TikTok penalised $35,000 in Vietnam for consumer protection violations

Photo: Minh Son

Following an inspection of compliance with laws on the protection of consumer rights, the National Competition Commission in January issued a decision to sanction TikTok Pte., Ltd., headquartered in Singapore, with a fine of VND880 million ($35,000).

The decision said that TikTok committed several violations, including failing to provide a mechanism that allows consumers to choose whether their personal information may be used for advertising and promotional purposes.

The company was also found to have included prohibited clauses in its standard terms and conditions, in violation of regulations governing general transaction conditions. In addition, TikTok provided incomplete information regarding the content and characteristics of transactions between consumers and business entities, thereby causing confusion for consumers.

Furthermore, the company failed to establish appropriate procedures, processes, methods or measures tailored to vulnerable consumer groups to ensure their rights to lodge complaints, request dispute resolution, and exercise other consumer rights.

The National Competition Commission has required TikTok to immediately cease the violating practices, review and improve its policies and practices, and ensure full and accurate compliance with the laws on consumer protection.

In Vietnam, TikTok is one of the most vibrant e-commerce platforms. According to the Online Retail Platform Market Report 2025 released by data platform Metric on January 15, gross merchandise value across the four major platforms of Shopee, Lazada, Tiki, and TikTok Shop reached around $16 billion. Of this total, Shopee and TikTok Shop together accounted for 97 per cent of market share.

Shopee and TikTok Shop account for 8 per cent of Vietnam’s retail market In 2025, transaction value on Shopee and TikTok Shop exceeded $16.3 billion, equivalent to nearly 8 per cent of Vietnam’s total retail market.

Vietnam's retail market tops $269 billion in 2025 amid e-commerce boom Vietnam's retail market recorded a five-year high in revenue, reaching $269 billion in 2025, according to the Vietnam Domestic Market Report 2025 released by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

E-commerce market undergoes transformation amid rising competition and regulation Intensifying competition and tighter regulations reshaped Vietnam's e-commerce market in 2025, according to the Vietnam Tech & Venture Capital Outlook 2025 report by VinVentures released on January 2.