On the afternoon of July 23rd, the Department of Industry and Trade of Hue City organized a conference to promote exports, aiming for double-digit growth in the city. The conference was part of the implementation of socio-economic development tasks for 2026, and also provided a forum for management agencies and businesses to exchange ideas and propose solutions to boost exports, thereby achieving the export growth target and contributing to the city's GRDP growth target of over 10%.
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Mr. Ha Van Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Hue City People's Committee, delivered the opening speech at the conference.
The report presented at the Conference showed that, despite the continued complex developments in the global economy and trade, Hue City's export activities in the first six months of 2026 still achieved many positive results. Export turnover is estimated at 840.56 million USD, an increase of nearly 20% compared to the same period last year; the trade surplus was approximately 230 million USD. Many key product groups continued to maintain growth rates, and OCOP products, traditional craft villages, and Hue specialties gradually affirmed their position in the international market.
At the conference, representatives from businesses, industry associations, and experts focused on discussing and assessing the difficulties and obstacles in export activities, such as logistics costs, increasingly stringent requirements from importing markets regarding technical standards, traceability, and green development. They also proposed numerous solutions to enhance competitiveness, expand markets, and effectively utilize free trade agreements (FTAs). Many opinions also suggested that the city continue to support businesses in trade promotion, digital transformation, market connectivity, and human resource training for export activities.
There is ample room for Vietnamese businesses to thrive with cross-border e-commerce.
Speaking at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Huu Tuan - Director of the Center for E-commerce and Digital Technology Development - eComDX (Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy, Ministry of Industry and Trade) informed that cross-border e-commerce is becoming an important driving force for export growth in many countries, and Vietnam is considered one of the fastest-growing markets in the region.
The director of eComDX believes that, along with the strong shift from traditional business models to the digital environment, Vietnamese businesses have many opportunities to directly reach global consumers through e-commerce platforms. This is also a favorable time for Hue city to leverage its unique advantages to develop digital exports, contributing to achieving the local double-digit growth target.
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Mr. Nguyen Huu Tuan – Director of eComDX
Mr. Tuan noted that Vietnam's cross-border e-commerce is entering a period of positive growth with the scale of online exports continuously expanding. It is estimated that by 2025, online exports will reach US$2.0 billion (an 18% increase compared to the previous year) and total online import and export will reach US$4.45 billion.
According to Mr. Tuan, there are three positive signals driving the development of cross-border e-commerce in Vietnam today. Firstly, international demand for Vietnamese products and digital products continues to increase. Secondly, domestic businesses, especially SMEs, are effectively utilizing cross-border platforms, processes, and tools – software. Thirdly , infrastructure conditions such as international payment, logistics, compliance, and consumer protection have improved. Based on this, Mr. Tuan believes that cross-border e-commerce still has much room for breakthroughs, opening up great opportunities for Vietnamese businesses, including those in Hue, to boost exports in the digital environment.
Many solutions to promote cross-border e-commerce in Hue.
Analyzing Hue's outstanding opportunities in developing cross-border e-commerce, Mr. Tuan stated that Hue has a favorable policy foundation as the City People's Committee has issued the E-commerce Development Plan for the period 2026–2030, demonstrating its determination to make e-commerce a driving force for the local digital economy. In addition, Hue possesses many advantages in specialty products, OCOP products, agricultural products, handicrafts, and products associated with heritage and cultural values – product groups that have the potential to create differentiation in the international market. This forms the basis for building local brands on cross-border e-commerce platforms.
Besides its product advantages, Hue also has the potential to become a logistics hub for the Central region if it effectively utilizes its infrastructure and development policies. Accordingly, Mr. Tuan emphasized the role of free trade zones (FTZs) as a crucial solution to "consolidate individual goods and centralize warehousing," "remove tax barriers and optimize cash flow," "integrate VAS services (packaging, standardization, reverse logistics)," "become a regional distribution center (RDC)," and "attract investment in logistics and platforms." These solutions will not only help reduce export costs but also enhance the competitiveness of Hue businesses in the international market.
Overview of the Conference
To effectively leverage these advantages, representatives from the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy proposed several synchronized solutions. First, they emphasized enhancing the digital capabilities of businesses, cooperatives, and household businesses through training in sales skills on international e-commerce platforms, digital marketing, electronic payments, order management, and compliance with export market regulations. Simultaneously, they stressed the need to promote the application of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and analytical tools to conduct market research, optimize promotional activities, and improve customer experience.
Furthermore, it is necessary to build an ecosystem to support digital exports with the participation of state management agencies, logistics businesses, payment units, trade promotion organizations, and cross-border e-commerce platforms. Another important solution is to develop digital brands for Hue products through standardizing product information, traceability, improving image quality, and telling the cultural story of the products to increase their value in the international market. At the same time, it is important to continue effectively implementing the goals of the E-commerce Development Plan for the period 2026-2030, linking e-commerce development with the digital transformation of businesses and the development of the city's digital economy.
The Director of eComDX affirmed that, with its advantages in heritage, tourism, local products, and a clear e-commerce development orientation, Hue is facing a great opportunity to form a modern digital export ecosystem. “If we make good use of support policies, develop logistics, enhance business capacity, and effectively connect with global e-commerce platforms, Hue can completely transform cross-border e-commerce into a new driving force for export growth, contributing positively to the sustainable economic development goals of the locality ,” Mr. Tuan asserted.
