Nhan Dan Online - A seminar was held this morning in Hanoi by the Vietnam E-commerce and Information Technology Agency (VECITA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade to popularise a circular on information supply and making contracts on e-commerce websites.

Addressing the seminar, Mr Duong Hoang Minh, VECITA deputy head affirmed that within the current context when application of e-commerce by businesses has been developed strongly with an increasing number of e-commerce websites, it is of great importance to have an official document giving instructions on the procedures of making contracts on e-commerce websites. This is to establish common principles and standards for activities of these websites, increase transparency of e-commerce transactions, protect the interests of those taking part in transactions because it is different between transactions on e-commerce websites and traditional ones 

Circular 09/2008/TT-BCT was issued on July 21 by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to settle these issues.

The circular gives regulations on procedures to enter a typical contract on e-commerce websites which will help define the responsibilities of each side taking part in the contract and thus helping reduce the inequality between customers and traders in the contracting process.

In addition, the circular also specifically defines the provision of information on e-commerce websites to protect the legitimate rights of customers.

Accordingly, traders are requested to provide on their websites information of their names, addresses, emails, telephone numbers, business registration number as well as clear and adequate information relating to terms for transactions, description of goods and services offered, information on transport and delivery, payments and others.

According to a survey carried out by VECITTA after the circular was officially issued on 50 e-commerce websites on their compliance to the regulations of the circular, 96% of the surveyed websites give clear description of the goods and services they offered. However, 98% of the surveyed websites provide inadequate information on the traders while 46% of the websites do not provide any information on transaction terms.

Thu Thin