A digital sales programme has been co-launched by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) in collaboration with Amazon Global Selling Việt Nam to help Vietnamese SMEs access international markets. — Photo vietq.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) in collaboration with Amazon Global Selling Việt Nam has launched a programme to help small and medium-sized firms set up their digital sales channels.

Deputy head of MPI's enterprise development department Bùi Thu Thủy said despite the pandemic, Việt Nam's import-

\export turnover in 2020 reached US$282.6 billion. However, 72.3 per cent of growth was from FDI firms. Domestic firms, especially SMEs, still have a lot of untapped potential for growth.

"We hope to see SMEs from Việt Nam making more cross-border sales through Amazon and other electronic platforms. The programme is designed to help them build brands and take advantage of digital trade," she said. 

SMEs which join the programme will be provided with guidelines to set up online sales operations on Amazon and other international digital commerce platforms. In addition, sales experts from Amazon Global Selling Việt Nam will support SMEs in brand-building, making business plans and taking steps in the business digital transformation process. The ministry said it aims to support up to 100,000 SMEs by 2025 with the programme. 

According to business experts, digital commerce has been identified as an ideal sales channel for SMEs, especially for those looking to enter foreign markets thanks to its relatively low setup cost. There are 1.9 million SMEs operating on their platform, according to an Amazon's report. — VNS