Business

E-commerce - A "digital expressway" bringing Vietnamese goods to global markets

Vietnam has the advantages to emerge as a regional nexus of cross-border e-commerce, from its strategic location, abundant goods supply, to a youthful workforce, and solid government backing.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Cross-border e-commerce is accelerating in Vietnam, transporting goods to markets across Asia, Europe, the US, and Africa simultaneously, bypassing the traditional obstacles of distance and costs.

Lai Viet Anh, Deputy Director of the Department of E-Commerce and Digital Economy at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, stated that digital technology is driving the expansion of e-commerce. By leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and the Internet of Things (IoT), companies can optimise operations, reduce costs, analyse market trends, and develop smarter market strategies to meet global demand.

Nick Chai, Chairman of ACBC Malaysia, said Vietnam has the advantages to emerge as a regional nexus of cross-border e-commerce, from its strategic location, abundant goods supply, to a youthful workforce, and solid government backing. These elements are poised to propel local companies to scale up and sharpen their global competitiveness.

Analysts concurred, noting Vietnam’s ripe opportunity to amplify exports through multi-platform e-commerce models. The key lies in diversification, not merely leaning on the US and China but expanding into ASEAN, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, they said.

Increasingly, Vietnamese companies are shifting from original equipment manufacturing (OEM) to direct-to-consumer (D2C) models to build “Made in Vietnam” brands, tapping sites like Amazon, TikTok Shop, Lazada, Shopee and JD.com to widen reach and maximise sales. Investments in global logistics and training for cross-border e-commerce workforce are deemed vital to weave these firms more tightly into global supply chains.

ASEAN has transformed into a prime "digital frontier" for Vietnamese small enterprises, cooperatives and household producers venturing into cross-border e-commerce.

As Vietnam’s fourth-largest export market, ASEAN recorded 32 billion USD in two-way trade in 2023, and its e-commerce is projected to reach 330 billion USD in 2025. Rising buyer demand and solid uptake of Vietnamese goods, especially in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, add to the allure.

Via Shopee International Platform, over 350,000 SMEs have jumped into online exports, capitalising on its built-in logistics, payments and customer service ecosystem to “sell globally from home”. Value-added services such as automatic translation, optimised product listings, catalogue management, and localised customer support have dismantled barriers to regional growth.

In 2024, Vietnam’s e-commerce market was valued at over 25 billion USD, a 20% leap from the prior year, roughly 10% of the nation’s retail and consumer service revenue. That cements its spot in Southeast Asia's top three e-commerce markets.

Amid this e-commerce boom, cross-border trade is viewed not just as a hot trend but a strategic engine for national exports. It has been added to the Government's Go Global plan to spread Vietnamese firms' global footprint./.

VNA
#cross-border e-commerce #Department of E-Commerce and Digital Economy Vietnam
Follow VietnamPlus

Related News

By leveraging online business, enterprises can cut marketing costs and optimise product prices for consumers. (Photo: VNA)

MoIT lifts e-commerce growth forecast to 25.5%

At the start of 2025, the industry had set a target of 20–22%. Yet, figures from the first eight months show growth of 25–27%, outpacing forecasts by 3–7 percentage points. This reflects both the post-pandemic momentum of the market and the impact of supportive policies, alongside changes in consumer behaviour.

See more

At a supermarket in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)

Ho Chi Minh City to pilot pork trading on Mercantile Exchange of Vietnam

Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, said listing pork on the MXV will finally give consumers and firms more stable prices, while slapping on stricter food safety rules and making it easier to track where the meat actually comes from. Farmers, meanwhile, stand to gain from more predictable margins and dodge fewer of the supply-demand imbalances that routinely distort prices.

Processing octopus for export to the Japanese market at Huy Nam Company in An Giang (Photo: VNA)

Squid, octopus exports pick up early in 2026

In terms of product structure, squid has emerged as the main growth driver. Export turnover of squid exceeded 64 million USD, rising nearly 30%, while octopus exports brought in more than 47 million USD, up over 16%. The development indicates that demand for squid products is recovering faster in the short term.

The world’s longest over-sea cable car to Hon Thom Island in the Phu Quoc special zone, An Giang province. (Photo: VNA)

An Giang steps up tourism development ahead of APEC 2027

Tourism in the province has recorded strong growth, affirming its position as one of the region’s leading destinations. Phu Quoc Island continues to attract the majority of international travellers, receiving more than 817,660 visitors, accounting for over 98.5% of total foreign arrivals to the province.

Import-export activities at Lach Huyen international port in Hai Phong (Photo: VNA)

Reducing risks, removing logistics bottlenecks amid Middle East volatility

According to Truong Xuan Trung, Trade Counsellor of Vietnam in the UAE, the Middle East serves not only as a consumption market but also as a key global transhipment hub, meaning instability in the region creates ripple effects across intercontinental transport networks. Shipping route adjustments and airspace restrictions have lengthened transit times, increased costs and disrupted delivery schedules, with some Vietnamese shipments forced to reroute or seek alternative markets.

Cargo is handled at container terminals No. 3 and No. 4 of Hai Phong International Gateway Port. (Photo: VNA)

Businesses seek “survival momentum” amid global geopolitical turbulence

This is an urgent move as the challenges of 2026 differ markedly from previous ones, shaped by overlapping external shocks ranging from geopolitical tensions disrupting supply chains to surging logistics and raw material costs, exchange-rate pressures, and increasingly complex tariff barriers in global markets.

At the 2025 trade connectivity week for mechanical, electrical and digital industries. (Photo: VNA)

Ho Chi Minh City gives boost to supporting industry firms

Supporting industry firms in Ho Chi Minh City are scrambling to embed themselves more deeply into both global and domestic supply chains, backed by a suite of local incentives that are speeding up their tech upgrades and market access.

Italy's national pavilion at the ongoing Food & Hospitality Vietnam 2026 exhibition at Ho Chi Minh City's Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) draws visitors for hands-on experiences. (Photo: IVNA)

Italian food firms eye opportunities in Vietnam

Italy’s exports of food and beverages to Vietnam reached 105.1 million EUR in 2025, up 4% year-on-year, positioning the country among the leading EU suppliers to the Vietnamese market.

An overview of the working session (Photo: baoquangninh.vn)

Quang Ninh promotes all-round cooperation with Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Quang Ninh encourages Guangxi enterprises to invest in high-tech marine aquaculture and expand aquatic product exports in China. At the same time, the province aims to develop livestock farming in line with international standards and attract investment in deep-processing plants for agricultural products such as cinnamon, star anise and tea, linked with traceability systems at border gates.

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

Vietnam becomes fastest growing market for Norwegian salmon in Southeast Asia

The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) reported at the “Norwegian seafood industry in Vietnam market 2026” event held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 25 that fresh Norwegian salmon exports to Vietnam jumped 16% in volume in the first two months of 2026 compared with a year earlier, while frozen salmon shipments surged about 37%.

At a petrol station (Photo: VNA)

Energy giants work hard to roll out E10 RON95 sale ahead of schedule

Petrolimex and PVOIL, are in a strong position to accelerate the transition toward cleaner fuels. These companies have been actively preparing infrastructure, upgrading blending systems, and coordinating supply chains to ensure the availability of E10 RON95 across their nationwide retail systems.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung visits Bosch Industrial in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Germany boost innovation, startup ecosystem connectivity

Deputy PM Nguyen Chi Dung highly valued CfE’s reputation and pioneering role in building Germany’s innovation-driven startup ecosystem, and called for stronger cooperation with NIC to support Vietnamese universities, research institutes and organisations in training and scientific research.