The event brought together policymakers, experts, and business leaders from both countries, marking a major step in realizing the potential of bilateral digital economic cooperation.

In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Minh Tam highlighted the strategic significance of e-commerce in the context of the Vietnam-Laos special relationship. He stressed that cross-border digital trade offers the shortest and most effective route for businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to bring their products directly to consumers in neighboring markets, overcoming barriers of geography and cost.

At the workshop, representatives of Vietnamese and Lao enterprises discussed the role of digital platforms as the backbone of the e-commerce ecosystem and emphasized the importance of infrastructure in facilitating trade between the two countries.

Doan Xuan Huy, General Director of Globaltech Co. Ltd., said he hoped the event would help identify partners in Laos to facilitate technology transfer from Vietnam and build product distribution chains, particularly for OCOP items and traditional craft goods, to reach not only the Lao market but also Thailand and China via Laos’s transit corridors.

Huy added that his company had already identified specific cooperation orientations and made initial connections with logistics and digital technology partners, including LaoApp, developed by Star Telecom (Unitel), a joint venture between Lao Asia Telecom and Viettel Group. Globaltech aims to integrate Vietnamese and Lao products via API into its national digital platform VIVINA, thereby expanding the bilateral digital ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Happy Sisomphone, Director of Lao courier company Houng Aloun, said the strong and multifaceted cooperation between Laos and Vietnam offers promising opportunities for businesses. Expressing admiration for Vietnam’s rapid development, one of ASEAN’s most dynamic economies, he noted the high quality and strong export potential of Vietnamese products. His company, he said, seeks to become a logistics bridge between the two countries, offering comprehensive warehousing and delivery services from Laos, and transportation and distribution solutions from Vietnam.

Duong Thi My Binh of Viet Lao AZ Joint Stock Company (VLCO), also representing the workshop organizers, said the event was designed to introduce a comprehensive “toolkit” comprising sales platforms, logistics infrastructure, and payment solutions.

The goal, she explained, is to help businesses, especially SMEs, understand, connect, and chart a turnkey path to accessing each other’s markets. She emphasized that the workshop was not only a thematic event but also a foundational step toward deeper e-commerce cooperation between Vietnamese and Lao enterprises as a contribution to sustainable and effective bilateral economic development in the digital age.

A highlight of the event was the launch of the Lamo e-wallet, a new payment solution expected to facilitate seamless cross-border transactions between the two nations.

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