"The e-commerce ecosystem is not a closed model or one run by a single entity, but an open model – where the State creates the institutions, and businesses proactively connect, compete, and develop."
This was shared by Mr. Bui Huy Hoang, Deputy Director of the Center for E-commerce Development (Department of E-commerce, Ministry of Industry and Trade) in his presentation "Developing the e-commerce ecosystem: Growth opportunities for Da Nang city" at the conference "Promoting e-commerce and digital payments - Driving forces for economic growth in Da Nang city in 2026".
The program, organized by the Da Nang City Department of Industry and Trade in coordination with the Quality Supervision and Anti-Counterfeiting Center (QSAC) on October 22, 2026, under the direction of the Da Nang City People's Committee, brought together more than 150 delegates representing leaders of Da Nang City departments and agencies, experts, research institutes, and the business community in Da Nang.
Da Nang promotes e-commerce and digital payments as drivers of economic development.
In his opening remarks at the workshop, Mr. Huynh Xuan Son, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Industry and Trade, emphasized the crucial role of e-commerce and digital payments in the local economic growth model transformation strategy. According to the Vietnam E-commerce Index (EBI) Report 2025, Da Nang achieved 28.1 points, maintaining its third position nationwide (after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City). In recent times, the city has brought many OCOP products and local specialties onto digital platforms (Grab, ShopeeFood, Xanh SM, Mytour, etc.); while simultaneously promoting cashless payments, QR code scanning, and traceability. The pilot program of e-commerce at the commune/ward level, along with programs supporting businesses in expanding into international markets through Amazon Global Selling, has significantly enhanced the competitiveness and modern business mindset of the local business community.
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Mr. Huynh Xuan Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Da Nang City
Besides the achievements, Mr. Son noted that this activity still faces many challenges such as uneven technological capabilities, the need for information standardization, data security, and logistics costs. Therefore, the leaders of the Department of Industry and Trade hope that the workshop will focus on discussing and proposing practical solutions to build an effectively connected e-commerce ecosystem, promote secure digital payments, support businesses in applying new technologies, and build a sustainable development roadmap for the period 2026-2030.
Developing the e-commerce ecosystem: Growth opportunities for Da Nang city.
Faced with the real challenges at the local level, as Mr. Son pointed out, finding comprehensive solutions and long-term strategic orientations has become extremely urgent. Sharing this view, at the discussion session on the topic "Developing the e-commerce ecosystem: Growth opportunities for Da Nang city," Mr. Bui Huy Hoang, Deputy Director of the Center for E-commerce Development (E-commerce Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade), emphasized the core role of forming and perfecting the e-commerce ecosystem for the development of the local digital economy.
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The workshop attracted a large number of delegates and businesses.
Mr. Hoang stated that, in the context of the E-commerce Department developing the draft "Project for the Development of the E-commerce Ecosystem in Vietnam," the event is an important opportunity for the management agency to listen to practical experiences from local agencies and business communities, thereby refining the policy framework to promote the market in the new phase.
Sharing in-depth insights into the operational model, a representative from the E-commerce Department stated that Vietnam's e-commerce ecosystem is oriented towards an open model created by the State through institutional frameworks, policies, and support mechanisms. This ecosystem is a multi-dimensional network comprising six main groups of entities: e-commerce platforms (domestic, international, and cross-border); sources of goods for transaction; buyers and sellers; warehousing and logistics services; digital payment and finance; and data and technological applications such as AI, authentication, and traceability. This is coupled with synchronized support from inter-sectoral institutional policies (taxation, customs, transportation, digital advertising), specialized human resource training, market promotion activities, consumer protection, and the promotion of cross-border e-commerce. In order to promote the development of the e-commerce ecosystem in Vietnam, socialize e-commerce service providers including payment and logistics, and enhance the e-commerce capacity of domestic businesses, the Department of E-commerce expresses its readiness to cooperate closely with Da Nang in training human resources and providing consulting solutions for e-commerce market development and for businesses.
