Vietnam Enforces Enhanced Livestream Sales Regulations on E-Commerce Platforms

The Vietnamese Government has enacted stricter regulations targeting livestream sales conducted on e-commerce platforms, aiming to increase transparency, safeguard consumers, and expedite responses to unlawful business practices and intellectual property infringements.

These new requirements are detailed in Government Decree 248/2026/ND-CP, which elaborates on provisions of the Law on E-Commerce. Platforms offering livestream sales must publicly disclose their livestream operating rules, clearly defining the rights and obligations of all parties involved.

The decree mandates that platforms provide detailed procedures for electronically identifying and authenticating livestream hosts. It also sets forth the conditions and steps necessary for sellers and hosts to register and open accounts on these platforms.

Additionally, platforms are required to specify the circumstances under which livestream sessions may be suspended or terminated, as well as when displayed information and links can be removed.

To enhance consumer safety, platforms must equip livestream hosts with tools to display warnings about goods or services that may pose risks to buyers’ health, safety, lives, or property. Furthermore, a clear mechanism must be established for receiving and resolving feedback, requests, and complaints from viewers both during and after livestream sales.

Regarding operator responsibilities, the decree obliges e-commerce platform operators to submit periodic online reports through the E-Commerce Activity Management System. They must also provide requested information to competent state agencies.

Operators are tasked with inspecting and reviewing information related to goods or services that infringe intellectual property rights or are linked to unlawful business activities. Such infringing content must be removed or otherwise addressed within 24 hours of receiving a request from a competent authority.

The decree further stipulates that intermediary e-commerce platforms, social media platforms engaging in e-commerce activities, and integrated e-commerce platforms may only operate after fulfilling all relevant management and operational requirements and obtaining a registration certificate from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

If there are changes to key platform details—such as the name, website domain, application name, responsible manager, enterprise registration information, operating model, publicly disclosed transaction terms, service contract terms, or services offered—platform operators must update their registration within 20 working days.

Competent state agencies hold the authority to terminate a platform’s registration if the operator fails to respond within 30 days to an official request via the E-Commerce Activity Management System or commits violations warranting cessation of operations under the law on administrative penalties.