.svg)
From 01/07/2026, Law No. 122/2025/QH15 on E-Commerce officially takes effect, together with Decree No. 248/2026/ND-CP detailing a number of provisions of the E-Commerce Law. This is a notable change for the online selling market as the law begins to more clearly regulate the responsibilities of sellers, livestreamers, affiliate marketers, and e-commerce platforms. Below are the new e-commerce regulations that sellers need to pay particular attention to.
1. Sellers must verify their identity
One of the most notable changes of the E-Commerce Law is the increased requirement for seller identity verification on platforms.
According to Article 21 of the E-Commerce Law, sellers on intermediary e-commerce platforms without online ordering functions and social networks operating as e-commerce platforms without online ordering functions must provide information to the platform operator for identity verification.
Sellers must also provide identification information appropriate to their legal status. Specifically:
-
Enterprises and business households must provide their name and business location according to their registered information;
-
Organizations must provide their name and head office address;
-
Individuals must provide their name and residential address.
In addition, sellers must provide information on their e-commerce activities upon request from competent state authorities.
For platforms with online ordering functions, sellers’ responsibilities are further expanded. Sellers must use their own payment accounts on the platform and provide documents proving compliance with investment and business conditions for conditional business lines before selling goods or providing services on the platform. This means that, for online sellers, maintaining a seller account is no longer simply a matter of creating a store and listing products. Identification information and legal documents need to be fully prepared to meet the platform’s requirements.
2. Sellers must fully disclose information about goods and services
The E-Commerce Law also sets out more specific requirements regarding the information that sellers must provide.
According to Clause 1, Article 21, sellers must disclose information about services in accordance with relevant laws; information on the quality of products and goods in accordance with laws on product and goods quality; and provide information that must be displayed on goods labels under regulations on goods labeling, except for certain specific information such as production date, expiry date, production batch number, chassis number, and engine number.
Therefore, sellers should not focus only on images, selling prices, and marketing content. Legal information related to products also needs to be standardized and checked before listing products for sale.
This is also why the 2025 E-Commerce Law places greater responsibilities on both sellers and platforms: sellers must provide information, while platforms are responsible for verifying and reviewing product information before allowing it to be displayed in accordance with the applicable regulations.
3. The sale of counterfeit goods, prohibited goods, and goods of unknown origin remains strictly prohibited
Another important issue that sellers need to pay attention to is prohibited acts in e-commerce.
Article 6 of the E-Commerce Law prohibits fraudulent or deceptive acts on e-commerce platforms; and also prohibits trading in or facilitating the trading of unauthorized services, prohibited goods, counterfeit goods, goods infringing intellectual property rights, smuggled goods, goods of unknown origin, expired goods, and goods that violate regulations on product and goods quality.
This is not a regulation that applies only to platforms. Sellers are among the parties directly participating in e-commerce activities and must comply with these regulations.
Therefore, before selling online, sellers should check at a minimum:
-
The origin and provenance of the goods;
-
Documents proving quality where required by law;
-
Business conditions applicable to conditional business lines;
-
Information on goods labels;
-
Intellectual property rights related to products, images, and brands.
Standardizing product documentation from the outset will help sellers reduce risks when platforms or competent authorities request information.
4. Sellers conducting livestream sales must prepare documents before broadcasting
Livestream selling is one of the areas specifically regulated by the E-Commerce Law.
According to Article 23 of the E-Commerce Law, before conducting livestream sales, sellers must provide livestreamers with documents proving:
-
Compliance with investment and business conditions for conditional business lines before livestreaming;
-
Compliance with product and goods quality requirements in accordance with laws on product and goods quality.
For goods and services for which the law requires written confirmation of advertising content before advertising, sellers must provide the written confirmation to the platform operator and the livestreamer before conducting the livestream. The content of the livestream sale must be consistent with the confirmed advertising content.
This point should be understood accurately: the E-Commerce Law does not require all sellers to have a separate “business license” for livestreaming. The obligation under Article 23 focuses on documents proving compliance with conditions applicable to conditional business lines, documents relating to product quality, and written confirmation of advertising content where required by law.
Therefore, sellers conducting livestream sales should prepare a complete product documentation package before implementing sales content.
5. Livestreamers must verify their identity and be responsible for their content
Not only sellers, but livestreamers also have specific responsibilities under the E-Commerce Law.
According to Article 24 of the E-Commerce Law, livestreamers must provide information to the platform operator for identity verification and comply with the livestream sales operating rules publicly disclosed on the platform.
Livestreamers are also responsible for refusing to cooperate if sellers do not provide sufficient information under Article 23. At the same time, livestreamers must not provide false or misleading information about the use, origin, quality, price, promotional policies, warranties, and other contents related to goods and services.
