Temu, Shein halt Vietnam operations pending business registration

Two of the world’s most popular budget-shopping platforms have suspended business in the Southeast Asian nation

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Temu and Shein have been forced to suspend their services in Vietnam after they failed to register with authorities. Photo: Shutterstock

Ann Caoin Shanghai

Published: 6:31pm, 5 Dec 2024Updated: 2:55pm, 6 Dec 2024

Popular budget-shopping platforms Temu and Shein have suspended operations in Vietnam, as they await approval from authorities to restart their local services.

The country’s Ministry of Industry and Trade ordered Temu, owned by Chinese e-commerce giant PDD Holdings, to halt its business after the platform failed to complete the required business registration process by the November 30 deadline, VietnamNet Global reported on Thursday.

“Temu submitted its registration documents but has not yet completed the process,” Hoang Ninh, deputy director of the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy under the industry ministry, was quoted as saying. The official added that the firm could resume business activities after completing registration.

Temu said on Thursday it was working with authorities to register its e-commerce services and it had submitted all required documents. Customers were able to place orders on the platform as of Thursday.

Meanwhile, Shein has published a notice on its local website saying that its shopping platform is temporarily unavailable in Vietnam, as it works with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to register its e-commerce services.

“Shein is committed to continuously ensuring our customers in Vietnam have access to our products and services,” the company said on Friday. It added that customers in the country can still shop via the international version of the site.

Vietnam has asked Temu to suspend operations. Photo: Shutterstock