HÀ NỘI — The 2017 Vietnam eTrade Conference (VETC) was held on Tuesday by the Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM) in cooperation with the Vietnam Export Support Alliance (VESA) to help exporting firms and organisations improve their e-commerce activities.

“This is the first event of its kind in Việt Nam, which focuses on online export trends, the benefits of online exchanges and international retail trends,” said Nguyễn Kỳ Minh, Deputy Director of the E-commerce Development Centre under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) at the conference.

Multiple Vietnamese businesses are applying e-commerce technology in export, according to Trần Thanh Hải, Deputy Director of the MoIT’s Import-Export Department. In fact, the number of Vietnamese enterprises participating in online export programs and training in online export skills in 2016 showed a 34 per cent increase from 2015, as reported by the VECOM in its 2017 e-Business Index.

Hải also confirmed that in addition to accessing online public service such as e-customs, online certificates of origin and other export-related services, businesses in Việt Nam have been using the internet to look for foreign trade partners and sign contracts online.

E-commerce is considered an effective way to help business enhance efficiency in dealing with market research, contract signing, payment, customs regulations and bureaucratic legislations.

E-commerce is also believed to be a cost-cutting and time-saving solution to "unofficial fees" in the export process, according to VECOM’s Chairman Nguyễn Thanh Hưng.

Meanwhile, the number of consumers buying directly from international retailers is rising rapidly, which further emphasises the potential of e-commerce as a means to manage complicated import and export activities.

The conference is not only a chance for businesses to learn about e-trade exchange and the trend of online retail to foreign customers, but also for them to propose that the State provide online public services for import and export, said Hưng.

The 2017 VETC was divided into three sessions focusing on the three main pillars of online export and import activities: online public services between government and business; export opportunities based on online exchange and the business to business model (B2B); B2B development trends aimed directly towards end consumers.

This year’s conference also marked VESA’s introduction as a unit jointly created by OSB Investment and Technology Jsc, the Vietnam Prosperity Joint‑Stock Bank, the Telecommunication Joint Stock Insurance Corporation and the T&M Forwarding Ltd. Business members of VESA are entitled to better support from this e-commerce, logistics and insurance trio. — VNS