Vietnam to become second largest digital economy in Southeast Asia in 2025: experts
Vietnam can become the second largest digital economy in Southeast Asia in 2025, while the country’s e-commerce market will draw more large-scale businesses, forecast experts at an online seminar in Ho Chi Minh City on April 20.
HCM City (VNA) – Vietnam can become the secondlargest digital economy in Southeast Asia in 2025, while the country’s e-commercemarket will draw more large-scale businesses, forecast experts at an onlineseminar in Ho Chi Minh City on April 20.
They also said that online businesses will involve moreeconomic sectors and more big players in the time to come.
Do Huu Hung, General Director of AccessTrade, held thate-commerce should be the first step, followed by logistics and deliveryservices to win stronger confidence among consumers and improve their shoppingexperience.
Hung said that with better logistics and delivery services, the digital economy can make up 50-60 percent of the Vietnamese economy in the future.
The years of 2020 and 2021 can be described as a special period withunprecedented changes under impacts of COVID-19, where online business inVietnam enjoyed a breakthrough growth in both domestic and foreign markets.
According to the “E-Commerce White Book 2020”, the global revenue from B2Ce-commerce activities is likely to rise by 1.5 times in the 2019-2023 periodfrom 1.94 trillion USD to over 2.88 trillion USD. The book also predicted that SoutheastAsia, including Vietnam, will see high growth.
Phan Binh, Director of J&T Express Vietnam, said that businesses do not needgiant shops but high quality products which will be delivered to customersthrough suitable services.
Currently, many foreign firms have sought businessopportunities in the potential market of Vietnam with the motto of "ThinkGlobal, Act Local". Meanwhile, online business activities have drawn alarge number of companies, cooperatives, business households and individuals inboth rural and urban areas.
Experts advised enterprises operating online business to seek seek supports inconsultations and solutions to develop one-stop-shop model.
They also underlined the need for wider coverage of deliveryservices to meet the demand of the booming e-commerce sector./.
Vietnam is gradually shifting to a digital economy in which cross-border trading is becoming the core factor, an official from the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) told a webinar on e-commerce held on March 22.
Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) plan to increase cross-border trade for their products via e-commerce platforms to promote exports in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has slashed the anti-dumping duties on Vietnam’s honey exporters by almost sevenfold compared to its preliminary conclusions, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).
A key change in the draft decree is a provision requiring bank transfers for gold transactions valued at 20 million VND (765 USD) and above, to enhance transparency and verify customer identities.
In the first four months of 2025, trade turnover between Vietnam and Cambodia surpassed 3 billion USD, marking a 7% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
On June 19 alone, a total of 2,005 trucks completed customs clearance at Lang Son’s border gates — the highest single-day figure ever recorded in the province. Of these, 634 carried exports and 1,371 imports.
The OECD Economic Surveys: Vietnam 2025 report focuses on analysing the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals, the impact of international integration on attracting foreign investment and trade, and the country’s prospects for developing a low-carbon economy.
Antoine Colin, Senior Vice President for Global Supply Chain Digital Transformation & Resilience at HP Inc., affirmed HP’s strategic commitment to building a supply chain and ecosystem in Vietnam and the region.
Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s Trade Promotion Agency Bui Quang Hung emphasised that logistics has evolved from a technical function into a core capability for Vietnamese exporters to maintain their competitive advantage in the US market.
A trade official has suggested companies work closely with shipping lines, airlines, and freight forwarders to monitor routes, transit times, and potential surcharges while exploring broader cargo insurance to cover risks like war and terrorism.
In addition to institutional reform, the agency is also rolling out key solution groups to combat counterfeit goods, imitations, and intellectual property infringements in the digital environment.
The event, co-organised by the Vietnam Trade Office in the UK and TT Meridian, a local importer of Vietnamese fresh produce, aims to build a national lychee brand and encourage broader recognition of Vietnamese fruits in a competitive, high-end market.
The industry's performance has been powered by bold investments in modern production lines, enabling Vietnamese firms to produce complicated products which were exclusive to advanced economies.
Outcomes of ABAC III will shape ABAC’s final policy recommendations to be submitted to the ABAC-APEC leaders’ dialogue, scheduled to take place in the Republic of Korea this November.
This is the second year the magazine has released the ranking, which is based on total revenue and key financial indicators of enterprises from seven countries in the region: Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Cambodia.
At the summit, publishing, tech, and media sectors will discuss emerging trends, business models, and sustainable solutions for digital publishing development in Vietnam.
This year’s “Vietnam Goods Week” marks a significant milestone as it is being held simultaneously for the first time in four locations across Asia: Japan, Hong Kong (China), Cambodia, and Malaysia, from June 19 - 22.
According to NordCham Vietnam Chairman Thue Quist Thomasen, the Vietnamese Government’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is both a challenge and an opportunity for businesses to contribute to green and sustainable growth.
The analysis from an investment perspective shows that the economy’s growth has been heavily capital‑driven, yet efficiency remains low as reflected by Vietnam’s Incremental Capital-Output Ratio (ICOR) being significantly higher than global and regional averages. This underscores the imperative to enhance capital‑use efficiency.
Illustrative image (Source: vneconomy.vn) 
