Violating products are still sold widely on the internet
Recently, the Department of Drug Administration (Ministry of Health) issued a decision to revoke 9 cosmetic products of Linh Anh General Trading and Service Company Limited (Phu Tho) for not recording the correct uses according to the published documents.
The list of violators includes products such as Zunya Shiny Facial Cleanser, Zunya Collagen 3D perfect Whitening Cream Make-up and 7 other products identified with inappropriate formulas and labels. The Ministry requested to temporarily suspend the circulation, use and return of the product; at the same time, Linh Anh Company must recall and handle it according to regulations.
However, a survey by reporters shows that by simply typing the names of the above products on Shopee, consumers can easily find dozens of stalls for sale openly. In particular, the Zunya Collagen 3D perfect Whitening Cream Make-up product is still listed at about 520,000 VND, including both daytime and nighttime versions.
Over the past week, the Department of Food Safety (Ministry of Health) has recovered the validity of the announcement of many health food products. The Department has decided to recover the receipt of the registration certificate to announce the health food product that protects the health of Giap Vuong Gold. However, on the e -commerce floor, this product continues to be sold for 95,000 VND/box of 30 tablets.
This Department has just issued a document revoking the validity of the Certificate of receipt of product declaration registration for 18 health protection food products issued by Abbott Healthcare Vietnam Co., Ltd. Just type the name of one of the 18 products that were "tainted" with the product, the Surbex Natural Liverpool Boost Abbott 90 pills, and easily order them on e-commerce platforms at 348,655 VND/box. Or the Surbex® Natural Cordyceps product, priced at 499,550 VND/box, is still sold on commercial exchanges, even pharmacy websites.
Although the Food Safety Department has nationwide recalled 2 products, Xuan Phuc Linh Gold and Best Slim Collagen, because they contain the banned substance Sibutramine, both products are currently being sold on e-commerce platforms and social networks at prices ranging from 400,000 - 850,000 VND/box.
Difficulty in controlling goods in cyberspace
According to the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy (Ministry of Industry and Trade), there are currently about 900 websites licensed to sell pharmaceuticals out of a total of more than 52,000 e-commerce platforms managed by the Ministry. Meanwhile, the 2016 Pharmacy Law does not clearly regulate online drug sales, causing many loopholes in control.
Mr. Ta Manh Hung - Deputy Director of the Department of Drug Administration - said that the situation of advertisements for prescription drugs and special control drugs online is on the rise. The Department has asked platforms such as Meta and Shopee to coordinate to prevent this behavior.
The Law amending and supplementing the Pharmacy Law (effective from July 1, 2025) will tighten this activity. Accordingly, the law strictly prohibits the retail and sale of prescription drugs and special control drugs via e-commerce, except in cases of service for group A disease quarantine. At the same time, the law also completely prohibits all drug transactions on social networks and unofficial platforms.
To control the market, the Ministry of Health is promoting many strong solutions. Dr. Tran Viet Nga - Director of the Department of Food Safety - said that the unit has requested localities to strengthen post-inspection work on functional food advertising activities on digital platforms. Violations must be strictly handled, product names and violating links must be made public to keep people vigilant.
In case the violators cannot be identified, localities need to coordinate with specialized agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Culture, the Department of Radio - Television and the Department of E-commerce to trace and handle in accordance with regulations.
We urge consumers to be cautious when choosing food, medicine and cosmetics online. Only buy products of clear origin, from licensed genuine pharmacies and booths to protect the health of yourself and your family, the representative of the Ministry of Health recommended.
