Trade promotion in new situation: Change to adapt

From 2022 until now, after the COVID-19 pandemic is controlled, the whole country in general and Lang Son province in particular has focused on developing the digital economy. In the context of increasingly fierce competition among brands, the Department of Industry and Trade has directed the Center for Industrial and Trade Promotion to innovate core trade promotion programs which are suitable to the new situation.

Customers visit Lang Son province’s booth at the Trade Promotion Program in Da Nang city

Faced with the fluctuations and competitiveness of the market economy, trade promotion is identified as one of the important solutions, contributing to supporting businesses and cooperatives to adapt to new trends and expand the market.

Prioritizing key products

One of the first things the industry and trade sector changes in implementing the trade promotion program is the way of selecting products. Mr. Vi Van Hoan, Deputy Head of the Trade Promotion Division of the Center for Industrial Promotion and Trade Promotion, said: “In addition to businesses, production and business establishments registering to participate in trade promotion programs as before, the Center advises the Department to proactively select the province’s strong products, OCOP products and typical rural industrial products that meet the criteria for quality, packaging and labeling to participate in programs. Specifically, from 2022 up to now, the industry and trade sector has selected about 50 typical products of the province to participate in domestic and international trade promotion programs. They are anise essential oil, black jelly, Lua Vy fish mint tea, Le Tri sweet gourd noodles…”

As in August 2023, attending the International East-West Economic Corridor Trade, Tourism and Investment Fair – Da Nang 2023, the Center for Industry and Trade Promotion advised the Department of Industry and Trade to select nearly 40 OCOP, typical rural industrial products and typical products of establishments, cooperatives and businesses in the province for display and introduction.

Proactively selecting key and potential products has contributed to increasing the efficiency of trade promotion activities, helping businesses, cooperatives, and production facilities connect the market and introduce products to domestic and international consumers. For example, let alone the major trade promotion programs from 2022 up to now, there have been about 30 businesses and production facilities in the province connecting and signing distribution contracts, sending products to retail agents, supermarkets inside and outside the province such as Ha Noi, Bac Ninh, An Giang…

Typically, in June 2023, Tu Son Supermarket in An Giang province signed a cooperation agreement to distribute typical products of the two provinces with Lang Son Agricultural and Forestry Products Processing and Export Company Limited (Chi Lang district) and Duc Quy Import-Export Production and Investment Company Limited (Trang Dinh district). Ms. Pham Thu Giang, Director of Lang Son Agricultural and Forestry Products Processing and Export Company Limited, said: “Participating in trade promotion programs organized by the Department of Industry and Trade, the province’s typical products that the company is distributing such as star anise essential oil, khau sli cake, turmeric starch… have reached Tu Son Supermarket and we signed a cooperation agreement to distribute products. This is a very large supermarket in the Southern region specializing in distributing regional specialties. Last September 2023, after the supermarket’s strict product quality inspection procedures, the company officially sent a number of products including star anise essential oil, cinnamon-flavored khau sli cake… to Tu Son Supermarket.”

From participating in trade promotion programs, many typical products and rural industrial products in the province have gradually affirmed their brands, appearing on the shelves of large supermarkets such as Thuan Anh corn noodle, high-quality vegetable oil, Xu Lang Camellia sasanqua flower oil, Lua Vy fish mint tea, dried cracked macadamia, Oolong tea, star anise essential oil, black jelly, turmeric starch… Especially, apart from the Chinese market, black jelly power and dried star anise have been exported to markets in major countries such as India, Dubai and some European countries.

Customers visit Lang Son province’s booth at the trade connection and trade promotion conference in Hanoi

Connecting and expanding to potential markets

In order to expand the market for local products, the industry and trade sector has proactively researched and identified potential domestic and international markets. From 2022 up to now, in addition to trade promotion programs organized in the province, the Department of Industry and Trade has advised to send delegations to participate in 12 large-scale trade promotion and connection programs in provinces and cities in the country.

Typically in early June 2023, the Department of Industry and Trade sent a delegation to participate in the program “Trade connection between suppliers in the Northern and North Central regions and export enterprises, trade promotion organizations” in Hanoi capital. Participating in the event, a number of businesses and production facilities in the province including Duc Quy Import-Export Production and Investment Company Limited, Mau Son Liquor Factory; the branch of Lang Son Tourism and Import-Export Joint Stock Company… has approached foreign diplomatic missions and trade promotion organizations in Vietnam, met with distributors and exporters across the country for market information and connecting product consumption.

Targeting the export to the large market of China, in September 2022, the Department of Industry and Trade advised the Provincial People’s Committee to organize the Vietnam – China International Trade Fair in Lang Son and to participate in the China – Vietnam Trade Fair (Pingxiang) in June 2023 at the Border Industrial Park, Pingxiang town, Guangxi, China with the aims of introducing the province’s potential and typical local agricultural products, trading with Chinese businesses to promote the sale of agricultural products in the Chinese market… After 2 fairs, there were 6 cooperation contracts signed between Lang Son’s businesses with domestic and foreign enterprises, including Minh Duong Company (China) signing with Duc Quy Import-Export Production and Investment Company Limited (Lang Son); Ha Chau Co., Ltd. (Lang Son) signing with Vinh Kim Cooperative (Tien Giang); Ngoc Diep Company (Lang Son) signing an export cooperation contract with Son La Agricultural Products Company…

In addition, recently, the Department of Industry and Trade has implemented a new content in trade promotion, which is to operate in the electronic environment for expanding distribution channels to meet the trend of digital transformation. Accordingly, the Department has created a digital booth of the Center for Industrial and Trade Promotion on the e-commerce trading floors such as Postmart.vn; supported to upload the products of 18 businesses and cooperatives on the floors with their information, brand and product images. Moreover, the Department supported and guided 32 businesses and cooperatives on how to introduce products on online platforms, how to effectively participate on e-commerce trading floors…

Mr. Tran Anh Thuan, Director of the Center for Industrial and Trade Promotion, said: “Currently, trade promotion activities receive attention from provinces and cities in the country as well as countries around the world, therefore, the competitiveness of the market is increasing day by day. To improve the effectiveness of product advertisement, to find and connect markets for the province’s products, the Center continues to research, learn and classify the suitable domestic and exporting market for organizing promotion programs. Additionally, we increase the application of digital technology in implementing programs to meet the current trend of digital economic development.”

The innovation of trade promotion activities has contributed to promoting, connecting and expanding the consumption market for local products. In particular, many products have been exported to international markets. In the first 9 months of 2023, local exports reached 119 million USD, accounting for 77.3% of the plan, up 41.7% over the same period in 2022.