AI and E-Commerce drive Vietnamese farm produce past export barriers

A gateway across borders

According to Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang, Vietnam’s e-commerce market in 2024 reached over USD 25 billion, growing 20% year on year and accounting for about 10% of the nation’s retail sales.

Vietnam remains among the top three e-commerce markets in Southeast Asia. Many local products, including farm produce, have built brands on domestic platforms and are starting to reach global markets.

This advantage puts Vietnam in line with global trends. In 2024, the worldwide cross-border e-commerce market was valued at nearly USD 800 billion, with annual growth above 30%. Farm produce holds a unique advantage in this picture: diversity, competitive prices, and strong regional identity.

In the past, Vietnamese farm products were mainly exported in raw form through bulk orders and intermediaries. Today, cross-border e-commerce enables direct sales to consumers in the US, EU, or China – something nearly impossible a decade ago.

Longstanding challenges

Despite these opportunities, Vietnamese farm produce still faces major barriers: strict quality standards, traceability requirements, high logistics costs, limited marketing and distance from end consumers. Many businesses remain stuck at outsourcing, selling raw materials to foreign partners while their brands are hidden behind foreign labels.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is seen as a new solution. Nguyen Duc Thang, Head of AI Product Engineering at Torus AI (France), called AI the “new DNA of global trade.” In the US, more than 30% of B2B e-commerce firms have fully integrated AI, while Europe is accelerating adoption.

With AI, a livestream of farm produce can display automatic multilingual subtitles, translate in real time for global audiences, recommend products based on viewer data, and even prompt instant purchases during the broadcast.

This means today’s livestreams can become tomorrow’s gateway for Vietnamese farm products to reach millions of customers worldwide.

AI also supports compliance with strict standards by enabling transparent traceability systems, digitized production processes, and verified product quality before crossing borders. Instead of fearing inspections, businesses can highlight that each box of mangoes was monitored from orchard to packaging with real-time data on soil, water and pesticide use.

In logistics, AI forecasts seasonal demand, consolidates international orders to cut costs, and applies dynamic pricing by market. A coffee shipment, for example, could be redirected to Europe instead of the US if prices and transport costs there are more favorable. These solutions help Vietnam avoid the “bumper harvest, low price” dilemma on a global scale.

Infrastructure and platforms in support

For AI to work effectively, a strong logistics backbone is essential. Dinh Thanh Son, Deputy General Director of ViettelPost, stressed that logistics is the “backbone” of e-commerce, with networks reaching every craft village.

Shipping routes from Cai Mep–Thi Vai port have shortened transit time to the US to 16 days and to Europe to 21 days. New direct flights to the US, Japan, and South Korea allow fresh produce to reach buyers faster.

The Free Trade Zone (FTZ) model is also being proposed as strategic infrastructure, linking Vietnam with Malaysia, the UAE, and the EU. FTZs combine bonded warehouses with pre-arrival electronic data, reducing customs time and costs while boosting cross-border e-commerce.

On the global platform side, Luu Hue, Senior Account Manager at Amazon Global Selling Vietnam, said Amazon is running one-on-one account management programs, staff training, and AI-powered tools to optimize operations and connect Vietnamese firms with international services.

Compared with traditional exports reliant on contracts and distributors, the combination of logistics, global platforms, and AI creates a “digital highway” for Vietnamese farm products.

E-commerce and AI are opening a new path, but not a magic wand. Technology can deliver products faster, but opportunities will vanish without international-standard quality, clear branding, and professional operations.

This is the moment for farm businesses to shift their mindset. Instead of relying on intermediaries, they can build their own brands and communicate directly with international consumers. Instead of waiting for orders, they can test D2C (direct-to-consumer) models on e-commerce platforms. And instead of treating technology as a cost, they must see it as an essential investment to survive in a rapidly globalizing market.

A farm produce livestream today may attract only a few hundred viewers. But with AI, strong logistics, and global platforms, tomorrow that same livestream could bring a Vietnamese brand to millions of consumers across the US, EU, and China.