Live streams take Vietnamese goods global

The Vietnam E-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in cooperation with TikTok Shop, officially launched the ‘Beyond Vietnam – Vietnamese Products Taking Off’ initiative in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday.

The program is meant to facilitate the entry of Vietnamese products into major consumer markets China and the U.S. through the emerging model of discovery e-commerce.

Traditional exports and search-based e-commerce have long faced an invisible barrier: brand awareness.

Overseas consumers typically search for a product only when they already know the brand, an area where many Vietnamese small- and medium-sized enterprises remain weak and have limited marketing budgets.

However, the rise of discovery commerce is changing that dynamic.

Instead of relying solely on supermarket shelves or conventional search listings, products can now reach consumers through short-form videos, live streams, and local content creators.

A packet of instant pho, a jar of seasoning or a handcrafted item can be demonstrated in real time, with sellers telling the story behind its origin, flavor, and craftsmanship before directing viewers straight to a purchase with just a few clicks.

Le Hoang Oanh, head of the agency, said there remains enormous potential for domestic firms to leverage e-commerce to reach international markets.

“With discovery commerce, businesses can actively create demand, tell their brand stories, and reach new customer segments through content,” Oanh said.

Trillion-dollar opportunities in US, China

The initiative will focus on helping Vietnamese businesses enter two of the world’s largest consumer markets, the United States and China, in its initial phase.

In the U.S., TikTok has more than 200 million users.

Surveys by TikTok Shop and GlobalData found that two-thirds of users on the platform discovered brands they had never heard of before.

Notably, 72 percent of these newly discovered brands were small- and medium-sized businesses, while nearly 90 percent of the users went on to purchase a product within a month of first seeing it.

China offers an equally significant opportunity, with live-stream shopping already a mainstream consumer habit.

According to a 2025 white paper issued by Chinese regulators, live-stream commerce in the country generated more than 5 trillion yuan, or some US$740 billion, accounting for roughly one-third of total online retail sales.

Tran Thi Tan, TikTok Shop’s director of social responsibility and strategic partnership, said many Vietnamese sellers had already developed strong skills in content creation and live-streaming at home.

The initiative is meant to turn those digital skills into an ‘export weapon’ as Vietnamese businesses expand onto the global stage.