Consumer rights protection programme approved

NDO/VNA – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has approved a consumer rights protection programme for 2021-2025 that focuses on the development of a consultancy and support system for consumers.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) was assigned to be in charge of the programme.

According to Trinh Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the MoIT's Vietnam Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (VCCA), it works toward building, upgrading, and connecting related consultancy systems; assisting consumers nationwide; and developing a data system on consumer rights protection.

Shoppers at a supermarket. (Photo: VNA).

The programme aims at ensuring that 90% of complains and petitions are received, advised and supported at State management agencies, social organisations and providers of services and goods involved. The expected rate of successfully tackled petitions is 80%.

Under the programme, at least 500 training courses in the nation and overseas for civil servants and workers in charge of consumer rights protection at organisations and businesses will be held.

At least 60 provinces and cities nationwide are set to establish their own consumer rights protection associations, while about 40 of them will develop networks of social organisations for consumer rights protection in districts.

Meanwhile, a nationwide conciliation system on consumer rights protection will be set up in accordance with the law.

Official data showed that, in 2020, the VCCA received more than 14,000 complaints and consultancy requests, mostly on real estate, insurance, and consumption.

A total of 89% of the petitions received via its hotline was supported due to a limited number of operators.

(Source: NDO)