Vinamilk's pavilion at a trade fair in Dubai. Viet Nam must delay many trade promotion activities due to COVID-19.– Photo congthuong.vn

The Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency has encouraged localities, businesses and trade promotion organisations develop online marketing measures during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, said agency director Vu Ba Phu.

They should promote trade promotion activities on digital platforms, develop e-commerce activities and boost the application of information technology for their operations.

At the same time, the agency will strongly enhance trade promotion programmes of export products and online trade links between Vietnamese businesses and import partners.

Phu told the Cong thuong (Industry and Trade) newspaper that his office would coordinate with Viet Nam’s trade offices and commercial counsellors abroad to utilise export opportunities and propose suitable trade promotions.

The agency will provide Viet Nam trade offices with a list of target markets and goods with high potential of export compiled by localities and commodity associations. Then, those offices would provide the market information for importers and distributors in foreign countries, especially in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

Meanwhile, it would cooperate closely with the Viet Nam Trade Office in China to resume trade promotion activities at this market after the pandemic ends, he said.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Phu said existing difficulties in production and business have brought opportunities for domestic businesses to reorganise and restructure input material and export markets.

Phu said his agency would cancel or delay 49 projects under the national trade programme this year, including large international fairs and exhibitions on agricultural products, food, seafood, textiles and footwear at home and abroad, and major international trade events in Viet Nam and the region. — VNS