On September 22, 2026, the E-commerce Development Center (eComDX), under the Department of E-commerce - Ministry of Industry and Trade, in collaboration with the Department of Industry and Trade of Dong Thap province, organized the 2026 Dong Thap Province E-commerce Human Resource Development Conference. The program focused on updating regulations of the E-commerce Law, guiding the implementation of Criterion 7.3, and equipping participants with AI application skills in public service. The conference was held both in-person and online, reaching nearly 100 government officials, business representatives, and commune officials in Dong Thap province.
Developing the e-commerce ecosystem from the commune level.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Dang Van Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Dong Thap province, emphasized the importance of updating legislation and enhancing the technological application capacity of businesses in the context of digital transformation. To bring the province's agricultural products and OCOP products to a wider market, according to the Department of Industry and Trade leader, the application of e-commerce needs to be implemented systematically, from digital skills, content, traceability, to logistics and performance measurement.
Mr. Dang Van Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Dong Thap province
In light of the new regulations effective from July 1, 2026 (E-commerce Law 122/2025/QH15, Decree 248/2026/ND-CP) and the set of criteria for new rural communes 2026-2030 (Decision 51/2025/QD-TTg, Circular 17/2026/TT-BCT), the training program in Dong Thap is expected to help the locality understand and implement e-commerce correctly, gradually deploying it from the grassroots level and creating additional sustainable consumption channels for agricultural specialties.
Implement Criterion 7.3 effectively.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Tuan, Director of the E-commerce Development Center, Department of E-commerce, shared this at the training session.
Delving into the content of the guidelines for Criterion 7.3, Mr. Nguyen Huu Tuan, Director of eComDX, emphasized: "E-commerce at the commune level must be closely linked to the practical production of the people ." Mr. Huu Tuan stated that, with the motto " GoRight - Understand correctly, do correctly," bringing OCOP products, agricultural products, and food onto the digital environment will be the key to expanding sustainable markets for the local economy.
To achieve tangible results, Mr. Tuan said that Dong Thap needs to focus on 3 main pillars: (1) Digital capacity and skills: organizing practical training activities to help business entities understand and effectively apply them in practice; (2) Local community ecosystem: Creating a local community network and infrastructure to support each other in developing e-commerce; and (3) Actual implementation level: Focusing on reviewing and bringing businesses/household businesses or cooperatives, and typical local products onto e-commerce platforms and promoting support activities to increase transaction value through e-commerce channels.
Building an on-site e-commerce support network.
Regarding guidance on the model of e-commerce in communes, Mr. Nguyen Huu Tuan emphasized the importance of building a local community-based e-commerce ecosystem. He stressed the need to develop leading models with strong e-commerce capabilities to support, share experiences, consolidate products, standardize quality, and assist in sales for small-scale households. Furthermore, he called for the early establishment of community support groups (Youth Union, Women's Union, etc.) and digital platform groups to provide hands-on guidance to residents from creating online stores to processing orders, and to connect with postal services to optimize delivery. The effectiveness of implementation will be measured specifically through the percentage of active online stores, the presence of OCOP products, the application of QR codes, and the total value of e-commerce transactions in the area.
Establishing an e-commerce database at the commune level.
To ensure a thorough assessment, the Director of eComDX guided localities through a five-step roadmap for implementing Criterion 7.3, including: establishing an inter-agency working group; collecting administrative and postal data; conducting on-site sample surveys; compiling and extrapolating e-commerce revenue; and cross-checking, verifying, and building a local e-commerce database. Emphasis was placed on gradually establishing a database to serve the management and statistical analysis of e-commerce data in the area.
Enhancing the capacity for enforcing e-commerce laws.
Besides Criterion 7.3, the program dedicates significant time to disseminating important new points of the Law on E-commerce No. 122/2025/QH15 and Decree No. 248/2026/ND-CP. The content delves into the practical aspects of digital management and business, such as: the responsibilities of entities in the e-commerce ecosystem, platform management, e-commerce with foreign elements, seller verification, consumer protection, and handling violations.
Proactively updating and implementing this new legal framework will help businesses and business entities in Dong Thap adapt promptly when the regulations officially come into effect on July 1, 2026; thereby enhancing legal compliance, protecting consumers, and building a transparent and safe business environment.
AI applications in public service and digital business.
The conference also provided detailed guidance on the practical application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in public service activities. This included focusing on specific areas such as: information retrieval and synthesis, report generation, document drafting, presentation slides, conference banner design, product image creation, communication script development, and short videos promoting local products or communicating the activities of state management agencies in the area.
The synchronized implementation, from policy updates and the execution of Criterion 7.3 to the application of AI, has helped e-commerce truly become an integral part of the local business ecosystem, rather than just a supplementary sales channel. The model of bringing e-commerce directly to communes is expected to create a new impetus for the rural economy of Dong Thap, aiming to become a shining example of practical digital transformation for other localities to emulate.
