The situation is still limited in the area
Dr. Dinh The Hien - Director of the Institute for Informatics and Applied Economics Research commented that Vietnamese brands have begun to expand their position in the digital space but are mainly focusing on the low-cost - mid-range segment, and have not yet created a strong image like countries in the region. Comparing in ASEAN, Vietnam is only average, Korea is superior in content creation and customer experience, China is strong in content production, while Thailand is successful in both marketing and user experience.
Vietnamese businesses need to quickly upgrade digital tools and build a brand story. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to compete with cheap Chinese goods and high-end brands from the region. The solution lies in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in customer management, marketing, and logistics to personalize experiences, optimize costs, and retain customers, Mr. Hien emphasized.
Agreeing with this point of view, but looking at digital infrastructure aspects, Mr. Tran Van Chin - Chairman of Arobid Company said that on B2B e-commerce platforms, the brand only really stands out when businesses focus on information transparency, product data standardization and investment in digital experience.
Long-term strategy and policy accompanying are needed
Adding an perspective from e-commerce activities, Mr. Nguyen Minh Duc - Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam E-commerce Association - emphasized that the biggest weakness of Vietnamese enterprises today is the lack of long-term strategy. Many units participate in e-commerce in a disjointed manner, lacking proper investment, leading to brands being uncompetitive. The Association is implementing programs to support businesses to improve digital capacity, from data governance training to international trade promotion. However, success or failure depends on the determination of the enterprise itself.
Mr. Duc further analyzed that each day, a person can be online for 6 hours, of which 2 hours are for livestreaming. Therefore, businesses must build a multi-channel strategy and continuously innovate to keep up with market demand.
On a local scale, Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Retailers also noted that brand development in the digital space cannot be based only on the individual efforts of businesses.
Raising the issue from the perspective of support policies, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam - Deputy Director of the Domestic Market Management and Development Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) said that the Ministry will build an e-commerce platform dedicated to Vietnamese goods, organize digital skills training, perfect institutions and increase traceability.
This will be an important foundation to help Vietnamese goods improve their competitiveness both domestically and internationally, Mr. Nam affirmed.
