Industry and Trade sector dual transformation: Digitalizing supply chain and Greening growth

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is building and implementing a strategy combining digital transformation and green transformation, aiming to develop a more sustainable and competitive economy .

Leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade visit the digital transformation exhibition booth. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

On December 3 in Hanoi , the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy (Ministry of Industry and Trade) organized the Industry and Trade Digital Transformation Forum 2025 with the theme "Dual transformation: Digitalizing the supply chain - Greening growth."

The impressive figures and breakthrough orientations announced at the forum show that the Industry and Trade sector is entering a period of strong acceleration in digital transformation.

Reporting on “Digital transformation orientation of the Industry and Trade sector in 2026” at the forum, Mr. Hoang Ninh, Deputy Director of the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy (Ministry of Industry and Trade) affirmed that digital transformation is a strategic task, closely linked to Green transformation and sustainable development. In particular, the three pillars: Digital Government - Digital Economy - Digital Society will continue to be deployed synchronously to expand the impact of digital transformation across the sector.

Regarding digital government, the industry and trade sector has achieved proud results. Currently, 224 full-scale online public services have been deployed, with the digitization rate of records reaching 95.52%.

In 2024, more than 691,000 dossiers were exchanged through the ASEAN Single Window and over 52,500 businesses were served through the system. The Ministry of Industry and Trade continued to lead the country in terms of satisfaction with online public services, achieving an absolute score of 18/18, with a 100% satisfaction rate in handling feedback and recommendations and 97.54% in handling administrative procedures.

Mr. Hoang Ninh emphasized that these achievements not only demonstrate a “user-centric” approach but also create an important data foundation for comprehensive digital transformation.

In the Digital Economy sector, e-commerce continues to be the main growth driver. The B2C market size in 2024 will reach about 25 billion USD, accounting for 10% of total retail sales of consumer goods and services. Smart manufacturing also recorded positive signals with the industrial production index (IIP) increasing by 8.4% - the highest level in 5 years. About 90% of processing and manufacturing enterprises have deployed digital solutions, 35% have applied robots and sensors and 10-12% have reached the level of smart factory 3.0.

The energy sector is also transforming strongly thanks to the application of smart metering, real-time operational data, AI load forecasting and energy management systems (EMS).

Vietnam's digital economy is forecast to reach 39 billion USD by 2025, among the fastest growing in the region, with more than 40 AI startups attracting 123 million USD in private capital.

One of the key topics of the forum was the concept of “dual transformation,” which combines digital transformation (DX) and Green transformation (GX). Mr. Le Nguyen Truong Giang, Director of the Digital Transformation Strategy Institute (DTSI), emphasized that Green transformation is the next stage of digital transformation.

“It is impossible to implement a Green transformation without achieving a level of digitalization sufficient to create a qualitative transformation,” Mr. Giang affirmed. Digital technology will be a tool to optimize resources, reduce emissions and build circular economic models, from energy-saving smart factories to carbon-reducing supply chains.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan speaks at the forum. (Photo: Ministry of Industry and Trade/Vietnam+)

Regarding this field, Mr. Hoang Ninh also said that 2026 will be the time for the Industry and Trade sector to create strategic breakthroughs, including standardizing national e-commerce data, expanding the 3.0-4.0 generation smart factory model and mass deploying smart energy measurement and management systems nationwide.

However, to achieve this goal, there needs to be synchronous coordination between ministries, branches, localities and businesses, ensuring that digital transformation brings practical values such as better services, lower production costs and cleaner energy.

Innovate aggressively for dual transformation

Speaking at the forum, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan said that the Government has identified 2025 as the year to accelerate the implementation of Resolution 57 on digital transformation, with the consistent view that digital transformation is an important driving force to develop the productive forces and enhance national competitiveness.

The Industry and Trade sector has promoted digital transformation on all three pillars: Digital Government; Digital Economy of Industry and Trade sector and Data Infrastructure. However, 2025 requires the sector to innovate more strongly and comprehensively to take advantage of opportunities from the dual transformation of digital transformation and Green transformation.

To realize this goal and propose policies, models, and solutions to promote e-commerce and digital economy to develop effectively and sustainably, Deputy Minister Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan suggested that delegates focus on discussing three major groups of content. The first is to identify new technology trends such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing and the ability to apply them in digital government, smart manufacturing, smart energy and e-commerce.

Along with that is perfecting solutions to develop a Green-sustainable-safe e-commerce market; strengthening cross-border e-commerce management; promoting regional connectivity and supporting the consumption of local products on digital platforms, and proposing models and solutions to develop the digital economy of the Industry and Trade sector locally, especially for small enterprises and business households, important forces in digital transformation of the market.

At the forum, Deputy Minister Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan expressed his wish to receive contributions from agencies, organizations and businesses so that the Ministry of Industry and Trade can continue to improve the legal framework, database and support programs. These efforts will help the industry and trade sector move towards the goal of digital transformation towards Green, sustainable and innovative, affirming its pioneering role in the national economic development strategy until 2030.

Sharing about the issue of information security - an important link in the digitalization process, Ms. Nguyen Nhu Quynh (co-founder and Operations Director of the Anti-Fraud Organization) assessed that when the Industry and Trade sector promotes digitalization on a comprehensive scale, the risk of cyber attacks also increases accordingly, especially with high-tech crimes such as online fraud, fake email/partner information to change payment terms (BEC), attacks on industrial operating systems and cross-border trade fraud.

As AI technology rapidly develops, new forms of attack such as automated phishing and real-time deepfakes – from voice-faking to fake images and videos of leaders – make the risks more serious and directly target humans, the most vulnerable link in the cybersecurity system.

To respond, Ms. Quynh recommended that businesses need to build an active defense system, apply a multi-layered defense model including infrastructure, data and people; apply AI in cybersecurity to monitor and warn of abnormalities early, and strengthen public-private cooperation to share data, experience and attack models.

Enhancing human capacity through regular training, practical simulation and building a “safety first, transformation later” culture is considered the key to ensuring that businesses can implement sustainable digital transformation. According to Ms. Quynh, information security is not only a technical issue but must become a core management capacity of businesses in the digital age.

The Industry and Trade Digital Transformation Forum 2025 did not stop at evaluating the results, but opened a broader discussion on the strategic direction of the industry in the dual transformation period. From energy, manufacturing, e-commerce to logistics and market management, every sector is facing strong innovation requirements, where data, technology and green standards become the driving focus.

With that spirit, this year's Forum is expected to create strong momentum for the digital transformation - Green transformation journey of the Industry and Trade sector, contributing to improving the effectiveness of state management, promoting competitiveness and moving towards the goal of sustainable development in the coming years./.

Innovate aggressively for dual transformation

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