Stepping up AI application in trade promotion

On the afternoon of July 30, at Meta’s office in Singapore, Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade), under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, held a working session with Meta’s Asia-Pacific leadership to discuss cooperation directions to help Vietnamese businesses strengthen their capacity to apply digital tools and expand markets.

Attending the working session, on Meta’s side were Shanti Alexander, Director of Asia-Pacific Policy Programs; Thao Griffiths, Director of Public Policy for Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar; Nguyen Thi Duy Phuc, Director of Business and Market Partnerships for Vietnam, along with representatives of relevant departments. On the Vietnamese side was Cao Xuan Thang, Vietnam’s Trade Counsellor in Singapore.

At the working session, Director Vu Ba Phu shared Vietnam’s digital transformation orientation for national trade promotion activities through 2030, built on three pillars: a digital trade fair and exhibition platform, a trade promotion governance data portal, and a B2B trade connection platform. Building on Meta’s strengths in technology and artificial intelligence, the Director proposed that the two sides study ways to connect and integrate Meta’s digital tools into Vietnam’s digital trade promotion ecosystem, thereby helping businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, apply AI in product promotion, brand building, customer outreach, and export market development.

The two sides agreed to soon roll out training programs to enhance businesses’ digital capacity. The first training course is expected to be held in mid-August 2026 in coordination with the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (VINASME), followed by another course in late August with the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association (VYEA). The initial courses will be held online, focusing on practical content that is easy for businesses to apply.

After the broad-based training phase, the two sides will study the rollout of in-depth, sector-specific programs through a coordination mechanism involving the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, industry associations and Meta. In the immediate term, priority sectors include wood, textiles and garments, and the digital industry, including application development, video games and esports.

Towards ASEAN- and APEC-scale cooperation programs

The two sides also discussed cooperation directions for 2027, linked to Vietnam’s hosting of APEC 2027. The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency asked Meta to help propose initiatives and build large-scale cooperation programs within the ASEAN and APEC frameworks, focusing on helping small and medium-sized enterprises apply AI to enhance competitiveness and expand markets. The Agency also welcomed Meta’s proposal to jointly study organizing a series of specialized workshops to serve preparations for APEC 2027.

According to the plan, the two sides are completing internal procedures to sign a memorandum of understanding at the ASEAN 2026 Conference, to be held on the afternoon of July 31 in Singapore, witnessed by representatives of regulatory agencies, business associations, and the business community from ASEAN countries. The working session also agreed on immediate cooperation priorities, including rolling out training courses in August, finalizing the activity plan for the last five months of 2026, and stepping up support for small and medium-sized enterprises in 2027.