Vietnam proposes postal reforms to support e-commerce growth
Insights
- Vietnam’s draft revised Postal Law aims to make postal networks core infrastructure for e-commerce and the digital economy.
- Parcel-led demand has reshaped the market, with goods packages now exceeding 90 per cent of postal items.
- The proposal affects logistics and online retail supply chains through new rules on registration, data, service responsibility and universal access.
Vietnam has proposed an overhaul of its Postal Law to support expanding e-commerce deliveries, simplify business registration and strengthen accountability across postal networks. The draft would also extend universal postal services to parcels and goods packages, improving access for businesses and consumers in underserved areas.
The proposal comes as parcels increasingly dominate the country’s postal market. Postal volumes climbed from about 360 million items in 2010 to around 4.1 billion in 2025, while service revenue reached approximately VNĐ87 trillion (~$3.4 billion). Letters now account for less than 10 per cent of total volume, with parcels and goods packages making up more than 90 per cent.
Lê Văn Chung, a representative of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Department of Posts, presented the draft at a ministry press briefing on September 30. Comprising eight chapters and 52 articles, it retains elements of the 2010 law while introducing provisions reflecting the sector’s shift towards e-commerce and digital services, as reported by local media.
Chung said the market’s expansion had transformed how postal services were organised and delivered, requiring corresponding changes in government oversight.
The draft would distinguish postal services from standalone freight transport, warehousing and logistics. Postal activities would involve a network for accepting, sorting, transporting and delivering individual items, with identification and traceability requirements where applicable. Independent logistics activities lacking these characteristics would remain outside the law’s scope.
Enterprises would be divided into network and non-network operators, with separate conditions, rights and obligations. Non-network operators could access another company’s infrastructure through agreements and would be encouraged to develop their own networks.
Responsibility for customers would remain with the postal enterprise that signs the service contract. This would include liability for service delivery and compensation even when other operators or network partners carry out part of the work.
Electronic registration would replace the existing licensing system under the proposal. Authorities would check applications for completeness rather than assess their substantive content, while businesses would remain accountable for accurate declarations and continued compliance with operating conditions.
Universal postal services would be expanded beyond letters to cover parcels and goods packages nationwide, including remote, border and island areas. Uniform charges would be capped at the average price of comparable commercial services.
The draft also proposes identification codes for tracking postal items, collection of valid sender contact details and controls based on risk classification. Postal data would be managed in accordance with legislation governing data, personal information protection and cybersecurity.
During disasters, epidemics and other emergencies, network operators could be called upon to maintain essential deliveries. Reasonable and legitimate costs incurred through such mobilisation would be compensated.
The Department of Posts said the revised law was expected to be submitted for consideration and approval at the second session of the 16th National Assembly.
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