Only 25% of Vietnamese companies have a website

Amid the growing trend of omni-channel commerce, many retailers are investing solely in social media and e-commerce platforms without creating websites, leaving many shoppers worried about the legitimacy of the stores they encounter, damaging their shopping experience, said VNNIC director Nguyen Hong Thang. “Many businesses are not fully aware of the importance of a legitimate online presence.”

He said that a website is something like a home or headquarters for a retail store on the Internet and can integrate and connect with other sales platforms without being dependent on the rules and algorithms of social networks and e-commerce platforms.

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, there are 14 million grocery stores and over 9,000 traditional markets in the country, which account for 75% of the retail market and meet 85% of consumer needs.

They warned that if we do not provide them with digital transformation, it will negatively impact the business activities of small entrepreneurs and will have social consequences.

Customers at a brick-and-mortar store in Ho Chi Minh City in May 2024. Photo: VnExpress/ Thanh Tung

To encourage businesses to go digital and promote e-commerce, a program was launched to support their online presence with digital services using the country-specific domain “.vn”.

The programme offers free domain names and accompanying digital services for two years, including email and website services for the “.vn” domain for new businesses and 18-23 year olds, as well as assistance in creating a website in one hour.

The government aims to have 350,000 id.vn domain names and 50,000 biz.vn domain names by 2025.