Improving sustainable production capacity
According to Ms. Ho Thi Quyen - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC), the implementation of the European Union (EU)'s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote clean production is a big challenge but also an opportunity for Vietnamese businesses.
To maintain and expand market share in the EU market, exporting enterprises must meet the requirements of carbon emissions transparency and apply environmentally friendly technology. "compliance with CBAM will not only ensure output for Vietnamese products, but also help improve global competitiveness" - Ms. Quyen emphasized.
Sharing the same view, Dr. Nguyen Phuong Nam - General Director of clinical innovation consulting & services clinicov, said that businesses need to proactively review production processes, conduct emission inventories and calculate emission intensity on each product. He proposed solutions such as switching to renewable energy, optimizing technology to reduce emissions, thereby meeting CBAM standards sustainably and effectively.
Enterprises need to proactively invest in clean technology, improve production processes, build emission management systems and improve reporting and verification capacity for emission data. Converting to green production is not only important for each enterprise but also affects the entire supply chain. When a supplier reduces emissions, businesses in the operating chain will also get closer to the goal of achieving net greenhouse gas emissions of 0 by 2050.
Opportunities for domestic enterprises
A report from Metric on the Vietnamese e-commerce market in 2024 shows that the food processing industry leads the growth rate, reaching 76.3%, thanks to high demand for essential products and the convenience of online shopping. It is forecasted that in 2025, this trend will continue to develop strongly, with priority given to purchasing food, beverages and child care products.
Towards consumer trends, Shopee has announced a 1% reduction in fixed fees for essential goods industries from June 2025, while implementing programs to support small and micro enterprises (MSME) such as e-commerce skills training, domestic product promotion and developing innovative livestream campaigns to enhance Vietnamese brand recognition.
In parallel with support policies, this platform also promotes regional specialties and "Made in Vietnam" brands, promoting the spirit of "Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese products". These initiatives not only create domestic consumption momentum but also expand opportunities for Vietnamese businesses to access the online market more effectively.
According to Ms. Ly Kim Chi - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Food and Foodstuff Association, businesses need some support capital during this period. The Ho Chi Minh City government needs to expand trade promotion programs to support businesses in seeking new markets. At the same time, launch the program "Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese goods" to help businesses participate more deeply in the domestic market.
In the context of increasingly strict international requirements and increasingly fierce domestic competition, proactively transforming green and taking advantage of opportunities from e-commerce will be a decisive factor in the sustainable development of Vietnamese enterprises in the coming period.
