Vietnamese ride-hailing firm Be Group fined $24,400 for violating consumer protection regulations

The National Competition Commission under the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced that it had issued an administrative penalty against Be Group following an inspection of the company's compliance with consumer protection laws.

The commission identified four violations involving the company's ride-hailing app.

First, the app failed to give consumers the right to choose whether to allow the company to carry out certain activities as required by the Law on Protection of Consumers' Rights.

Second, the app included provisions in its general transaction terms that are prohibited by law. These terms applied nationwide.

Third, the app failed to establish clear mechanisms and procedures allowing users to choose the scope of information they agreed to provide and indicate whether they consented to such information-sharing practices.

Fourth, the company's general transaction terms did not specify when they would take effect.

The National Competition Commission ordered Be Group to immediately cease the violations and review and revise its policies and standard-form contracts to ensure full compliance with current legal regulations.

Be Group said it had complied with the penalty decision and paid the full fine into the state budget.

The company also promptly implemented technical and service-policy changes to address the violations.