On average, Vietnamese consumers spend nearly 1.7 trillion VND per day buying products on e-commerce platforms. Notably, livestreaming is emerging as one of the most effective tools for boosting consumption.

However, consumers still face certain risks, such as buying counterfeit or substandard goods. Especially with products that affect consumer health, the losses are not limited to just money.

In the third quarter of this year alone, market management forces nationwide handled 215 violations in the e-commerce environment, collecting 3.5 billion VND for the state budget. With medicines, a product with a particularly direct impact on health, the risks are even greater as counterfeit and unregulated drugs are constantly being discovered. In the draft amendments to several articles of the Law on Pharmaceuticals, the Ministry of Health has proposed banning the sale of medicines and pharmaceutical raw materials via livestream.

Many medical experts have pointed out that on livestreams, people often hear about one or two symptoms and say that their own symptoms are similar. They then assume they have that illness and use medication. This is completely wrong. On digital platforms, the issue of counterfeit and substandard drugs is rampant and uncontrollable. If we buy medicine from licensed establishments, we can control the quality. If there is a quality issue, we know which establishment is responsible. In this case, there are no doctors or pharmacists present, which is extremely dangerous for health.

Livestreaming can shorten the gap between product introduction and purchase decision. However, this speed also necessitates stricter control to ensure that the convenience for buyers does not become a loophole for counterfeit or substandard goods to reach consumers.

While we used to be familiar with the two biggest sales days of the year, Black Friday and November 11th, now, with the explosion of e-commerce, livestreaming sessions with attractive deals are constantly taking place on double days like January 1st, February 2nd, or even in the middle of the month. The collaboration between platforms, businesses, and livestreamers has encouraged buyers to continuously make purchases.

According to Shopee's "Consumer Landscape for Tet 2026" report, content on Shopee Live and Shopee Video attracted nearly 16 billion views, resulting in a 61% increase in orders generated through these two platforms compared to the same period the previous year.

A notable aspect of the E-commerce Law places responsibility on platforms during the live-streaming sales process. Violations are not only addressed after they occur, but are prevented and dealt with immediately during the product presentation and sales process. Simultaneously, artificial intelligence is being incorporated into transaction data analysis to assist in detecting violations in the online market. This is a necessary step as e-commerce develops in depth.

Ms. Le Thi Ha from the E-commerce Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade stated: "In cases where they do not comply with the regulations, we will have sanctions. This will include monetary penalties or the strongest measures such as blocking display or using technical methods to restrict access."

In addition, according to the e-commerce association, there is a need for further review criteria for items with large product volumes.

Mr. Nguyen Binh Minh, a member of the Executive Board of the Vietnam E-commerce Association, suggested: "We should review the quantity, quality requirements, and standards of products when they reach a threshold of 10,000 or 1 million units. Because at 10,000 units, the product is starting to become popular. And at 1 million units, the impact on the market is very serious. If we conduct post-market surveillance at these levels, we can ensure that major consequences are avoided."

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has recorded over 53,000 online sales websites and more than 1,000 e-commerce platforms, demonstrating the ever-growing market size. Therefore, tightening regulations on livestreaming is not intended to narrow down a sales channel, but rather to ensure that each transaction clearly defines responsibility, sellers can identify their transactions, products can be traced, transactions can be verified, and buyers have a place to file complaints when their rights are violated.

Tightening the management of livestreaming in particular and e-commerce in general will create a foundation for healthy market development, aiming for e-commerce to account for 20% of the country's total retail sales.

Source: https://thanhtra.com.vn/tieu-dung-AA9F50895/huong-toi-thuong-mai-dien-tu-chiem-20-tong-muc-ban-le-cua-ca-nuoc-980159958.html