Vietnam and Laos co-host seminar to boost cross-border e-commerce

The ministries of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and Laos on July 18 jointly held a seminar to promote cross-border e-commerce between the two nations, themed "Accompanying Businesses in the Digital Era," according to a report from Radio the Vocie of Vietnam.

In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Minh Tam emphasized that cross-border e-commerce represents the shortest and most effective path for businesses from both countries, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to bring their products directly to consumers in the neighboring market, overcoming geographical and cost barriers.

Mr. Doan Xuan Huy, CEO of Globaltech Co., Ltd., stated that through the event, he hopes to find Lao partners to introduce Vietnamese technology for cooperation, connecting and developing supply chains.

He specifically highlighted a focus on OCOP (One Commune One Product) items and traditional craft village products, aiming to access the Lao market and eventually expand to Thailand and China via the transit corridor in Laos.

Meanwhile, Mr. Happy Sisomphone, Director of the Lao express delivery company Houng Aloun, noted that Vietnamese products are high-quality and have significant export potential to Laos. He expressed his company's desire to act as a logistics bridge between the two nations, offering end-to-end services that include warehousing and logistics in Laos and transportation and distribution in Vietnam.

According to Ms. Duong Thi My Binh of the Viet Lao AZ Joint Stock Company (VLCO), who also represented the seminar's organizing committee, the event was designed to introduce a comprehensive "toolkit".

This toolkit includes sales platforms, logistics infrastructure, and payment solutions to help businesses, particularly SMEs, explore, connect, and establish a complete, end-to-end roadmap for bringing their products to each other's markets.