Vietnam launches national pavilion on Alibaba

The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency and the tech giant signed a deal for the purpose. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said the site would be used for advertising and taking Vietnamese products to customers around the world.

The pavilion allows visitors to search for Vietnamese suppliers of agricultural and seafood products, furniture, packaging, and home and garden items.

Vietnam has gained a reputation with global customers thanks to its production capacity, quality of products and competitive pricing, Alibaba deputy director Andrew Zhang said.

The Trade Promotion Agency said it would coordinate with the platform to organize online advice sessions on exporting via e-commerce sites for over 2,500 Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises.

A similar program was held last year also in partnership with Alibaba for around 2,000 businesses, it added.

Tran Thi Yen Phi, CEO of Hanoi agribusiness DSW, said her firm’s revenues in the first year after joining Alibaba were US$260,000.

The business was unaffected by the congestion at the Vietnam-China border thanks to expansion of its market to Japan, the EU and Southeast Asia. “This year we are boosting exports to China under the official quota. Deliveries are delayed by China’s ‘Zero Covid’ policy, but we still be able to operate there,” she said.

Proline Vietnam, a packaging supplier, said its sales grew by 200 percent last year as it carried out all exports through e-commerce platforms.