HANOI, 18 November 2021 – On 16 and 18 November 2021, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) conducted two specialised training sessions for 20 competition officials from the Vietnam Competition and Consumer Authority (VCCA). The training sessions covered the economic concept of a Substantial Lessening of Competition (SLC), as well as market definition and market power in digital advertising markets.

 

In the first session, participants discussed the various provisions under Viet Nam and Australian competition laws that regulate conduct resulting in an SLC, as well as an Australian case study. The second session on digital markets enabled participants to discuss aspects of the ACCC’s recent work on the competition and consumer impacts of digital platforms. 

 

The sessions, which were built on training provided to the VCCA earlier this year, were part of the multi-phase Competition Law Implementation Programme (CLIP) supported by the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) Economic Cooperation Support Programme (AECSP). 

 

Opening the training, VCCA Deputy Director-General Trinh Anh Tuan remarked that “the ACCC and the VCCA have established a close relationship over a long time. With this traditional relationship, the ACCC has always been willing to assist the VCCA through the process of developing and enforcing our competition law, especially through training activities designed to strengthen the VCCA’s competition law enforcement capacity.”

 

Serena Wong, Acting Director in the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Branch, noted that “digital markets are becoming increasingly vital areas of interest for competition authorities, and we were grateful for the opportunity to share our experiences with our Vietnamese colleagues. As both agencies continue our work in this area, I am sure there will also be other occasions where we can exchange insights into these important markets.”

 

The ACCC delivered this activity in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat, including the AANZFTA Support Unit. In its fourth phase, CLIP focuses on supporting ASEAN competition agencies to build knowledge and practical expertise in the region by sharing resources, skills, and techniques for effective competition law implementation.

 

For more information, please contact the AANZFTA Support Unit at aanzfta_inquiry@asean.org 

 

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