It is regarded as a highly promising pathway to help Vietnamese enterprises gain direct access to foreign markets at lower costs and fewer entry barriers than traditional export methods.
Through cross-border e-commerce platforms, many Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have begun to reach consumers in major markets such as Europe and the US, and have even succeeded in building their own brands.
Significant potential and room for growth
Under the traditional export model, goods manufactured in Viet Nam must pass through numerous intermediaries before being sold at retail level in the US.
With cross-border e-commerce platforms, the journey to conquering overseas markets becomes far simpler. Businesses can build their brands directly and reach end consumers in markets around the world.
According to Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, cross-border e-commerce helps enterprises shift from simple outsourcing to selling directly to end consumers, thereby achieving higher profit margins by cutting out intermediaries.
As a result, international trade in goods via online platforms is becoming an inevitable trend in modern exports. Global cross-border e-commerce is currently valued at nearly 800 billion USD and is forecast to continue growing at around 30% annually. In Viet Nam, cross-border retail revenue is expected to exceed 11 billion USD in 2026.
Lai Viet Anh, Deputy Director of the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, noted that the Vietnamese business community, particularly SMEs, demonstrates strong adaptability and a high capacity to adopt new technologies.
Vietnamese SMEs’ e-commerce application skills have also been rated by international experts as among the leaders in ASEAN. This provides favourable conditions for businesses to use cross-border e-commerce to expand into potential markets and explore non-traditional destinations, thereby boosting exports amid ongoing difficulties in global trade.
Viet Nam is currently a major trading nation, ranking among the world’s top 15 countries by trade volume and second in ASEAN. However, only about one fifth of enterprises are engaged in online exporting, indicating substantial untapped potential for expanding exports through e-commerce channels.
Trinh Khac Toan, Northern Regional Director of Amazon Global Selling Viet Nam, shared that cross-border exports via e-commerce have now become the new normal for Vietnamese businesses. Thousands of Vietnamese enterprises are currently active on Amazon. In 2025, the number of Vietnamese products sold on Amazon rose by 35% year on year, while the number of Vietnamese businesses registering their brands increased by nearly 30%.
Proactively joining the game
According to Doan Quoc Tam, Head of Cooperation at the Viet Nam E-commerce Association (VECOM), the trend of exporting through digital platforms is opening up new opportunities for SMEs.
However, their biggest barriers lie in a shortage of human resources in international e-commerce and limited understanding of import regulations for e-commerce in overseas markets.
In addition, platform fees, marketing costs and logistics expenses also pose significant burdens for smaller enterprises.
Therefore, businesses seeking to engage in cross-border e-commerce need to proactively invest in high-quality human resources.
Tam added that enterprises hope for continued government support in training high-quality personnel in international e-commerce and providing stronger legal assistance. The government should develop a national policy framework for cross-border e-commerce with specific revenue targets, or devise strategies to remove existing barriers, including legal challenges, infrastructure gaps and limited access to finance.
It is also necessary to encourage collaboration between domestic logistics providers such as Viettel Post and VNPost and international e-commerce platforms to establish overseas warehousing systems.
This model would allow Vietnamese enterprises to pre-position goods in consumer markets, thereby shortening delivery times and offering international customers a shopping experience comparable to that of domestic products.
To encourage SMEs and even micro-enterprises to access global markets via international e-commerce platforms, the government should prioritise training, knowledge-building and experience-sharing. As smaller businesses often face capital constraints, additional preferential policies and support mechanisms are required to help them participate in online exporting and take “Made in Viet Nam” products to markets worldwide.
According to Trinh Khac Toan, if enterprises lack the capacity to build their own distribution and sales channels for exports, they should leverage the existing capabilities of cross-border e-commerce platforms, from distribution and fulfilment to customer service and payments, to reach customers as quickly as possible.
For example, through Amazon, businesses can access markets in 200 countries and reach hundreds of millions of potential customers worldwide.
Vietnamese products with strong competitive advantages and successful sales on Amazon include decorative paintings, kitchenware, health and beauty products, and textiles and garments.
Around 60% of Amazon’s sales are generated by small businesses. Therefore, Vietnamese SMEs should proactively join the game to seek out new opportunities.
