Promoting the leading role in tourism connectivity

Hanoi consistently organizes activities to facilitate the connection of fruits and agricultural products from provinces and cities across the country. These activities take various forms, such as organizing trade delegations, surveys, and connecting products in the Hanoi market. Every year, Hanoi hosts over 30 weekly fairs for fruits, agricultural products, and Vietnamese goods to showcase products from different provinces and cities. This effort aims to provide information on a list of over 5,000 products from the provinces to the purchasing department of distribution channels, enabling proactive connections based on season and demand. These activities have significantly contributed to the consumption of over 500,000 tons of products from provinces and cities in the Hanoi market.

The Industry and Trade sector in Hai Phong has actively collaborated with central authorities, provinces, and cities nationwide to carry out various national and local trade promotion programs. This includes organizing exhibition fairs, consumer stimulus programs, and facilitating the distribution of Vietnamese goods to rural areas. Additionally, the sector has worked to connect the consumption of goods between enterprises and production units in Hai Phong with those of other provinces and cities across the country. Numerous enterprises and production facilities in the Red River Delta and the entire nation have showcased their products to many consumers through these efforts. This includes typical regional products, rural industrial products, OCOP products, handicrafts, and products from craft villages – all of which have found stable consumption channels in supermarket systems, markets, and commercial centers in the city. This has led to the gradual formation of modern and sustainable supply chains for typical regional products in Hai Phong.

To maintain its leading role in developing the industry and trade sector, Ho Chi Minh City has been implementing various programs to stimulate domestic consumption and expand the domestic market. It regularly organizes programs to promote goods in the domestic market, mainly through e-commerce channels. Businesses are encouraged to seize opportunities to develop export markets when free trade agreements occur. The city also focuses on innovating technology, improving production capacity and product design quality, prioritizing clean technology, and developing industries with high-technology content and added value. Additionally, it aims to support export production, agricultural, forestry, and fishery processing industries, as well as open models of production and consumption chains for farm products. These efforts aim to enhance product competitiveness and meet the demands of the export market in the context of international integration.

Da Nang serves as a critical driver for the socio-economic development of the Central and Central Highlands regions. Thanks to its advantageous location and accessibility to other provinces, cities, and the world, Da Nang has solidified its position as a promising investment hub. Da Nang Port marks the eastern end of the East-West Economic Corridor and acts as the gateway to the East Sea for the Central localities, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. To meet the growing needs of investors, Da Nang is continuously working to upgrade and improve the quality of its infrastructure.

Can Tho City is reinforcing its collaboration with provinces and cities across Vietnam, particularly those in the Mekong Delta region, Ho Chi Minh City, and other centrally-run cities. The goal is to maximize its position as the distribution and export center of the Mekong Delta. This involves promoting connection activities and facilitating the consumption of goods, particularly agricultural products. Additionally, Can Tho has focused on developing 153 products that meet the OCOP standards, with 75 of these products meeting 4-star OCOP standards and 78 meeting 3-star OCOP standards. Furthermore, the city has also worked on developing areas to cultivate Ha Chau Burmese grapes, durians, and longan as raw materials.

Mr. Huynh Thanh Su, Deputy Director of Can Tho Municipal Department of Industry and Trade, stated that the Department of Industry and Trade of Can Tho City will continue to work closely with provinces and cities to implement solutions that increase connectivity and regional linkages. This aims to create favorable conditions for businesses that have invested, are investing, and will invest in the city, thus affirming its position as the center of the Mekong Delta region.

Success from trade and tourism connections

Through trade and tourism connections, various provinces and cities have effectively promoted their OCOP products and local specialties, thus showcasing their unique traditional cultural values and solidifying their presence in the market. This has left a positive impression on consumers and contributed to the respective localities' socio-economic development.

Central Retail Vietnam's purchasing department discussed with manufacturing enterprises at the Conference connecting trade between 5 centrally-run cities, including the Mekong Delta provinces and some Southeast provinces, which was held in Can Tho City recently.

Nguyen Bich Hoa, General Director of Minh Khai Trading Joint Stock Company in Hai Phong City, stated that the Thien Sa G20 Food Production Company Limited has successfully exported Pia cakes to Japan and has established solid domestic distribution connections. The company has partnered with businesses such as Vinh Tien Coconut Candy Company, Song Han Agricultural Investment Company Limited for dried durian products, My Phuong Coconut Cake Company, and Dai Viet Sen Company for domestic consumption. Additionally, they have connected with rice production and trading units such as Trung An High-Tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company and Loc Troi Group to bring goods to the Northern market. Nguyen Bich Hoa pointed out that while some businesses are adaptable and responsive to customer needs, many Vietnamese companies lack strength in market research and fail to keep up with trends or understand customer tastes.

The Central Retail Vietnam Group actively collaborates with suppliers to develop and promote the sale of Vietnamese goods. The system facilitates promotion and consumption through various programs, such as purchasing agricultural products directly from farmers and cooperatives with a 0% discount, local agricultural products week at GO!, Big C supermarkets, and connecting agricultural product consumption to the modern retail chain of Big C, GO!. Additionally, there are programs like OCOP week at Big C and the community livelihood program. Pham Thi Thuy Linh, Director of External Affairs and Investment at Central Retail Vietnam, stated that Central Retail currently maintains over 90% of Vietnamese goods in its retail system. Moreover, Central Retail is increasing its investment and expanding the network of supermarkets and shopping centers in the Mekong Delta provinces. The GO! supermarket system is currently in Tien Giang, Can Tho, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, and GO! mini supermarkets in Dong Thap province. Furthermore, GO! Bac Lieu is expected to be operational by the end of 2024.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc, General Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Trading Cooperatives - Saigon Co.op, emphasized that Saigon Co.op's main focus is to establish strong connections with suppliers to provide customers with the best shopping experience possible. Specifically, Saigon Co.op is committed to working closely with suppliers in the following areas:

- Collaboration in goods supply, price, and market stabilization

- Environmentally friendly collaboration with Saigon Co.op

- Community and social initiatives

- Promotion of e-commerce

- Goods distribution collaboration

- Development of private-label products and centralized kitchens

Establishing connections and coordination between localities to fully utilize their potential and support the business community's growth is essential. This can be achieved through various forms of cooperation. The Department of Industry and Trade of 5 centrally-run cities should lead in facilitating connections between manufacturers and distributors nationwide. By creating a new model collaboration, they can help increase the value of farmers' products and provide opportunities for local products to be more involved in the supply chain.