Vietnam agricultural producers expand market reach via e-commerce

Agricultural producers in Vietnam are increasingly adopting e-commerce and livestreaming to expand market access. In Hanoi, local communes have successfully used livestreaming to sell OCOP products and local specialties, such as cordyceps eggs and lotus tea, with some sessions attracting tens of thousands of viewers. Similarly, in Hung Yen, promotional programs on TikTok featuring content creators have successfully driven significant engagement and orders for local longan fruit.

In Lam Dong province, a high-tech agricultural hub, the shift toward digital platforms is being treated as a long-term investment rather than a short-term tactic. Currently, Lam Dong has 941 OCOP products distributed online, with over 930 business entities supporting approximately 2,100 agricultural, forestry, and fishery products on digital platforms. Authorities are supporting this transition by facilitating participation in specialized trading platforms and official government-verified websites and applications.

Experts emphasize that successful digital transformation requires producers to maintain high quality throughout the cultivation and processing stages. While livestreaming offers rapid reach, producers are cautioned to understand the operational realities of e-commerce to manage expectations regarding engagement and order volumes during the initial stages of adoption.