Ministry of Industry and Trade launches digital platform for Overseas Market Development

Participants attending in person at the main venue at the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry and Trade included Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son; Acting Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung; Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang; Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Cao Bang Province Hoang Van Thach; along with leaders from units under the Government Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, representatives of provincial and municipal authorities, business associations and enterprises. Representatives from the network of Vietnam Trade Offices abroad also joined the event virtually.

Overview of the Launch Ceremony of the digital platform for Overseas Market Development.

The necessity of building a digital platform

Introducing the Digital Platform for Overseas Market Development at the event, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang stated that the platform, developed and implemented by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, represents an important step in modernizing governance methods and applying digital technologies to market development and the promotion of Vietnam’s international economic integration.

According to the Ministry’s leadership, the development of the Digital Platform for Overseas Market Development stems from pressing political and practical requirements.

First, it serves as a concrete step toward implementing Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation, as well as Resolution No. 71/NQ-CP dated April 1, 2025 of the Government on the action program to implement Resolution 57. Both resolutions emphasize the need to vigorously apply digital technologies in state governance and economic activities.

Second, the current global economic landscape is undergoing rapid and complex changes. Economic competition is intensifying, global supply chains continue to fluctuate and adjust, while new trade standards relating to the environment, technology and green transition are becoming increasingly stringent. In this context, market intelligence and policy responses must be faster, more accurate and more forward-looking.

Third, Vietnam currently maintains a network of 64 trade offices and trade office branches around the world, covering numerous key regions and markets. This represents a significant resource for market development. However, without appropriate technological tools to connect, share and systematically process information, it would be difficult to manage this network effectively and fully unlock its potential.

For this reason, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang emphasized that establishing a unified digital platform to connect market information from the trade office system, domestic management agencies, local authorities and the business community is both necessary and urgent.

When operated effectively, the Digital Platform for Overseas Market Development is expected to deliver substantial value to participating stakeholders.

For the business community, the platform will serve as a reliable source of market intelligence, enabling enterprises to rapidly access data on consumer trends, import regulations, technical standards, as well as investment–trade cooperation opportunities in specific markets. This will help enterprises reduce the cost of searching for information, take a more proactive approach to market development strategies and enhance their international competitiveness.

For local authorities, the platform will support local management agencies in directly accessing global market information, thereby enabling them to design appropriate trade promotion programs, develop key industries and orient export strategies in line with each locality’s potential and comparative advantages.

For state management agencies such as the Government and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the platform will gradually form a centralized data system on international markets, contributing to improvements in market analysis, forecasting and trade policy management. It will also provide an important foundation for the Government and the Ministry to formulate timely and effective policy decisions amid rapidly changing global trade dynamics.

Enhancing multi-dimensional interaction for effective operation

To ensure the effective operation of the Digital Platform for Overseas Market Development in the coming period, the leadership of the Ministry of Industry and Trade called on relevant agencies and units to focus on several key tasks.

First, it is necessary to continue refining and upgrading the platform in a modern, intelligent and user-friendly direction. In particular, greater emphasis should be placed on strengthening data-driven governance functions and applying artificial intelligence as well as big data analytics to enhance market forecasting capacity and support decision-making.

Second, Vietnam Trade Offices abroad, units under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, local authorities, and industry associations should regularly update, contribute and share data with the system. The more extensive, comprehensive and timely the data, the greater the value the platform will be able to deliver.

Third, it is essential to strengthen multi-dimensional interaction among enterprises, local authorities, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Vietnam Trade Office system abroad. The digital platform should not merely function as a one-way information channel but should evolve into an ecosystem for connectivity, exchange and mutual support in the process of market development.

As global competition continues to intensify, leveraging technology and data to enhance governance capacity and market development has become an inevitable requirement. With the active participation of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnam Trade Office system abroad, local authorities and the business community, the Digital Platform for Overseas Market Development is expected to become an important tool enabling Vietnam to improve the effectiveness of trade promotion activities, expand export markets and advance sustainable international economic integration.

Following the launch ceremony of the Digital Platform for Overseas Market Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will organize the first-quarter 2026 trade promotion briefing conference with the Vietnam Trade Office system abroad under the theme: “Solutions to promote foreign trade development in support of the GDP growth target in 2026.”