Vietnam Post turns to online sales of agricultural products to stay competitive

State-run Vietnam Post Corporation (Vietnam Post) recently launched nongsan.buudien.vn, an e-commerce platform dedicated to agricultural products, with an aim to tap into the year-end market and the promising potential of this business area.

The platform is not limited to the domestic market; it also has ambitions to gradually expand to international markets.

According to Pham Quyet Tien, director of the agricultural products and e-commerce platform business center at Vietnam Post, the platform is running campaigns tailored to specific regional products.

For instance, they have partnered with Hoa Binh province to promote Cao Phong oranges, collaborated with Ninh Thuan province to market melons, and are supporting the sale of Doan Hung grapefruit from Phu Tho province, red-fleshed dragon fruit from Binh Thuan province, and Keo mango from Tien Giang province.

For each regional specialty, the platform is working on dedicated marketing campaigns and partnerships.

The e-commerce platform is also developing a system and strategy to export agricultural products. However, this cannot be implemented immediately, as export standards and criteria must be met, such as obtaining area codes for growing regions and ensuring sufficient production volume.

“We are pursuing two approaches: domestic sales to support farmers and small businesses, and identifying areas with large production volumes and proper standards to facilitate exports via the platform,” Tien explained.

In addition to online sales, Vietnam Post is also leveraging its post office network to support agricultural product sales. Some post offices are being redesigned, allocating 30-40 square meters for displaying and selling these products.

“The collection and distribution of agricultural products are supported by a dedicated supply team, in collaboration with provincial and local post offices at the district, ward, and commune levels,” Tien noted.

"With our extensive network of 13,000 service points, including more than 8,000 post offices integrated into village communities, we ensure timely delivery and product quality,” he added.

In early December, Viettel Post entered the agricultural e-commerce market with the launch of the VIPO Mall platform, providing e-commerce solutions for Vietnamese manufacturing enterprises to expand exports. The focus is on Vietnam’s strong products, such as agricultural, forestry, and fishery goods, as well as handicrafts.

Shortly after, it inaugurated the Logistics Park in Lang Son province, an agricultural trading hub that connects high-quality products from Vietnam, China, Thailand, and other countries in the region.

Amidst intense competition in the e-commerce market, many domestic platforms are prioritizing agricultural products. For example, e-commerce platform Sendo.vn has rebranded with a new shopping model, Sendo Farm, specializing in fresh food and consumer goods. The platform also offers discounts to customers on every order.