Dr Vu Thi Bach Nga of the Ministry of Industry and Trade said the law, passed by the National Assembly late last year, consists of six chapters and 51 articles, covering almost every aspect of consumers’ rights. 

Nga, head of the Consumer Protection Committee under the Vietnam Competition Authority, said the law will be an effective legal tool to protect consumers from fraudulent practices. 

"We all know about the use of toxic substances such as DEHP in food and 12 types of soft drinks. Mobile phone subscribers receive spam messages every day and a lot of advertising is deceptive. Vietnamese consumers experience violations of their consumer rights at every level," she said.

"Consumers themselves have not really been aware of their rights. Now they should take action if necessary, because the law covers almost every aspect of these kinds of violations.”

The law deals with labelling, trademarks and pricing, as well as warnings on harmful products like cigarettes. These are also provisions that cover warranties and replacement of spare parts of products. Violations of contracts and general transactions are also dealt with in the law. 

"Consumers have the right to be clearly informed about the spare parts of each item they buy because some parts can be expensive and difficult to obtain," Nga said. 

The law also covers responsibility of third parties, which provides consumer information, and services for consumers that could be potentially harassing, such as many text messages sent via mobile phone providers. 

"The media is affected by the law on consumers’ rights as well," Nga said. "Consumers can sue a newspaper for printing inaccurate information about the effectiveness of certain drugs or medicines without checking the facts." 

The law also requires companies to provide temporary replacements for products that are being repaired.

"Even for a luxury car, you have the right to demand a temporary replacement of equal value for a car under warranty while it is being repaired. That is the law," she said. 

Consumers can also demand a new product if the purchased item needed to be repaired three times during the warranty period, she added. 

Nga made her remarks at a workshop held by MUTRAP III, the third phase of a multilateral trade assistance project implemented by the European Commission to help Vietnam prepare for, carry out and follow up on its WTO commitments. 

They organised three similar workshops in HCM City, Da Nang and Hanoi to disseminate information to agencies, organisations and individuals across the country. 

Le Danh Vinh, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, told the workshop that a decree including guidelines for complying with the law had been submitted to the Prime Minister for approval. 

"Enforcing the law will take some time as agencies, associations, social organisations, producers and consumers will have to learn about it and how to act accordingly," said Do Gia Phan of the Vietnam Standards and Consumer Association.