The Vietnam National Assembly officially promulgated the country’s first Law on E-Commerce on 10 December 2025. The Law will take effect on 1 July 2026, marking one of Vietnam’s most comprehensive digital market regulations to date and establishing a modern legal foundation for accountability, transparency, and platform governance in the e-commerce sector.
Modern legal framework for an emerging market
Vietnam’s e-commerce market today bears little resemblance to that of 2013, when Decree 52 – Vietnam’s first piece of e-commerce regulation was issued. In 2025, the e-commerce sector is valued at USD 26–28 billion and projected to double to USD 60 billion by 2030. Meanwhile, Vietnam has evolved into one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing digital markets, with social commerce, livestream shopping, super-app ecosystems, influencer-driven sales, and AI-powered recommendations now shaping consumer behavior. To keep pace, Vietnam urgently needed a unified, future-ready regulatory framework.
The newly enacted E-Commerce Law is expected to provide exactly that: a unified legal foundation that brings order to a rapidly evolving ecosystem and sets clear rules for all participants. More than a routine update, the law represents Vietnam’s strongest signal yet that it intends to promote a fair, transparent, and accountable digital marketplace as it enters its next phase of growth.
This legislation also aligns Vietnam with global regulatory trends in digital platform governance, strengthens consumer protection, and enhances tax administration. At the same time, it advances Vietnam’s broader digital economic objectives as articulated in the core development pillars established by the Communist Party of Vietnam, including Resolutions 57, 59, 66, and 68.
Key features of the new e-commerce law
The law is built around six core policy pillars that redefine responsibilities across the e-commerce ecosystem:
- Clear classification of e-commerce actors and their obligations
- Rules for multi-service platforms and social networks with commercial features
- Comprehensive obligations for foreign platforms and cross-border sellers
- Regulation of supporting services such as logistics, payments, IT infrastructure, and trust rating
- A strengthened legal basis for electronic contracting and authentication
- Promotion of green and sustainable e-commerce development
The law also establishes a centralized E-Commerce Management Platform to publicly list compliant platforms and violators, and enhance transparency. It is expected to reduce administrative procedures by 40%, replacing manual processes with streamlined, digital-first workflows.
Together, these reforms form Vietnam’s most ambitious digital governance initiative to date, complementing recent advances in electronic transactions, consumer protection, cybersecurity, and data governance.
Stricter responsibilities for platform operators
Under the new law, platform operators across all categories, including marketplaces, social commerce platforms, and multi-service apps, will face significantly strengthened responsibilities:
- Mandatory seller identity verification, using VNeID for domestic sellers and legal documentation for foreign sellers
- Automated moderation and 24-hour takedown of illegal or violating content
- Three-year data retention for transaction logs, product listings, and livestream recordings
- Greater transparency on platform rules, product information, and seller identities
- Prohibition of coercive business practices, such as requiring exclusive logistics or payment services
Large-scale platforms must also maintain enhanced complaint-handling systems and provide algorithm-related information to regulators during investigations, reflecting international trends toward platform transparency.
Supporting services, including logistics providers, payment processors, IT suppliers, and e-contract authentication services, are also brought under the regulatory framework, ensuring end-to-end accountability across the digital supply chain.
Meanwhile, consumer protection is strengthened through clearer disclosures, expanded cancellation rights, enhanced personal data safeguards, and stricter tax provisions to address evasion and ensure fair contributions from both domestic and foreign sellers.
Cross-border e-commerce will see the most significant shift
For global platforms, the new law represents a decisive shift in expectations and responsibilities across platform governance, trader verification, data transparency, and consumer protection.
Cross-border platforms will now be required to establish a legal entity in Vietnam or appoint an authorized local representative, who will be responsible for compliance, tax obligations, and consumer protection. Additional market-based thresholds, such as user scale, transaction volume, or providing services in Vietnamese, may also trigger mandatory localization.
Platforms will share joint liability with sellers for counterfeit goods, prohibited products, and misleading or harmful content, while significant foreign ownership stakes in major platforms may be subject to national security reviews to ensure data and market security.
These changes reflect global movements toward greater platform accountability, seen in the EU, China, and across ASEAN, and ensure that foreign platforms benefiting from Vietnam’s digital economy share responsibility for protecting consumers, ensuring tax transparency, and safeguarding market integrity. The era of “light-touch” participation in Vietnam’s e-commerce market is now ending.
Implementation challenges ahead
While the new law establishes a comprehensive and forward-looking framework, its effectiveness will depend on how well the government guides businesses through its implementation. Regulators must balance requirements for algorithmic transparency with the protection of intellectual property – an issue that will require careful calibration.
Vietnam will also need stronger coordination among ministries and enforcement agencies, alongside continued investments in digital infrastructure to support real-time monitoring and data oversight. Clear and practical guidance will be essential to support SMEs and foreign entrants as they adapt to new expectations for seller verification, content governance, and tax transparency.
Phased implementation and sustained public–private dialogue during the first implementation period will therefore play a critical role in ensuring that the transition is smooth, enforceable, and conducive to continued innovation and growth in Vietnam’s digital economy.
For businesses, the key message is simple: preparation needs to start now. As the government moves toward drafting the guiding regulations, companies should take early steps to protect their position in the market and shape a workable implementation framework. Engage early with regulators to:
- Seek clarity on grey areas, monitor the guiding Decree/Circular, and proactively shape a practical, business-aligned implementation framework.
- Reassess market presence and compliance posture: Determine whether a local entity or authorized representative is needed, and strengthen internal controls for seller verification, content governance, data handling, and tax transparency.
- Upgrade data, algorithm, and ecosystem governance: Prepare for new disclosure and retention requirements, and align logistics, payment, and technology partners with the law’s expanded obligations.
Taking these steps now will help companies mitigate compliance risks, avoid operational disruptions, and maintain competitiveness as Vietnam enters a more structured and demanding era of digital market governance.
Vero Advocacy is closely tracking these developments and their implications for foreign businesses. For tailored regulatory insights or sector-specific guidance in Vietnam, contact the Vero Advocacy team.