E-commerce platform Temu Suspends Services in Vietnam

On the afternoon of December 4, Znews cited the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s announcement that Temu, the cross-border e-commerce platform, has temporarily ceased providing services in Vietnam. This decision follows a request from the Ministry after working with Temu’s representatives.

According to the Ministry, orders placed on Temu are currently ineligible for customs clearance in Vietnam due to the platform’s lack of proper licensing. Customs authorities will only process import and export goods traded via Temu once it obtains official approval from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In terms of consumer protection, the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy (under the Ministry of Industry and Trade) emphasized its ongoing collaboration with the Competition Commission to ensure cross-border e-commerce platforms comply with their responsibilities toward Vietnamese consumers.

This regulatory action follows the Ministry’s demand for Temu to complete the necessary legal procedures to operate in Vietnam. At the October government press conference, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long warned that Temu’s application and domain name could be blocked if it failed to register by November.

As of December 4, several users in Vietnam reported undelivered orders placed on Temu since November. The platform has not issued any detailed updates to customers regarding the service suspension or order delays.

Ngoc Ha, a Hanoi-based user, shared her experience of ordering clothes on November 9 but has yet to receive them. The Temu app only shows the order as “being shipped” with a generic delay notice citing force majeure and other conditions.

Two days ago, Ha noted that the Temu app interface had switched to English without prior notice. She also mentioned that friends had received notifications suggesting their packages might be lost, with refunds offered for prepaid orders.

Additionally, some customers observed changes to the platform’s affiliate marketing links, which now redirect users to the app’s download page on the App Store or Google Play instead of the intended product pages.

The situation highlights growing concerns over regulatory compliance and consumer protection as Vietnam seeks to tighten oversight of cross-border e-commerce platforms.