Bringing e-commerce to communes for double-digit growth

Bringing e-commerce to communes for double-digit growth

For 2027, TikTok Shop wants at least one exemplary e-commerce commune in every locality and plans to expand in Lai Châu’s Than Uyên and Hà Nội’s Bát Tràng and Thư Lâm.

A women is livestreaming to sell local specialties of Đồng Tháp Province. Việt Nam is targeting to bring e-commerce to communes nationwide. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhựt An

The 2026 nationwide conference bringing e-commerce to communes took place in Hà Nội on November 11.

Co-hosted by the Industry and Trade newspaper, the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Vietnam E-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency (iDEA), TikTok Shop and relevant units, the hybrid event linked with departments of industry and trade, and communal and ward authorities across 34 cities and provinces.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Việt Sơn described e-commerce as a new growth engine as the 14th National Party Congress targets average growth of at least 10 per cent in 2026-30, and the digital economy is meant to contribute about 30 per cent of GDP by 2030.

The policy backdrop is broad. The Politburo's Resolution 57-NQ/TW on science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation and Resolution 68-NQ/TW on the private economy development, along with the Government's Resolution 01/NQ-CP that sets tasks for 2026, give e-commerce a stronger foundation. For the industry and trade sector, the goal is not just scale but a modern reorganisation of production, trade, distribution and consumption.

The national e-commerce development plan for 2026-30, approved on June 3, 2025, sets hard targets: 60 per cent of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on e-commerce platforms; 60 per cent of communes, wards and equivalent units with online traders; one million training turns for enterprises, cooperatives, business households, individuals, officials and students; and 50 per cent of national B2C e-commerce transactions outside Hà  Nội and HCM City.

The legal corridor is tightening. The Law on E-Commerce 122/2025/QH15 and Decree 248/2026/NĐ-CP took effect on July 1, 2026. The Prime Minister’s Decision 51/2025/QĐ-TTg adds effective e-commerce criteria to national new-style rural commune standards. For the first time, commune-level authorities are accountable for measuring and evaluating local e-commerce activity.

The market is already large and growing fast.

Việt Nam’s e-commerce market neared US$31 billion in 2025, up 25.5 per cent, or about 11 per cent of total retail sales and consumer service revenue. In the first 10 months of 2026, retail sales and consumer service revenue hit VNĐ6.6 quadrillion ($257.16 billion), up 13.5 per cent, supporting the Government’s 13-15 per cent growth target.

But the growth is urban-heavy. The Vietnam E-Commerce Association data show a 70-30 split between Hà Nội and HCM City on one side and other localities on the other. The 2026 e-commerce index puts HCM  City at 91.1 points and Hà Nội at 87.5, versus a national average of just 15.8.

Sơn said commune-level e-commerce must be seamless: production linked to distribution, digital platforms, payments and logistics, with better state management, consumer protection and a transparent, safe business environment. Localities should tap regional product advantages, open rural, mountainous and border markets, train digital and online business skills and connect with platforms and service providers.

According to him, the iDEA should guide localities on policy, data and measurement; departments of industry and trade should build growth scenarios; communes should name a focal point, establish baseline data and pick advantageous products. Locals, cooperatives and business households need support to sell independently, create content, reach customers and process orders.

Nguyễn Thị Minh Huyền, iDEA Deputy Director, said Đồng Tháp put about 1,000 OCOP products on e-commerce platforms, drew nearly 5 million views in three days and sold 3.5 tonnes of pineapple in 90 minutes online.

Nearly 20 departments of industry and trade have signed cooperation deals with digital technology, e-commerce and financial entities. More than 40 training courses have reached nearly 1,000 sellers, and nearly 100 livestreams involving the iDEA have generated more than 8,500 orders. The push is moving sellers beyond simply listing products.

Trần Thị Tân, director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Strategic Partnerships at TikTok Shop, said TikTok Shop’s discovery-commerce model combines video and livestreaming to create demand from product and local stories.

Over the past three years, it has run “OCOP Market Fair 2024,” “Proud of Vietnamese Goods 2025” and “Vietnamese Goods Rising 2026”. More than 35,000 sellers in 34 cities and provinces have been trained, over 230,000 Vietnamese products have been labeled, and average sales for Vietnamese sellers are up 30.5 per cent.

For 2027, TikTok Shop wants at least one exemplary e-commerce commune in every locality and plans to expand in Lai Châu’s Than Uyên and Hà Nội’s Bát Tràng and Thư Lâm. 

Bizhub