Industry and trade sector shapes digital transformation vision, greening growth

Ngành công thương định hình tầm nhìn chuyển đổi số, xanh hóa tăng trưởng- Ảnh 1. — Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan speaks at the Forum - Photo: Organizing Committee

The forum took place in the context of Vietnam's economy accelerating the application of technology and promoting green growth, requiring the industry and trade sector to continue promoting innovation, modernizing the value chain and enhancing competitiveness in the process of increasingly deep international integration.

According to Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan, in Vietnam, the digital economy is continuing to improve significantly and becoming a new pillar to help improve productivity, expand markets and increase the resilience of the economy. Retail e-commerce is forecast to exceed the 25 billion USD mark and continue to be the main pillar of the Internet economy.

The Deputy Minister pointed out 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 the industry and trade sector and data infrastructure. However, 2025 requires the industry to innovate more strongly and comprehensively to take advantage of opportunities from dual transformation - digital transformation and green transformation.

Reporting on "Orientation for digital transformation of the Industry and Trade sector in 2026", Mr. Hoang Ninh, Deputy Director of the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy, Ministry of Industry and Trade, affirmed that the three pillars of Digital Government - Digital Economy - Digital Society will continue to be consistently implemented to ensure effective implementation and expand the impact of digital transformation across the sector.

In the development of the digital economy, Mr. Hoang Ninh said that e-commerce continues to be the main growth driver with the B2C scale in 2024 reaching about 25 billion USD, accounting for 10% of total retail sales of goods and consumer services. Digital transformation in industry - smart manufacturing recorded many positive signals with the IIP index increasing by 8.4%, the highest level in 5 years; about 90% of processing - manufacturing enterprises have partially deployed digital solutions; 35% applied robots and sensors in production; and 10-12% reached the level of smart factory 3.0.

In addition, the energy sector continues to transform strongly with the application of smart metering, real-time operational data, AI load forecasting, EMS systems in enterprises, and the expansion of renewable energy models. Mr. Ninh also emphasized that Vietnam's digital economy is expected to reach 39 billion USD in 2025, continuing to be among the fastest growing in the region; more than 40 AI startups have attracted 123 million USD in private capital; 81% of users interact with AI daily and 96% express trust in AI agents.

Ngành công thương định hình tầm nhìn chuyển đổi số, xanh hóa tăng trưởng- Ảnh 2. — The forum takes place in the context of Vietnam's economy accelerating technology application and promoting green growth - Photo: Organizing Committee

Perspective from practice

From a local perspective, Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Phuong Duc Commune (Hanoi) Le Van Binh shared a different perspective on digital transformation not only at the macro level or at the large enterprise level, but also in traditional craft villages. Through the story of "awakening the land of hundreds of crafts through digital transformation", Mr. Binh showed how technology helps craft villages gradually approach the market, increase product value and improve management quality. The transformation from a manual business model to a modern distribution model through a digital platform has contributed to proving that digital transformation is only truly sustainable when it spreads to every grassroots level, where small-scale production and business activities are facing new requirements for innovation and market access.

Representing the technology business sector, Ms. Dang Thuy Trang, Director of External Relations of Grab Vietnam, said that digital platforms are becoming an important tool to support localities in developing the digital economy by providing a multi-service ecosystem, meeting people's daily needs while promoting digital transformation in the fields of tourism, promoting heritage, culture and cuisine.

The cooperation between businesses and local authorities is clearly demonstrated through signed cooperation agreements, typically with Hue City (February 2025) and Da Nang (September 2025), aiming to develop smart cities and promote the application of technology in urban management and operation.

Through these partnerships, the company has implemented a variety of local support solutions, from optimizing driver-partner operations with technology and route suggestions, to increasing business efficiency for merchant partners through order management systems. In addition, digitalizing local eateries, promoting multi-channel cuisine and supporting e-commerce have contributed to promoting the flow of goods and services locally.

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