To achieve a total export value of USD 215 million in 2025—an increase of 8.35% compared to 2024—Son La province aims to raise awareness and improve skills in e-commerce. Of this total, agricultural and food products are expected to contribute USD 208 million, up 9.22% from 2024. The Son La Provincial People's Committee has issued the 2025 E-commerce Development Plan, to serve the purpose of state management, implement e-commerce development programs, and disseminate legal policies, raise awareness and responsibility among businesses and individuals engaged in e-commerce, particularly in consumer rights protection, ensuring that consumers feel safe participating in e-commerce transactions, supports accelerating digital transformation for small and medium-sized enterprises, enhances the capacity and efficiency of state management in e-commerce through inspections and supervision, and ensures that e-commerce activities comply with legal regulations, creating a favorable and secure legal environment for e-commerce transactions.

To achieve these goals, relevant departments and agencies must improve the effectiveness of state management in e-commerce. This includes conducting surveys and compiling statistics on the application of e-commerce among businesses and consumers in the province, in order to promptly identify emerging issues and develop appropriate management and development policies. Additionally, it is necessary to conduct market research and regularly update databases on local e-commerce transactions.

At the same time, departments and agencies are tasked with reviewing the legal framework and related policies on e-commerce to create favorable conditions for businesses to grow in this sector. They must also carry out regular, ad hoc, inter-sectoral, and specialized inspections of e-commerce activities, focusing on product origin, labeling, quality standards, and intellectual property. Efforts will also be made to combat counterfeit goods, protect consumer rights, and strengthen oversight and enforcement of tax management in e-commerce.

In the development of e-commerce, the industry and trade sector plays a pivotal role. The Department of Industry and Trade of Son La province proactively seeks collaboration with competent agencies and units to provide information, assess, and forecast the export market for key products. They also organize training programs to enhance knowledge and skills in areas such as international economic integration, product export, brand building, and the application of e-commerce and digital transformation in trade promotion activities, carry out activities such as product weeks and trade fairs to promote Son La's goods. Effectively carry out state management of trade fairs and exhibitions in the province, organize and participate in trade connection activities both domestically and internationally to support the development of e-commerce..

The Son La Center for Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion takes the lead and coordinates with relevant departments and agencies to organize programs such as Product Weeks, Promotional Weeks, and Trade Fairs to introduce Son La's goods to the domestic market. The Center also leads efforts to support local businesses and cooperatives in participating in display booths and promoting their products at domestic trade promotion programs and exhibitions. It works with news agencies, press outlets, and media companies both inside and outside the province to strengthen the promotion of Son La's products. Additionally, the Center organizes training programs to provide knowledge and skills in areas such as uploading products to e-commerce platforms and livestreaming for online sales.

In recent years, it is clear that business models have changed rapidly with the emergence and strong development of e-commerce. E-commerce helps businesses improve their competitiveness, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, by saving costs on rental space, labor, and sales services. It also allows businesses to increase access to inputs and outputs, expand promotion and marketing efforts to reach more customers without increasing costs. Most notably, e-commerce transactions are not limited by time for customers and offer the fastest, most efficient way to conduct business, making the most of all available resources.

Hanh Nguyen

Translated by Huyen Vu