In particular, Mr. Hoang emphasized that cross-border e-commerce (online export) is a rapidly developing trend worldwide and can be considered one of the strategic directions and new growth drivers for Da Nang in the coming time. Citing the international success of China, with its cross-border e-commerce import and export volume reaching over US$409.5 billion in 2025 and its system of 178 pilot zones and 2,500 bonded warehouses, the establishment of the Da Nang Free Trade Zone under Decision No. 1142/QD-TTg in 2025 with a scale of 1,880 hectares is considered an important foundation for Da Nang to develop cross-border e-commerce along with related services. With its favorable geographical location and specific incentive mechanisms, Da Nang possesses many favorable conditions to become the cross-border e-commerce center of the Central region, playing a key role in consolidating and transshipping online import and export goods connecting with the world.
The Center for E-commerce Development (under the E-commerce Department - Ministry of Industry and Trade) will continue to coordinate with local departments, associations, and businesses to organize training programs, workshops, and combine them with surveys and trade exchanges in international e-commerce markets, promoting cross-border e-commerce.
Promoting the development of digital technology and AI infrastructure.
Analyzing the development trends of artificial intelligence and its far-reaching impact on e-commerce, Mr. Truong Thai Son, Head of the IT Department (Da Nang Department of Science and Technology), stated that global e-commerce in 2026 is witnessing a strong shift from the traditional keyword-based search model to shopping through intelligent agents (AI Agents). In Da Nang, integrating e-commerce with AI is identified as one of the top priorities.
To capitalize on this trend, the city has put into operation Software Park No. 2, deployed an AI Lab, added dedicated AI servers, and attracted large-scale data centers. Simultaneously, the city's Open Data Portal has publicly released over 3,212 datasets, attracting over 5.7 million visits. The local digital transformation support program has reached 97.2% of the more than 124,000 business households, while providing free digital tools to over 27,000 households.
Establishing a framework for measuring the contribution of value added (VA) to GRDP.
Alongside technological infrastructure solutions, measuring the actual effectiveness of these activities on the economy requires an in-depth and quantitative perspective. In this regard, Dr. Nguyen Duc Tai presented a scientific analysis at the conference on methods for evaluating the contribution of e-commerce to the city's overall growth targets. Dr. Tai emphasized that increasing online sales is only truly meaningful when the added value is created and retained locally. From this, Dr. Nguyen Duc Tai proposed a multi-layered analytical framework along with a set of operational indicators focusing on the following groups: Market Expansion, Business Efficiency, and Transaction Quality. The main policy focus should be on improving domestic supply capacity, reducing transaction costs, protecting trademarks, and strengthening consumer confidence in digital services.
Double-digit growth drivers and a roadmap to 2030.
Adding to the overall picture of the city's economy, Mr. Vu Tuan Cuong, CEO of A4I Co Ltd, presented quantitative figures on the scale and position of e-commerce in Da Nang. According to him, Da Nang's GRDP in 2025 is projected to reach VND 316.1 trillion (9.18% growth), with B2C e-commerce revenue estimated to account for nearly 10% of total retail sales, growing at an average rate of over 20% per year. To ensure e-commerce becomes a key pillar contributing 3-5% to GRDP and supports overall economic growth of 11% or more in 2026, Mr. Cuong emphasized the crucial solution of gradually improving the data system. Therefore, the city needs to promptly research and develop a suitable set of measurement indicators to clearly differentiate between the scale of online transactions and the actual added value created locally. Along with that, A4I representatives proposed an action plan until 2030 with the goal of: accompanying and supporting approximately 16,000 SMEs and 38,000 business households in the area to participate in e-commerce and generate real revenue.
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Representatives from regulatory agencies, experts, and the business community pose for a commemorative photo at the event.
Within the framework of the workshop, representatives from the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also presented solutions for developing e-commerce linked to tourism, services, and the night-time economy (Bach Dang Street, Son Tra Night Market, An Thuong). The application of AI VR360 tourist maps, Danang FantastiCity chatbot, e-tickets, and automated tour guides helps optimize digital touchpoints, extend the length of stay, and increase tourist spending.
The workshop concluded with a high level of consensus among management agencies, experts, and the business community. The high-quality proposals presented at the event will serve as important practical basis for the Department of Industry and Trade to synthesize and advise the City People's Committee on issuing breakthrough policies, determined to develop the e-commerce and digital payment ecosystem to become a sustainable double-digit growth driver for Da Nang in the 2026-2030 period.
