Keeping pace with the digital transformation trend
An electronic cooperative is a cooperative model that applies digital platforms to all activities, from internal governance to production, business and marketing. With tools such as e-wallets, e-invoices, accounting software, sales management platforms, and integrated legal systems, electronic cooperatives help household businesses make operations more transparent, reduce operating costs, and improve governance efficiency, while retaining the inherent flexibility of individual business models.
According to a report from the Viet Nam Cooperative Alliance, as of June 30, 2025, there were nearly 35,000 cooperatives operating under the Law on Cooperatives nationwide, and 147 cooperative unions. The cooperative sector attracts 6.17 million members and creates jobs for 1.65 million workers. Many cooperatives in sectors such as agriculture, services and logistics have begun applying digital platforms in management and business activities to promote value chain linkages. This helps reduce production costs by 15–20%, increase productivity by 15–28%, and meet increasingly stringent product quality standards.
According to Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Song, former Director of the Finance Department, Ministry of Science and Technology, 34 provinces and centrally run cities across the country, including border and island areas, now have internet networks that meet digital transformation requirements. Local information technology human resources, especially in remote and mountainous areas, are being leveraged. With the current scientific and technological infrastructure, Viet Nam is entirely capable of meeting the requirements and aspirations to build electronic cooperative models.
Despite high expectations, difficulties remain in implementing this model. The development of electronic cooperatives currently faces many barriers such as: incomplete and uneven technology infrastructure; limited technological capacity among management staff and members; financial resources that do not meet investment needs; and the legal framework and support policies are not yet complete.
Luu Viet Dung, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Alliance of Cooperatives, said that practical experience from the passenger transport sector showed all coach services, whether issuing e-tickets or paper tickets, are now required to issue invoices to customers. However, accounting systems are not yet capable of handling the processing required for millions of trips each day. Moreover, drivers cannot both operate vehicles and contact the accounting department to issue invoices. This is a very practical bottleneck facing cooperatives.
At the traditional embroidery craft village of Quat Dong, Thuong Phuc Commune (Ha Noi City), many individual household businesses, customers, and enterprises encounter difficulties when seeking to purchase traditional embroidered products as gifts for foreign partners. However, household businesses are unable to issue valid invoices and documents as required. This shows that existing tools cannot meet practical needs, creating barriers to scaling up household business operations, and affecting efforts to enhance the value of traditional products and develop the craft village.
Comprehensive solutions needed
To effectively implement this model, comprehensive solutions are required in technology infrastructure, financial support, human resources, and an appropriate legal framework. From a technological perspective, Nguyen Ngoc Chung, representative of Tinh Van Group, suggested building a shared digital platform for cooperatives. Instead of each unit investing separately in infrastructure and devices, cooperatives could jointly use a unified application, thereby saving significant information technology resources and reducing cost burdens.
When an electronic cooperative is designed to maximise the synergy of internal resources — including management, content, services, and common operations — the system will connect cooperatives with one another, enabling resource sharing, distribution and cross-selling, and clear product origin traceability, thereby increasing transparency and product credibility.
In addition, there should be specific regulations, training support for members, expansion of “digital mass literacy”, and the design of suitable software; alongside improving data management skills for future members. It is necessary to develop internal e-commerce infrastructure that connects externally with major platforms such as Amazon; build sales management systems and diverse payment gateways; and provide operational support for newly established electronic cooperatives and new participants.
Nguyen Van Khuong, Director of the Institute of Educational Science and Environment, said the institute is researching a pilot scheme for the electronic cooperative model. Accordingly, the electronic cooperative will become a model that uses digital platforms as core infrastructure, capable of linking and providing e-services to members and individual households; operating multiple services including invoicing, accounting, traceability, and e-commerce.
According to Ta Dinh Thi, Vice Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology, and Environment, thorough assessment solutions are needed in order to build the scheme, with a pilot in one locality first, then review and evaluate before wider replication.
