HCM CITY – The application of digital technologies and platforms is

important to drive down logistics costs and develop the industry, experts said during a conference in HCM City on Tuesday.

Bùi Tá Hoàng Vũ, director of the city’s Department of Industry and Trade, said that the city identifies logistics as an industry with plenty of development potential.

The Government also identifies logistics services as a key sector in the country’s comprehensive economic development strategy.

HCM City’s logistics industry achieved revenue of around VNĐ180 trillion (US$7 billion) in 2024, accounting for 10 per cent of the city’s GRDP. Various logistics costs have also decreased over the years.

Logistics is slated to receive investment in 2025-2030 in order to become a driver of growth for HCM City, gradually turning the city into a major logistics hub in the region.

One of the solutions to facilitate the industry’s development, which HCM City is eyeing, is digital transformation and the application of digital platforms.

According to experts, utilising digital applications will help improve the competitiveness of Việt Nam’s logistics industry and drive down logistics costs (currently equal to 17 per cent of the country’s GDP) to that of the world’s average at 10.6 per cent.

Hồ Thị Thu Hòa, director of the Việt Nam Logistics Research and Development Institute, said that around 67 per cent of logistics companies in Việt Nam have implemented digital transformation.

Businesses supplying logistics services should prioritise investment in digital platforms to improve work co-ordination, while businesses using these services can build their digital transformation strategies in different stages, such as improving current systems, workforce training and using new technologies.

Võ Thị Phương Lan, general director of Amerasian Shipping Logistics Corp. (ASL), said that with digital platforms, businesses can manage their costs and optimise their supply chains more efficiently.

The company introduced its digital platform to manage the pricing of logistics supply chains called E-pricing, which can help importers and exporters optimise transportation costs and improve their competitiveness.

It integrates many features such as real-time shipment data retrieval to help businesses manage different stages of their supply chains, and applies Copilot AI to automate processes and recommend import-export policies. VNS