The Party Secretariat has directed authorities to urgently review and amend relevant laws to safeguard consumer rights in the digital space and in complex transactions - particularly cross-border dealings. Data privacy and information security for consumers must be guaranteed.

Conclusion No. 207 also highlights the need to clarify business responsibilities in product traceability, especially in essential goods, to promote market transparency and curb fake, substandard, or untraceable products.

The document calls for a gradual upgrade of Vietnamese standards to align with international benchmarks. It also urges stronger enforcement through inspections and audits, alongside greater engagement of social and political organizations in monitoring product quality and detecting violations.

The Party emphasized the need for more streamlined judicial procedures and encouraged the resolution of business-consumer disputes through negotiation, mediation, or arbitration.

Furthermore, legal regulations and penalties must be revised to address intentional, large-scale counterfeiting that threatens public health and safety. These penalties must serve as strong deterrents with clear educational value.

Government agencies at all levels are instructed to step up oversight and investigation. Local authorities must prioritize enforcement against those who produce or sell counterfeit goods, provide misleading or deceptive information, engage in fraud, or impose unfair contract terms on consumers through boilerplate agreements.

The Party also stressed the importance of public awareness campaigns to change consumer behavior and raise understanding of their rights and responsibilities.

Strict discipline for officials who enable or conceal violations

The Secretariat called on industry associations and business groups, including traditional craft villages, to take the lead in promoting compliance with quality standards and actively oppose the manufacture and sale of counterfeit goods.

Local Party committees and Central Party agencies are tasked with strictly disciplining officials who engage in corruption or cover up for lawbreakers. These actions aim to create tangible improvements in consumer protection at all administrative levels.

To enhance coordination, the Secretariat also called for a clearer division of responsibilities between ministries and local governments in managing consumer rights.

Local Party organizations must strengthen grassroots leadership, particularly at the commune level, through transparent decentralization and accountability in addressing consumer complaints and violations.

Tran Thuong