Ho Chi Minh City Advances Safe, Transparent E‑Commerce Under New Law

Ho Chi Minh City officials held a conference on 24 July to accelerate implementation of Vietnam’s new E‑commerce Law. The law is designed to strengthen consumer protection, increase platform accountability and support sustainable growth of the digital economy.

Key provisions require platforms to disclose product‑ranking criteria, improve algorithm transparency, tighten oversight of livestream sales and remove illegal content within 24 hours of authority requests. Cross‑border platforms that offer Vietnamese‑language interfaces or process at least 100,000 transactions a year must appoint a local legal representative and post a VNĐ20 billion security deposit. From 1 January 2027, all sellers and livestream hosts on intermediary platforms will need to complete electronic identity verification (e‑KYC).

Vietnam’s e‑commerce market is estimated at around US$40 billion in 2025, with Ho Chi Minh City accounting for roughly $12 billion. The city’s online retail sector grew over 30 % last year and is expected to continue expanding in 2026. Officials stressed that businesses that understand and comply with the new legal framework will be best positioned to capitalize on this growth.