The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Bắc Ninh City People’s Committee sign a coordination plan to pilot support for the digital transformation of wholesale and retail shops and business households in the city. — Photos courtesy of Bắc Ninh City

BẮC NINH — E-commerce is emerging as a new driver of economic growth in Bắc Ninh, as the northern province leverages its strengths in digital infrastructure, electronics manufacturing and logistics to build a modern digital trading ecosystem.

The province is increasingly bringing local products into the digital space, creating new opportunities for businesses, cooperatives and household producers to expand markets, diversify distribution channels and enhance product value.

Bringing local products online

From industrial and consumer goods to One Commune One Product (OCOP) items, traditional handicrafts and agricultural specialties, a growing range of products from Bắc Ninh is now being marketed and sold through digital platforms.

The Bắc Ninh Market e-commerce platform is playing a key role in connecting producers with consumers at home and abroad. Beyond providing an online marketplace, it helps businesses, cooperatives and household producers establish digital shops, digitise product information, promote brands, integrate electronic payments, connect delivery services and enable product traceability.

These services help shorten the path from production to consumers while improving transparency and trust.

Nguyễn Đình Hiếu, director of Development at the Bắc Ninh Market E-commerce and Real Estate Platform, said putting products in the digital environment not only created an additional sales channel but also helped businesses and OCOP producers build their brands and strengthen consumer confidence through transparent information and product traceability.

Phạm Văn Thịnh, deputy chairman of the Bắc Ninh City People’s Committee (centre), joins a livestream introducing, promoting and selling Bắc Ninh’s early-season lychees this year in Nam Dương Commune.

As a result, a number of distinctive products from Bắc Ninh have maintained stable orders, expanded into markets outside the province and moved towards exports.

The benefits are particularly evident for traditional craft products that have struggled with promotion and market access.

By digitising product information and facilitating online transactions, Phù Lãng pottery has secured direct export orders to the US. Several OCOP products, including PTK minced-meat shrimp paste and Curcumin turmeric extract, have also maintained stable orders on e-commerce platforms, helping them broaden their markets and increase their value.

The province is also looking beyond basic online buying and selling. The Bắc Ninh Market platform is researching the application of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, digital maps and cashless payment solutions to help businesses analyse market demand, optimise operations and improve the customer experience.

According to the Bắc Ninh Department of Industry and Trade, e-commerce can help reduce transaction costs, expand markets, modernise management and improve business competitiveness. Digital platforms also give businesses access to market data, connect them with supply chains and enable them to participate more deeply in domestic and international production and distribution networks.

Strong foundations for digital trade

Farmers in Phượng Sơn Ward, Bắc Ninh City, livestream an introduction of lychees to consumers through digital platforms.

Bắc Ninh has considerable advantages in developing e-commerce, particularly its digital infrastructure, electronics manufacturing base and sizeable consumer market.

Mobile 4G coverage has reached 100 per cent across the province, while 5G coverage exceeds 92 per cent. Fibre-optic internet has been connected to all villages and residential groups.

The province is also investing in data centres, cloud computing and an integrated data-sharing platform, creating a foundation for wider digital transformation and the development of new business models.

With a population of nearly four million, Bắc Ninh is itself a major consumer market. Online shopping is becoming increasingly common, with around 55–60 per cent of residents shopping online. Cashless payments account for roughly half of e-commerce transactions, mainly through e-wallets, payment gateways and QR codes.

These developments provide a solid foundation for expanding the digital market, stimulating consumption and improving the efficiency of goods distribution.

In recent years, the industry and trade sector has supported businesses in developing e-commerce websites, adopting digital marketing tools and placing products on online marketplaces.

Co-operation with banks and credit institutions to introduce cashless payments at traditional markets, supermarkets and shopping centres has also helped foster digital consumption habits and create conditions for the sustainable development of e-commerce.

Nguyễn Thế Thi, deputy director of the Bắc Ninh City Department of Industry and Trade, said the province's position as a major national centre for electronics manufacturing, production and exports gave it favourable conditions to develop modern e-commerce models linked to manufacturing, logistics and supply chains.

E-commerce, he said, not only expanded sales channels but also helped businesses reduce transaction costs, improve management capacity, reach markets more quickly and strengthen competitiveness.

Online promotion of lychees and key agricultural products, as well as distinctive OCOP products, from Bắc Ninh City.

Business-centred ecosystem

In the coming period, the industry and trade sector will focus on developing a business-centred e-commerce ecosystem, with priority given to small- and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives, business households and OCOP producers.

Support will focus on helping them adopt digital platforms, build brands, implement product traceability and connect with domestic and international e-commerce marketplaces.

Bắc Ninh also plans to promote AI, big data, cloud computing and blockchain in commercial activities, while developing logistics and cashless payment infrastructure, training digital human resources and strengthening inspections to create a transparent and secure e-commerce environment.

Under its orientation towards 2030, Bắc Ninh aims to make e-commerce an important driver of the digital economy.

The province targets at least 70 per cent of its adult population shopping online, while e-commerce retail sales are expected to grow by an average of 20–30 per cent annually and account for about 20 per cent of total retail sales of goods and consumer services.

More than 70 per cent of businesses are expected to apply e-commerce in their production and business activities, while all transactions on e-commerce platforms are targeted to use electronic invoices. Cashless payments are expected to account for more than 80 per cent of transactions.

The province also aims to ensure that traders in every commune and ward participate in online sales, while promoting OCOP products, outstanding rural industrial products and traditional handicrafts in the digital environment.

More than 15,000 training places are planned for businesses, cooperatives, household producers, management officials and students to improve their knowledge and skills in e-commerce.

Digital content creators conduct livestreams to introduce and promote Bắc Ninh’s outstanding agricultural products on digital platforms.

Phạm Văn Thịnh, deputy chairman of the Bắc Ninh City People's Committee, said that maintaining double-digit economic growth would require the province to make effective use of new growth drivers alongside traditional strengths such as processing and manufacturing and investment attraction.

“E-commerce will play an important role in this effort,” he said.

Developing e-commerce, he added, would not only help businesses expand markets, reduce costs and improve competitiveness, but also stimulate consumption, raise product value and create fresh momentum for the digital economy.

Bắc Ninh will continue to improve policies and strengthen State management of e-commerce, while stepping up inspections and strictly handling smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, intellectual property violations, tax evasion and breaches of consumer rights in the digital environment.

At the same time, the province will continue investing in logistics and electronic payment infrastructure, supporting businesses, cooperatives and OCOP producers in expanding through digital platforms and gradually increasing their participation in cross-border e-commerce. — VNS