The front page of www.nasuaamerica.com.vn. The e-commerce website, along with other four ones, has been fined VND106.5 million (US$5,070)  for administrative violations by the Hanoi Market Surveillance Agency. — Photo ictnews.vn

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — The Hanoi Market Surveillance Agency has fined 17 local e-commerce websites more than VND345 million (US$16,430) in the past one month.

The Vietnam E-commerce and Information Technology Agency, under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, announced on November 18 that the surveillance agency fined five individuals and organisations that were engaged in supplementary food business for establishing e-commerce websites, for not reporting their operations to the state management agencies. They had violated Clause 2, Article 81 of Decree No 185/2013/ND-CP, issued on November 15, 2013, by the government.

The websites were nhathuocphuongchinh.vn, nasuamerica.com.vn and k-link.vn, as well as tueduc.com and lienminhtieudung.vn. The individuals and organisations also did not register with the ministry before setting up the websites, as per Article 27 of Decree No 52/2013/ND-CP on e-commerce.

The owners of the websites were fined a total amount of VND106.5 million ($5,070). The Hanoi Market Surveillance Agency also destroyed 27 supplementary food bottles, temporarily kept some products and took two samples to check the quality of the goods.

Earlier, at the end of October, the Hanoi Market Surveillance Agency had fined 12 e-commerce websites VND239 million ($11,380) for administrative violations. — VNS