Hanoi (VNA) - A thematic session titled “E-commerce in the Digital Era” was held in Hanoi on December 3 as part of the Vietnam Digital Industrial and Trade Summit 2025.
The discussion brought together regulators, industry associations, platform operators, and tech solution providers to assess shifts in Vietnam’s e-commerce market and emerging requirements for enterprises.
Speaking at the event, Le Hoang Oanh, Director of the Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency, stressed that e-commerce remains a key driver of the digital economy and one of the strategic pillars of digital transformation in the industry and trade sector.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has completed two foundational policy documents: the national master plan for e-commerce development for 2026–2030, which emphasises pioneering and inclusive green growth, and the draft Law on E-commerce. The draft law focuses on platform categorisation, cross-border supervision, foreign investment, supporting services and the legal framework for electronic contracts.
Regulators emphasised that the rapid growth of the market calls for sustainability, stronger consumer trust, eco-friendly logistics, and improved human resources. The session centred on four key themes: emerging models and trends, fostering a healthy market environment, promoting green commerce and sustainable logistics, and bridging digital gaps for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by enhancing local capacity.
Updates on the draft Law on E-commerce underscore the requirements for data standardisation, oversight of cross-border activities, and tighter control of emerging business models, such as livestream and influencer commerce. Large platforms would assume greater responsibility for handling complaints, protecting consumers and monitoring product content.
Presenting third-quarter data for 2025, Metric.vn reported total gross merchandise value of 103.6 trillion VND (nearly 4 billion USD) on the four major platforms, up 2.6% quarter-on-quarter. Shopee led with 56% market share, while TikTok Shop posted 69% growth, expanding its share to 41%. Beauty, home and lifestyle, and women’s fashion were the top-performing categories.
Speakers noted that cross-border digital commerce is opening up new export opportunities for SMEs by cutting logistics and marketing costs while boosting brand visibility. They emphasised the importance of greener logistics models, like using electric vehicles, optimising delivery routes, and leveraging data for smarter dispatch, as key to reducing emissions.
Concluding the session, experts stressed that sustainable e-commerce in Vietnam hinges on efficient operations, optimised logistics chains, data standardisation and compliance. Supporting micro and small businesses and enhancing regional linkages will be vital to ensuring inclusive growth in the digital economy./.
