Exports have opportunities, but also face great challenges

Sharing about the difficulties and challenges for goods export activities in 2025, Mr. Luong Hoang Thai - Director of the Department of Multilateral Trade Policy - Ministry of Industry and Trade said that Vietnam is one of the countries considered to benefit the most from the global integration trend. In particular, in the recent period, when the world supply chain changed, this was an opportunity for Vietnam to grasp trends such as digital transformation, green transformation, etc. This is also a trend that Vietnam has grasped very well in recent times.

Export activities in 2025 face intertwined opportunities and challenges (Photo: VNA)

In addition, the free trade agreements (FTAs) that Vietnam has signed, especially the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the CPTPP, have been effective in expanding export markets and reducing tariff barriers. These FTAs not only promote exports, but also create opportunities for Vietnam to increase imports of modern technology and production equipment from partner countries.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thuong Lang - Lecturer at the National Economics University, the export platform from 2024, especially the signing and implementation of many FTAs, will be a strong driving force for 2025.

In addition to taking advantage of FTAs, in recent times, improving logistics infrastructure and applying technology in import and export continues to be an important factor in reducing costs and improving trade efficiency. Vietnamese enterprises are increasingly applying digital technology in warehouse management, transportation, and customs procedures. Thereby, improving efficiency and reducing customs clearance time, increasing the efficiency of import and export activities.

However, in addition to the advantages, export activities also face many challenges. Mr. Luong Hoang Thai pointed out that in the recent period, global trade growth has been lower than global GDP growth. In particular, in the coming time, there is expected to be a very big trend that can strongly change the way countries trade with each other.

Specifically, the first is the trend of some major economies becoming more inward-looking, some places even have trade protectionism, and trade conflicts also occur in some places around the world.

The second trend, even as economies continue to open up, they also have new measures to implement global trends, such as: green transition, accompanied by a series of stricter management measures on the supply chain to ensure that consumer demand is met. This is a barrier that businesses must overcome, creating new costs that businesses must comply with in order to be able to export to markets that apply these measures.

For example, in the EU, although it continues to affirm the trend of strengthening trade relations, new measures on the environment, against deforestation, against illegal fishing, etc. are expected to be strengthened more strongly, clearly also creating barriers.

“ In that trend, Vietnam is one of the countries with the highest economic openness, heavily dependent on international trade and investment, so the challenges for Vietnam's economy in 2025. Especially, when Vietnam integrates in the direction of meeting the common "rules of the game" of the world and the foundation is joining the WTO with a common rule applied to all countries, these are challenges that export enterprises must overcome" - Mr. Luong Hoang Thai said.

Solving the challenge

Mr. Luong Hoang Thai said that 2025, as organizations and experts predict, will be a very difficult year for international economic integration in general and for exporting goods in particular. However, 2025 is also the year the world enters a period of qualitative change in the supply chain, so if countries that integrate later like Vietnam rise up and have the ability to "take a shortcut", they will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to increase exports.

On the side of the Import-Export Department, it has been promoting the export of goods through a series of solutions such as supporting businesses to take advantage of commitments in FTAs to boost exports, through propaganda on rules of origin and issuance of Certificates of Origin, opportunities and ways to take advantage of opportunities from the Agreements...

In addition, support the development and implementation of large-scale, regionally focused trade promotion activities for products and industries with regional strengths in target markets. At the same time, continue to promote the rapid and strong shift of export activities to official trade.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is also promoting negotiations and signing of new trade agreements, commitments and partnerships; coordinating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to negotiate to open more types of fruit for official export. At the same time, implementing Strategies and Action Programs on import and export of goods, developing logistics services, developing rice export markets, etc. Supporting businesses to overcome new trade barriers in import markets.