SURVEY REPORT ON YOUNG ONLINE CONSUMMER BEHAVIOUR AND RISKS IN VIETNAM

Online consumption and behavior and risks have become an emerging issue in Vietnam; however, we can see the upward trend of online consumption, particularly among the youth nowaday. Apart from the advantages, there are several potential risks such as personal data theti, violence, etc. Particularly, in the global pandemic of the COVID19 context, young people’s needs for shopping online are increasing dramatically, which requires evidence – based communication and policy advocacy to raise the awareness of online consumers, to promote production innovations of digital enterprises, and to support the government in developing policies to ensure the rights and safety of young online consumers in Vietnam.

A survey of online consumption behavior and risks among Vietnameseyouth youth was jointly conducted by Management and Sustainable Development Institute (MSD) and the Asia Foundation (TAF). The overall objective of the survey is to assess consumption behavior and risks that children and youth may encounter when shopping online and how service providers/businesses and stakeholders support and protect young consumers. The report ﬁndings can be an evidence-based reference for the state management agencies regarding online consumption and consumer rights. The survey was conducted with the participation of about 1,000 Vietnamese teenagers aged from 13 to 25, regardless of ethnicities, regions, or religions. The data was collected through online questionnaires and focus group discussions. Focus group discussions were done after initial results of the survey had been generated to dig deeper the issues and provide solutions to the problems that they are concerned about. We hope that this survey report will promote practical actions from relevant stakeholders, including the state management agencies, service providers/businesses, families, and communities to excute the rights and responsibilities for online consumption, management, and provision.

On behalf of MSD, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Asia Foundation for their ﬁnancial support for this survey, especially Ms. Nguyen Thu Hang who directly commented and edited to ensure the quality of the report. I would also like to extend my special appreciation to the young people for their enthusiastic participation and valuable contribution to the survey.