On September 3, in Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency (iDEA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), in coordination with TikTok Shop and with the participation of the Department of Foreign Market Development, officially launched the “Beyond Vietnam - Vietnamese Products Take Flight” initiative. The initiative aims to support Vietnamese enterprises in building and strengthening their digital export capabilities and directly reaching international consumers through the discovery e-commerce model.

The initiative is being implemented as Viet Nam accelerates e-commerce development in line with the national e-commerce development orientation and plan for the 2026 - 2030 period issued by the MoIT. Its long-term objective is to help domestic enterprises participate more deeply in global e-commerce, leverage new trading methods to expand markets, reduce dependence on traditional distribution channels, and enhance their ability to tell the stories behind Vietnamese brands and products to the world.

Discovery e-commerce: From “waiting to be found” to “proactively appearing”

A distinctive feature of the “Beyond Vietnam - Vietnamese Products Take Flight” initiative is its application of discovery e-commerce. Instead of requiring consumers to actively search for products they already intend to buy, Vietnamese products and brands can appear directly in their discovery journey through short-form videos, livestreams, content creators, and local user communities.

At the launch ceremony, Le Hoang Oanh, Director of the iDEA, emphasized that the global economic landscape is posing numerous challenges to exports, ranging from fluctuating demand and rising costs to increasingly stringent requirements regarding quality, traceability, and green standards. These challenges have a more pronounced impact on small and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives, and production establishments with limited resources.

“Viet Nam has many high-quality products with unique identities and stories, ranging from agricultural products, food products, and handicrafts to traditional craft village products and regional specialties. What many of these products lack is not value, but rather the ability to tell the story of that value to the world,” she said.

In its initial phase, the initiative will support enterprises in expanding business activities in selected markets with large e-commerce sectors, well-developed shopping ecosystems, and significant potential for reaching consumers. The program will then gradually expand to other markets across Asia-Pacific and worldwide, based on enterprises’ readiness, local operational conditions, and viable commercial models in each market.

Vietnamese product categories that already possess export strengths, including agricultural products, seafood, processed food, textiles and garments, footwear, and handicrafts, have been identified as having strong potential for cross-border e-commerce if supported through integrated solutions in content creation, creator partnerships, storefront operations, logistics, and brand building in local markets.

Tran Thi Tan, Director of Social Responsibility and Strategic Partnerships at TikTok Shop and Director of the “Beyond Vietnam - Vietnamese Products Take Flight” project, stated: “The way a brand can enter international markets is changing. E-commerce in general has already transformed part of the traditional export structure. Discovery e-commerce is creating another wave of transformation. Alongside the rapid development of discovery e-commerce in Viet Nam, many Vietnamese enterprises have accumulated new capabilities in content creation, livestreaming, and collaboration with content creators, helping them increase consumer engagement and drive sales conversion. ‘Beyond Vietnam - Vietnamese Products Take Flight’ aims to turn these capabilities into competitive advantages as Vietnamese businesses expand into international markets.”

Specific targets for 2026 and vision to 2028

In 2026, the initiative aims to train and strengthen digital export capabilities for approximately 500 Vietnamese enterprises; provide in-depth consultation and one-on-one support for 50 enterprises with high export readiness; and assist at least 10 enterprises in achieving their first 1,000 orders through discovery e-commerce in international markets.

By 2028, the program envisions expanding its training scale to 2,000 enterprises while cultivating a group of Vietnamese businesses capable of sustainably operating discovery e-commerce activities abroad and mastering capabilities in content creation, creator collaboration, operations, and brand building in local markets.

Significance for exports and e-commerce development

“Beyond Vietnam - Vietnamese Products Take Flight” represents a concrete step toward linking e-commerce development policies with the task of expanding and diversifying export markets. The initiative is not merely intended to help enterprises establish online stores on digital platforms; it also seeks to build long-term capabilities in product storytelling, collaboration with local creative ecosystems, cross-border operations, and strengthening the presence of Vietnamese brands in international markets.

The MoIT will continue coordinating with relevant agencies, digital platforms, and the business community to implement training, consultation, and market connectivity activities, thereby helping Vietnamese products proactively, effectively, and sustainably reach international consumers.