registration certificate or equivalent documents, along with the identity information of the legal representative.
Furthermore, for platforms offering livestream sales features, Decree 248 requires them to publicly disclose operating rules for livestreaming, explicitly specifying the eligible subjects, processes, and guidelines for livestreamers to undergo electronic identity verification before participating in sales activities. This requirement demonstrates that regulatory authorities are expanding verification requirements beyond sellers to include individuals directly conducting livestreaming activities, thereby enhancing accountability and controlling violations in the e-commerce environment more effectively.
2. Transparency of transaction policies on e-commerce platforms
Compared to Decree No. 52/2013/ND-CP on E-Commerce dated May 16, 2013 ("Decree 52"), Decree 248 introduces new regulations while amending and supplementing existing provisions to require e-commerce platforms to fully and clearly disclose basic transaction policies. This seeks to boost transparency, protect consumer rights, and enable users to make transaction decisions based on complete information.
Regarding pricing policies: under Decree 52, platforms were only required to disclose related costs if price information for goods and services was provided. Under Decree 248, platforms must explicitly state whether prices include or exclude costs related to the purchase of goods or services, such as taxes, shipping fees, and other incurred charges. Additionally, if the platform charges service fees to sellers—such as fees for opening/maintaining accounts or processing orders—the policy must detail fee schedules, calculation methods for each type of fee, and the effective date. Any changes to service fees charged to sellers must be publicly posted on the platform at least 20 days prior to implementation.
Regarding payment policies: platforms must publicly disclose applicable payment methods for goods and services along with clear and accurate explanatory information to help buyers choose a suitable option, as well as refund methods in cases of goods returns or service terminations. Decree 248 introduces new provisions stating that if reward points, point refunds, or convertibly valued incentives are implemented, the platform must publish the mechanics of point accrual and usage, scope of application, conditions, conversion rates and limits, as well as the responsibilities of all parties involved. Furthermore, reward points cannot be converted into cash.
Regarding priority display policies: this is an entirely new provision under Decree 248 that was not present in Decree 52. Platforms using algorithms or measures to prioritize or restrict the display of goods and services must publicly disclose the main criteria applied. These criteria include relevance to search keywords, paid priority placement, buyer search and transaction history, customer ratings and feedback, number of successful orders, geographic factors (locality, country, or territory of the user), delivery methods, payment methods, and other main criteria (if any).
Regarding delivery policies: Decree 52 required the disclosure of information related to delivery/service supply methods, estimated delivery/service supply timelines, and geographical limits for delivery/service supply (if any). Decree 248 inherits these provisions while amending and supplementing them to align with current realities. Additionally, Decree 248 lays down requirements regarding the responsibilities of logistics service providers to update order tracking information during transit, as well as inspection policies (if applicable).
Regarding return and refund policies: compared to Decree 52, Decree 248 details conditions governing returns and refunds, deadlines for accepting requests, handling procedures, execution methods for returns or refunds, and clearly assigns the responsibilities and costs borne by each party during the process. Transparent policies help raise platform accountability in service provision and minimize disputes arising from e-commerce transactions.
3. Tightened management over livestream selling activities on e-commerce platforms
For the first time, Decree 248 sets forth specific rules governing livestream sales on e-commerce platforms, thereby establishing a clear legal framework for a rapidly growing sales model that poses risks regarding commercial fraud, false advertising, and infringement of consumer rights.
Under the new regulations, e-commerce platforms that provide livestream sales features must establish and publicly disclose operating rules for livestreaming. These rules must explicitly define the rights and obligations of participating entities; conditions and procedures for opening accounts for sellers and livestreamers; and electronic identification and verification procedures for livestreamers to enhance identity verification and traceability upon the occurrence of violations.
In addition, the Decree requires platforms to specify cases where live broadcasts must be suspended, or where non-compliant content or link paths must be removed, establishing a basis for platforms to proactively control and handle non-compliant content.
Notably, platforms must provide tools and instructions for livestreamers to display warnings regarding goods or services that risk posing safety hazards or impacting consumer life, health, or property in accordance with the law. Simultaneously, platforms must set up mechanisms to receive and resolve viewer feedback, requests, and complaints during and after livestreams, ensuring timely and transparent dispute resolution.
These provisions reflect a trend toward increasing the accountability of e-commerce platforms—not only as service-providing intermediaries, but also in controlling livestream sales, contributing to a more transparent e-commerce environment and better protecting consumer rights.
4. Standardization of procedures for receiving and resolving feedback and complaints
Decree 248 further details the responsibilities of platform-governing bodies in establishing and operating mechanisms to receive and resolve feedback, requests, and complaints, aimed at elevating transparency and dispute resolution efficiency in the e-commerce space.
Accordingly, platforms must publicly disclose procedures for receiving and handling complaints, including at least the reception channels (with at least one online channel), processing sequence, response and resolution timeframes, and tools to assist users throughout the complaint handling process.
Furthermore, online complaint resolution systems must allow users to submit feedback with supporting documents, track handling progress, and have their cases resolved strictly according to the published procedures. Where automated mechanisms are applied to process complaints, they must be periodically audited and reviewed, and must be transferred to human review and determination if the user disagrees with the automated result.
5. Foreign e-commerce platforms must make a minimum security deposit of 20 billion VND to operate in Vietnam
Decree 248 details regulations governing the operation and management of foreign e-commerce platforms in Vietnam to accurately determine the legal obligations of each platform when engaging in e-commerce activities in the country.
Platforms offering online ordering functions (that have not established a legal entity in Vietnam) must place a minimum security deposit of 20 billion VND at a commercial bank or a foreign bank branch in Vietnam to settle the governing body's legal obligations. The deposit will be frozen throughout the platform's operational period.
Platform-governing bodies are permitted to withdraw the security deposit upon confirmation from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) under one of the following circumstances:
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The platform-governing body has placed a security deposit of at least 20 billion VND at another commercial bank or foreign bank branch in Vietnam;
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The platform-governing body's e-commerce platform registration application has been rejected;
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The platform-governing body has terminated its registration and fully fulfilled all statutory obligations.
Meanwhile, the deduction of security deposit funds will be executed if the platform terminates its registration without completing its obligations, or if it remains in operation but fails to voluntarily comply with court judgments/penalty decisions after the stipulated deadline. If a deduction causes the security deposit balance to fall below the 20 billion VND minimum threshold, the platform owner must top up the deficit within 30 days from the deduction date. Failure to replenish the funds within this timeframe will result in the MOIT terminating the platform's operational registration.
Additionally, e-commerce platforms with foreign elements must register with the MOIT upon meeting any of the following criteria: the platform offers a Vietnamese language option, uses a Vietnamese domain name (".vn") (which must be confirmed/registered before operating in Vietnam), or reaches 100,000 transactions or more with buyers in Vietnam within 1 calendar year starting from January 1 (and must register within 60 days from reaching the threshold).
Within 20 working days from any material changes to information (platform name, legal representative, transaction conditions, etc.), the platform-governing body must perform procedures to amend and supplement its registration dossier.
Decree 248 takes effect on July 1, 2026, except for the requirement that platform-governing bodies perform electronic identity verification for sellers and livestreamers, which takes effect on January 1, 2027.
For e-commerce platforms (websites, applications) that have already received confirmation of notification or operational registration prior to July 1, 2026, they may continue operating according to their approved content until June 30, 2027. During this transition period, platform-governing bodies must complete procedures to amend and supplement their confirmed dossiers in accordance with the provisions of this Decree.
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