Representatives from both sides at the signing ceremony. — Photo courtesy of Vietrade

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam's Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Meta Platforms to help Vietnamese businesses strengthen their use of digital tools for trade promotion and market expansion.

The agreement was signed on Friday in Singapore by Vietrade Director General Vũ Bá Phú and Meta's Public Policy Director Sarim Aziz on the sidelines of the 10th ASEAN Conference themed "ASEAN's Future in a Fractured World" hosted by the Singapore Business Federation.

Under the MoU, the two sides will cooperate on digital trade promotion, knowledge sharing and capacity-building programmes, with a focus on helping small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), cooperatives, household businesses and industry associations improve their digital marketing, branding and business connectivity.

Joint communications activities and coordinated trade promotion programmes will also take place under the partnership, which encourage wider adoption of digital tools to help Vietnamese firms access both domestic and overseas markets.

The signing followed talks in Singapore, where the two sides agreed to launch digital skills training programmes for Vietnamese businesses and develop a cooperation roadmap for the rest of 2026. 

A first training programme is scheduled for mid-August in cooperation with the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises. The partners also plan to develop more specialised training programmes for sectors including wood processing, textiles and garments, and digital industries.

The 10th ASEAN Conference themed 'ASEAN's Future in a Fractured World' brought together Government officials, business leaders, financial institutions and investors to discuss geopolitical shifts, trade policy changes, supply chain restructuring, AI, energy and sustainable development.

Speaking at a session on Việt Nam's market, Phú said ASEAN remains a strategic market and an increasingly important production, investment and supply chain partner for Việt Nam despite growing geopolitical uncertainty and changing global trade policies.

He said existing regional trade agreements, including the ASEAN Free Trade Area, the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, have helped expand market access and strengthen cross-border production networks.

Phú said Việt Nam was shifting towards a growth model driven by productivity, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and green growth, creating opportunities for cooperation in advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI, digital services, renewable energy and modern logistics.

He added that Vietrade would continue helping Vietnamese businesses make better use of regional trade frameworks and free trade agreements while strengthening links with international buyers, distributors and investors. — BIZHUB/VNS