Feedback collected for e-commerce development plan by 2020

A workshop took place in Ho Chi Minh City on September 18 to collect feedback from provincial authorities and businesses in southern Vietnam on the national master plan for e-commerce development orientation between 2016 and 2020.

The event was organised by the Vietnam E-Commerce and Information Technology Agency (VECITA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the European Trade Policy and Investment Support Project (EU-MUTRAP).

In his remarks, VECITA head Tran Huu Linh said the e-commerce sector has come to play a vital role in Vietnam’s socio-economic activities after five-year implementation of the master plan for e-commerce development (2011-2015), contributing to the rapid and sustainable growth of not only enterprises but also the whole country.

The MoIT hereby decided to build another master plan for the next five years to keep the sector moving in the right direction.

Speaking at the workshop, business representatives said they have not only used various mobile commerce platforms but also developed their own mobile applications to introduce products and promotional deals to customers in recent years.

However, Vietnam has not adopted any regulations to manage these activities, ensuring a healthy business environment for all enterprises.

A joint effort between the ministry and provincial authorities is needed to effectively implement both national and provincial e-commerce development programmes, especially in terms of capable human resource provision, Ha Ngoc Son, an official of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, suggested.

It is estimated that by 2020, about 30 percent of Vietnam’s population will be online shoppers with an average purchase of 350 USD per person, of which Business-to-Customer (B2C) online sales will grow by 20 percent annually to hit 10 billion USD, or 5 percent of total retail sales.-VNA