Re: VIETNAM TO BUILD TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR E-COMMERCE

At 15:25 23.02.2003 +0700, in an article it was claimed:
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> At present, e-commerce is rated by experts as underdeveloped partly
> due to the lack of regulations on e-signature and online payment
> regulations in the country.

Plain, simple nonsense. And it does not get true, only because it is
repeated over and over again.

In the US, eCommerce was flourishing years before they had an e-signature
law. And I am not aware of any special "online payment regulations" at that
time.

The difference is that in other countries everything is allowed - as long
as it is not expressively forbidden, and in Vietnam (at least in the mind
of many bureaucrats) everything is forbidden - as long as it is not
expressively allowed.

We have in Vietnam not a "lack of regulations", but too many regulations,
which are too much specific to the "meat world" and thus make eCommerce
often difficult or even impossible. A very recent regulation for example
expressively requires custom's confirmation for SW exports with 0% VAT. Can
you tell me how to get custom's confirmation, if you send your SW via the
Internet, or make it available for download there?

We don't need more regulations, but a revision - and maybe abolishing - of
a number of existing ones.

And if the Government listens to those "experts" who claim that we need
more, then I have my severe doubt about the future of eCommerce here.

Stefan