On Online Friday, consumers will enjoy special discounts, free shipping of items and other incentives when purchasing online. — Photo business2community.com

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — "Online Friday," also known as "Online Shopping Day 2014," will be introduced on December 5 to help promote e-commerce, the Government Office of Viet Nam said on November 10.

The event will also create an opportunity for e-commerce enterprises, including banks, delivery companies and online sales shops, to improve their co-operation and quality of service for customers.

On Online Friday, consumers will enjoy special discounts, free shipping of items and other incentives from participating businesses when they make online purchases. The promotion will not cover items ordered by phone.

The Office said the Government had approved the proposal of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) to organise an online shopping day in Viet Nam.

The MOIT's E-commerce and Information Technology Agency (Vecita) and Viet Nam E-commerce Association (Vecom) will serve as joint organisers. For the event, they launched the www.onlinefriday.vn and www.ngaymuasamtructuyen.vn websites.

This is the first time such a large-scale event has been organised in Viet Nam for online shopping, and enterprises have shown interest in the event, including Google, VP Bank, Sacombank and Viettel Telecom.

The first Friday of December has also been selected as Online Friday in Viet Nam in the coming years. — VNS