Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese businesses need to strengthen their brands, meet international trade requirements and make better use of digital tools to improve their competitiveness and expand into global markets, experts said at a workshop in Hanoi on September 30.
The workshop on enhancing Vietnamese businesses' export capacity through trade promotion, branding, and global trade compliance was held under the SheTrades and UPS Women Exporters Programme by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the International Trade Centre (ITC)’s SheTrades Initiative and the UPS Foundation.
Speaking at the event, Dao Viet Anh, head of VIETRADE’s international relations division, said the global economy is volatile while competition in international markets is increasingly intense.
At the same time, rapid digital transformation and the growth of e-commerce are changing requirements for exporters. Besides product quality, brand building, compliance with import-market regulations, sustainable development and digital technology are becoming increasingly important to businesses seeking to improve competitiveness and expand markets, he said.
VIETRADE considers cooperation with international organisations and development partners in programmes supporting businesses a key task, Anh said, adding the workshop was designed to help Vietnamese businesses adapt to new requirements in global trade and make effective use of opportunities from the free trade agreements (FTAs).
At the workshop, experts introduced the agency’s trade promotion programmes and business support activities, shared experience in building Vietnamese brand value in international markets in the digital era, and updated participants on trade compliance requirements in the US, the EU and intra-Asian markets.
Businesses also took part in practical training in customer care, business performance monitoring, product search engine optimisation (SEO) and communication strategies with customers on e-commerce platforms.
Anh highlighted the close cooperation between VIETRADE, ITC and UPS Vietnam over the past years in implementing programmes to support small- and medium-sized enterprises, particularly women-owned companies, to integrate further into the global economy.
He described the ITC SheTrades and UPS programme in Vietnam as a practical initiative that provides businesses with new knowledge, strengthens their management capacity, supports brand development, and improves compliance with international standards and the use of digital tools in production, business and exports.
Micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play an important role in economic growth and job creation. However, many continue to face barriers to international trade due to limited skills, financial resources, business networks and market access.
In Vietnam, the SheTrades and UPS Women Exporters Programme, implemented by the ITC in coordination with VIETRADE, aims to improve MSMEs’ export readiness through technical support and assistance in digital transformation and market access, contributing to inclusive and sustainable growth./.
