Joining hands to safeguard consumer rights

Every year on March 15, Vietnam celebrates Consumer Rights Day. This year, the work of defending consumer rights is linked to the subject “Transparent information - Safe consumption” to emphasize the significance of information for consumer safety throughout the process. The process of selecting, paying for, and utilizing products and services, particularly in light of increasing e-commerce activities, the emergence of digital business trends, and fraud and infringement. Consumer rights have the potential to be fulfilled.

Consumers study information before purchasing items at Coop.Mart Supermarket in Viet Tri City.

Consumer Rights are rigorously legalized

The proposed Law on Consumer Rights Protection (amended) was passed by the National Assembly on June 20, 2023, and will take effect on July 1, 2024. It has seven chapters and 80 provisions. Compared to the Law on Protection of Consumer Rights, which was issued in 2010, the Law on Protection of Consumer Rights (amended) includes Chapter III on the obligations of corporate organizations and people in dealings with customers. For particular translation, the number of articles grew from 51 to 80. As a result, consumers are guaranteed the safety of their lives, health, honor, dignity, reputation, property, information protection, legal rights, and interests when engaging in transactions and utilizing products, goods, and services offered by businesses and individuals.

A new provision in the Law on Consumer Rights Protection (amended) has added a number of consumer rights in new consumption trends, including the right to choose a healthy, sustainable, and loving consumer environment, as well as the right to organize or support negotiations to resolve arising disputes. The law also adds a number of consumer obligations, such as complying with inspection, environmental protection, and sustainable consumption regulations as provided by law; and being responsible for providing inaccurate or incomplete information related to transactions between consumers, business organizations, and individuals as provided by law... This is regarded as an essential legal basis in the protection of consumer rights.

In addition to laws safeguarding consumer rights in general, the Law on Consumer Protection (amended) includes a special mechanism that protects the rights of vulnerable groups through a series of regulations. Specifically: Elderly people, people with disabilities, children, ethnic minorities, people living in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, islands, and areas with difficult socioeconomic conditions, especially according to the law, pregnant women, people with serious illnesses... in order to provide maximum support and protect the legal rights and interests of this specific group of consumers.

Furthermore, the new point of the Law on Consumer Rights Protection (amended) introduces a number of banned conduct for multi-level marketing businesses and people; Individuals and organizations who create, run, and offer digital platform services. Along with that, commercial organizations and people must expand their responsibilities to customers by assuring the safety, measurement, amount, volume, quality, and usage of products, goods, and services offered to them... The Law also clearly defines the obligations of firms and people conducting business with consumers in cyberspace and remote transactions.

In terms of resolving consumer disputes, the Law on Protection of Consumer Rights (amended) has established regulations on streamlined processes used to resolve civil cases involving human rights for consumer benefit. Enhance and clarify the roles of state management agencies and provincial People’s Committees in developing a national information database on consumer rights...

According to Mr. Dang Viet Phuong, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Industry and Trade, the Law on Consumer Rights Protection (amended) has inherited, promoted, and improved regulations that are still consistent with practice under the Law on Protection of Rights promulgated in 2010, while also completing, supplementing, and adjusting many new issues that arise in practice... When the Law on Consumer Rights Protection (amended) becomes effective, the rules The legislation will be more thorough, comprehensive, and unambiguous, firmly protecting consumers' rights. The strictness of the Law is also an important factor for production and business units to properly perceive the roles and responsibilities of production subjects; Continue to focus on transparency of information about product origin, ingredients, food safety parameters, production time, expiry date, and usage instructions, contributing to the protection of human rights, consumer benefits, and business rights and interests.

In Tan Son district, market management forces have strengthened product inspection and control.

Let the Law come to life!

In recent years, the province’s commitment to defend consumer rights has seen significant results. All levels and branches of the province have taken several practical steps to further safeguard consumer rights.

In 2024, the subject of events in response to Vietnam Consumer Rights Day is “Transparent information - Safe consumption,” which emphasizes the need of clear information and transparent goods for consumer safety. Transparency of product information is not only vital for customers to examine, compare, and assess product quality, but it also serves as a foundation for management agencies to execute supervisory tasks over product quality production and distribution of products.

Furthermore, active engagement by authorities has enabled consumers to confidently make recommendations and concerns when facing difficulties where their rights are being violated, allowing them to participate in discovering, addressing, and developing remedies. Create a healthy business and consumer environment. In 2023, the Provincial Standards and Consumer Protection Association received and handled 30 complaints at customers' request. Complaints or consultation requests are mostly connected to the field of quality measurement criteria in terms of content, such as failure to label, origin, amount, quantity, ingredients, etc. of the items, resulting in conflicts between buyers and sellers via conventional commerce and e-commerce.

Consumers can report cases by calling the consumer protection hotline at 19006838. All customer concerns are received and handled immediately and attentively. Provide legal, technological, and rights benefits to buyers and sellers of products or services. During the year, there were no high-value instances that required to be addressed or resolved via consumer complaints, and the success rate was 85%.

Furthermore, functional forces aggressively examined and supervised the market, and infractions were ruthlessly enforced. In 2023, the Market Management force and functional forces under the Provincial Steering Committee 389 inspected and dealt with 1,950 violations, collecting fines and paying the budget over VND 62 billion for violations of counterfeit goods, intellectual property violations, commercial fraud...

Propaganda work is a vital activity that must be prioritized in order for the Consumer Protection Law to be implemented. The Department of Industry and Trade has chaired and coordinated with departments, branches, and localities to launch a response to affirm the role, position, and importance of protecting consumer rights in the stable and sustainable socioeconomic development of the province; propagate and disseminate policies and laws on protecting consumer rights; Display banners and propaganda slogans at the offices of state administration agencies, organizations, manufacturing plants, commercial locations, and storefronts. In honor of Vietnamese Consumer Rights Day, share news and articles regarding consumer rights protection and activities via mass media, electronic information sites, and social networks.

Furthermore, state management agencies, social groups, and enterprises are actively and proactively arranging events, integrating and combining material into professional and business operations, and promoting consumer rights. Promoting the roles and responsibilities of People’s Committees at all levels, particularly in districts and communes, must include propaganda, dissemination, and education of legal knowledge on protecting consumer rights, as well as consulting, supporting, and raising awareness about consumer rights locally.

Ha Nhung