Where goods or services are subject to confirmation of advertising content, livestreamers must follow the advertising content confirmed by the competent state authority. Therefore, for models where sellers hire KOLs, KOCs, or creators to conduct livestreams, legal responsibility does not rest solely with the seller. Sellers must provide the correct documents, while livestreamers must check and comply with the relevant requirements before and during the broadcast.
6. Livestream activities must have their data stored
Another notable regulation in the 2026 E-Commerce Law is the requirement to store data related to livestreaming.
Article 22 of the E-Commerce Law stipulates that platform operators must store and ensure accessibility to information and data on images and audio of livestream sales activities for at least 01 year from the time the broadcast begins. This requirement primarily places responsibility on platforms, but sellers should also pay attention from an operational perspective. Advertising content, product information, documents provided to livestreamers, and content used during livestreams should be systematically stored so that they can be reviewed when complaints, claims, or disputes arise.
7. Affiliate marketers must also verify their identity
Affiliate marketing is also included in the group of activities specifically regulated by the E-Commerce Law.
According to Article 26, before conducting affiliate marketing, affiliate marketers must provide information to the organizations or individuals providing affiliate marketing services for identity verification.
Affiliate marketers must also refuse to conduct affiliate marketing on digital platforms that have been publicly announced by competent state authorities as violating laws on national security, public order, or social safety, or on platforms operating under the multi-level marketing model without a certificate of registration for multi-level marketing activities. In addition, they must refuse to conduct affiliate marketing associated with content using language, images, clothing, or behavior contrary to social ethics and Vietnamese customs.
After establishing a link, referral code, or similar method, affiliate marketers must remove the link associated with goods or services that violate the law or at the request of competent state authorities. This is particularly important for sellers using affiliate marketing as a sales channel. The selection and management of affiliate partners need to be conducted more carefully rather than focusing only on sales and conversion rates.
8. Sellers need to proactively handle defective goods
For sellers on intermediary e-commerce platforms with online ordering functions, Article 21 of the E-Commerce Law provides additional responsibilities when defective goods are identified under consumer protection laws.
Accordingly, sellers must provide information about defective goods to the platform operator so that the information can be disclosed on the platform, and must carry out the recall and handling of defective goods and compensate for damages in accordance with the law. This shows that the E-Commerce Law does not focus only on the point at which products are listed for sale but also expands sellers’ responsibilities throughout the circulation of products on the platform. For sellers with a large number of SKUs, maintaining complete product, batch, origin, and transaction data will become more important when handling recalls or complaints.
9. Violations may result in multiple forms of enforcement
Sellers should also note that the 2025 E-Commerce Law not only establishes obligations but also provides mechanisms for handling violations.
According to Article 39, depending on the nature, severity, and consequences, organizations and individuals violating the law may be subject to administrative penalties; access blocking or suspension of transaction functions; removal of content, suspension or termination of violating accounts; mandatory remedial measures and restoration of the rights of relevant parties; or compensation for damages. Where an e-commerce activity shows signs of a criminal offense, criminal proceedings may be considered. Therefore, risks for sellers are not limited to financial penalties. Account restrictions, content removal, or disruption of sales activities may also directly affect sellers’ revenue and operational capacity.
10. What should sellers prepare when the E-Commerce Law takes effect?
Based on the new e-commerce regulations mentioned above, sellers can proactively review their operations across 5 areas:
10.1. Standardize seller information
Ensure that names, addresses, registration information, and identification data are provided consistently across the platforms being used.
10.2. Review product documentation
Check the origin, provenance, quality, goods labeling, and necessary documents for conditional business lines.
10.3. Standardize livestreaming procedures
If using KOLs, KOCs, or creators, sellers should have a process for providing product documents, advertising information, and reviewing content before livestreaming.
10.4. Control affiliate activities
Monitor partners, links, and promotional content to limit the risk of products being associated with content or platforms that violate the law.
10.5. Store sales data
Product information, transactions, advertising content, and related documents should be systematically stored to support reconciliation, complaint handling, and demonstration of compliance when necessary.
Conclusion
The E-Commerce Law, effective from 01/07/2026, marks a shift from primarily regulating platforms to clearly defining the responsibilities of multiple market participants, including online sellers, livestreamers, and affiliate marketers.
For sellers, the focus is not only on understanding what is new in the 2026 E-Commerce Law, but also on translating these regulations into specific operational processes. Sliner supports sellers in adapting to changes in regulations, helping ensure that compliance does not become a burden but instead becomes an integral part of sustainable business operations.
Explore Sliner’s Corporate Tax Structuring & Planning service or contact Sliner directly for tailored advice.
