Police and market watch staff examine a collective kitchen in Hanoi. -- VNA/VNS Photo

What achievements has the General Department for Market Surveillance gained since its establishment in late 2018?

Under the Government’s Decision 34/2018 signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc the Market Surveillance Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade was upgraded to the General Department of Market Surveillance.

The General Department is organised into a vertical system from the central to local levels, while fulfilling requirements set by the Minister of Industry and Trade.

Its main function is to be responsible for preventing and handling the trade of smuggled, fake and banned commodities; dealing with violations such as infringements of intellectual property rights and the breaking of regulation on the quality and safety of products; and protecting the rights and interest of consumers.

In March, the General Department launched two new systems – its new internal email system and the eDMS – engineering Data Management System.

It is projected that by July, the email system and the eDMS will be operational nationwide. In the near future, personnel management, report system and libraries will be available.

How does the modern market landscape affect your work?

The rapid development of the internet and information technology (IT) has become a driving force for the birth of online business, in such forms like websites, Facebook, Zalo and others. Of course, the rapid growth of e-commerce has brought negative impacts to both sellers and buyers.

To solve this problem, the management agency must come up with solutions. The market watch agency has launched many campaigns to inspect online commercial activities as well as in production to protect the consumers’ rights. Since the year 2014, the market watch force has launched and fined almost 900 organisations/individuals that have violated the country’s law on e-commerce.

How has IT been applied in market watch activities?

Under Decision 3304/QĐ-BCT issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on September 12, 2018 on the fight against trade fraud, particularly cases infringing on intellectual property rights in the e-commerce, the General Department for Market Surveillance has launched an inspection campaign to inspect and handle administrative encroachments.

In my opinion, to make the system work efficiently, we have to ensure good connection among the data network, including the investment, customs, electronic bills, management data and others.

Can you tell us some specific plans in using IT management systems for inspection and supervision activities?

The General Department for Market Surveillance will continue to review the operation of the IT management system to make sure it operates smoothly.

Meanwhile the General Department for Market Surveillance will review its working procedures to make sure they are compatible with those of concerned agencies

I’m confident that when the IT system runs smoothly it will help the market watch team complete its assignments.

VNS

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