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CONGRATULATIONS ON
VIETNAM'S 76TH
NATIONAL DAY!
(2/9/1945 - 2/9/2021)
Dear readers,
The goal of raising the digital economy’s contribution to GDP to 30 per cent was set out in
Vietnam’s National Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution to 2030, approved by the Prime
Minister in December 2020. Earlier, the National Digital Transformation Program to 2025 with a
vision towards 2030, approved by the Prime Minister in June 2020, also aimed to turn Vietnam
into a digitalized country. The rate of the population with e-payment accounts is targeted to
exceed 50 per cent by 2025.
The strategy and the program have become an important legal basis for developing Vietnam’s
e-commerce market in line with common global trends in the Industry 4.0 era.
Vietnam’s e-commerce market has indeed developed quite rapidly and will certainly grow more
vigorously.
According to a report from the Department of E-Commerce and Digital Economy at the Ministry of
Industry and Trade, 53 per cent of the population joined the online retail market in 2020, boosting the
growth of Vietnam’s e-commerce sector by 18 per cent, to $11.8 billion, or 5.5 per cent of the country’s
total retail sales. Vietnam was the only country in Southeast Asia to post double-digit growth in e-
commerce last year.
Shopping on e-commerce platforms has increased sharply since the outbreak of Covid-19. This proves
that Vietnamese people are very much interested in using online services, from traveling and dining to
entertainment. In particular, in the two largest cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, e-commerce
activities grew strongly and accounted for 70 per cent of the country’s total e-commerce transactions.
Such strong actual demand for shopping on e-commerce platforms will open up more opportunities
for not only commercial investors but also technology developers.
Our Cover Story in this September issue therefore focuses on e-commerce, providing readers
with an overview of the country’s e-commerce landscape, the opportunities and challenges for
foreign investors interested in the sector, how retailers promote their online businesses, and
analysis from many experts, both local and foreign.
We hope you will enjoy these and other stories this month.
DR. CHU VAN LAM
Editor-in-Chief