Page 347 - ISC PROCEEDINGS 21.4

VIETNAM - CHINA CROSS BORDER E-COMMERCE IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY:
POLICY ASYMMETRY, MARKET DYNAMICS AND STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS

Bui Thi Hong Ngoc , Nguyen Ngoc Minh An* , Abdullah Abdulhafedh Abdullah Saif 3
1
2
1 Institute of Vietnam and World Economy, Hanoi, Vietnam.
2 Hanoi Open University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
3 Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, China.
(*E-mail: nnman@hou.edu.vn)

ABSTRACT
This study examines Vietnam–China cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) through a
comparative policy lens focused on corridor governance in the digital economy. Drawing
on qualitative analysis of legal documents, customs notices, government strategies,
industry reports, and selected academic studies published through March 2026, it defines
policy asymmetry as differences in strategic objectives, policy instruments, regulatory
depth, and market effects that shape compliance capacity, logistics efficiency, and
competitive advantage. The findings indicate that China has developed a more integrated
CBEC ecosystem based on customs digitization, pilot zones, bonded warehousing, and
export-oriented digital logistics, whereas Vietnam has progressed in legal recognition,
consumer protection, and platform taxation but retains a more fragmented governance
structure. The most consequential asymmetries concern withholding-tax APIs,
interoperable transaction data, near-border warehousing, and single-window exchange.
The study argues that Vietnam should prioritize regulatory integration, while SMEs must
compete through compliance, traceability, fulfillment, and channel diversification rather
than price alone.
Keywords: Cross-border e-commerce; Vietnam; China; policy asymmetry; digital
trade; border logistics; SMEs.

1. Introduction
Cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) has become one of the most dynamic
components of the digital economy because it compresses market access, marketing,
ordering, payment, and distribution into interoperable digital processes that can operate
across jurisdictions. In Southeast Asia, this transformation is especially pronounced. The
e-Conomy SEA 2024 report projected Vietnam’s e-commerce gross merchandise value at
US$22 billion in 2024, while subsequent Vietnamese official reporting estimated the
country’s retail e-commerce market at about US$25 billion in 2024, up 20% year on year
(Google, Temasek, & Bain & Company, 2024; Government News, 2025).
For Vietnam, e-commerce is not merely a consumer trend; it is embedded in the
national digital transformation agenda and in the effort to modernize trade, strengthen
formalization, and expand SME participation in domestic and export markets. Decision No.
645/QD-TTg approved the national e-commerce development master plan for 2021–2025,
and Decision No. 411/QD-TTg later positioned digital trade within the wider digital
economy and digital society strategy (Prime Minister, 2020, 2022). In parallel, Chinese
platforms and suppliers have intensified their presence in Vietnam through ultra-discount
models, livestream commerce, platform-integrated logistics, and increasingly
sophisticated cross-border fulfillment networks.

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