COVID-19 has obstructed direct trade transactions but boosted online transactions on various digital platforms. Reports show that many Vietnamese businesses have had strong revenues and even grown during the pandemic.

Doan Thuy of Glovimex Company Ltd said, 'We have used e-commerce to export our products for nearly three years with some success. We have improved the image of our products and introduced them in video clips. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, our business has grown thanks to online trading.'

Online export is growing rapidly, says Tran Xuan Thuy, Director of Vietnam Amazon Global Selling Company.

'Global retail trade is growing 6% annually and has a current value of 28 trillion USD. E-commerce accounts for around 13% of this amount, but it is growing 6 times faster than traditional trade. Cross-border e-commerce is a trend which is forecast to reach 1 to 1.4 trillion USD. This is an opportunity for businesses to change their customers’ habits.' says Mr. Thuy.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has organized several activities to help businesses, especially SMEs increase cross-border e-commerce. It has launched a platform for Vietnamese exporters at ECVN.com to help them overcome difficulties caused by the epidemic and seize opportunities from new generation free trade agreements.