The Viet Nam National Supporting Centre for Youth’s Startup (SYS Viet Nam), under the Viet Nam Youth Federation, the Centre for E-commerce and Digital Technology Development (eComDX), under the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy, Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Dak Lak Durian Association officially signed the strategic cooperation agreement, opening a new phase of partnership in training, digital transformation, e-commerce, communications, and trade promotion. The partnership aims to support the sustainable development of Viet Nam’s durian industry, especially in the Central Highlands.
Improving supply-chain value and building a sustainable brand
Under the agreement, the three parties will establish a strategic partnership to support businesses, cooperatives, and members of the Dak Lak Durian Association in training, e-commerce development, communications, and trade promotion. The core target is to raise supply-chain value and build a sustainable brand for Dak Lak durians.
Dak Lak is regarded as one of Viet Nam’s key durian-producing areas. As export markets increasingly impose higher requirements on quality, traceability, and branding standards, “Digitalising agricultural products” is no longer an option, but a mandatory way to enhance competitiveness and reduce reliance on traditional consumption channels.
The agreement identifies four main contents of implementation.
First, e-commerce and TikTok training. Accordingly, SYS Viet Nam will provide free online training for members of the Dak Lak Durian Association. For offline training, the parties will coordinate to provide funding to invite SYS and eComDX experts to organise training courses directly in the locality.
Second, the organisation of advanced sales training courses, focusing on selling skills on TikTok. Notably, trainees from the Dak Lak Durian Association will enjoy partial tuition support from the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and the Viet Nam Youth Federation.
“Digitalising agricultural products” is no longer an option, but a mandatory way to enhance competitiveness and reduce reliance on traditional consumption channels.
Third, the development of digital infrastructure and technology products. eComDX and SYS will support the association in standardising sales channels, while also connecting it with TikTok’s support programmes. In addition, the agreement outlines an orientation to supply materials for production, specifically the distribution of nano-technology fertilisers for durian cultivation under a subsidised pricing policy.
Fourth, specialised training and communications. The parties agreed to organise professional training courses on the durian sector and grant official certificates, while also building plans and providing specialised TikTok communications packages for Dak Lak durian businesses to promote their brand.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Le Anh Trung, Chairman of the Dak Lak Durian Association, stressed that the durian sector is entering a new competitive phase, in which quality alone is no longer sufficient, and market capability and branding are equally essential.
“We hope this cooperation will help our members not only sell products, but sell the brand. Dak Lak wants to go the distance, and to do so, we must have digital capability, communications capability, and standardisation capacity,” he said.
Nguyen Phan Huy Khoi, Director of SYS Viet Nam, said that SYS Viet Nam considers this a model for a new approach: making training the foundation, digital transformation the lever, and digital platforms the channel for market expansion, thereby creating sustainable momentum for Viet Nam’s agriculture.
“We do not only teach how to open a shop or make videos. We aim to build a generation of businesses, cooperatives, and farmers with a digital business mindset, capable of doing e-commerce properly and developing for the long term,” Khoi said.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Huu Tuan, Director of eComDX, said the cooperation is a concrete step in translating the role of specialised agencies into practical support for localities, industry associations, and social organisations in implementing substantive e-commerce.
“E-commerce and digital technology are not just sales channels. They are a capability system consisting of standards, processes, data, communications, traceability, and governance. This cooperation aims to build these capabilities for the Dak Lak durian sector,” he said.
TikTok Viet Nam: Supporting an “industry–training–platform” model in depth
Speaking at the event, Nguyen Lam Thanh, representing TikTok Viet Nam, highly appreciated the fact that the parties had come together to build a clearly structured cooperation model, in which training and standardisation are the foundation, rather than only an online selling movement.
According to Thanh, TikTok is ready to accompany in terms of a platform, supporting programmes that promote sustainable development, transparency, standards, and creating brand value for Viet Nam’s agricultural products.
“To help Viet Nam’s agricultural products go further, we cannot rely on output alone. We need stories, brands, data, and digital capability. TikTok supports such well-structured cooperation models, so that Viet Nam’s agricultural products can access wider markets in a more sustainable way,” he said.
Hopes for a model approach for Viet Nam’s agricultural products in the digital environment
The signing ceremony on February 5, 2026 was not only a milestone in cooperation among the three organisations, but is also expected to be a model for a new approach: connecting specialised agencies, youth-support organisations, industry associations, and digital platforms towards a common target of improving the value of Viet Nam’s agricultural products by digital capability and branding.
For the durian sector, one of Viet Nam’s strong-growing agricultural industries, the coordinated implementation of training, digital infrastructure, communications, and e-commerce is expected to be a key for Dak Lak to make breakthroughs not only in sales, but also in brand positioning in both domestic and international markets.
