E-commerce has created a new tendency for production, business and export activities, and been serving as a lifebuoy for many enterprises to overcome difficulties of market fluctuations, heard a workshop on Vietnam’s e-commerce trends on March 20.

Five Vietnamese companies have been listed in the top 10 most visited e-commerce websites in Southeast Asia despite the global pandemic affecting consumers in the region, according to the latest e-commerce report.

The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) and Alibaba.com, the global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce platform of the Alibaba Group, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on supporting Vietnamese firms to boost online export and organised an international e-commerce conference in Hanoi on March 16.

Vietnam has seen sharp growth in the number of businesses run by women, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said.

The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and e-commerce platform Sendo.vn are helping businesses to sell farm produce online and promote digital transformation and the application of technology in trade activities.

E-commerce websites will be given ratings to increase customers’ trust in purchasing and payment activities in the online environment.

Vietnam is improving its legal framework to promote the development of e-commerce with a focus on preventing trade fraud.

An e-commerce credit evaluation system is needed to increase customer confidence in purchase and payment.

Foreign tech giants like Facebook, Google, and YouTube will have to pay taxes in Vietnam under a draft circular, after years of invoicing their revenues out of the country.

Companies are expected to implement digital strategies to continue to reach customers, experts said while alluding to trends in the e-commerce market this year.