On February 5, the Vietnam Youth Startup Support Center (SYS Vietnam) under the Vietnam Youth Federation, the E-commerce Development and Digital Technology Center (eComDX - Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency, Ministry of Industry and Trade), and the Dak Lak Durian Association officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement. This opens a new phase of companionship in training - digital transformation - e-commerce - communication - trade promotion, aiming for the sustainable development of the Vietnamese durian industry, especially in the Central Highlands region.

Enhancing supply chain value 

According to the agreement, the three parties will establish a strategic cooperative relationship to support businesses, cooperatives, and members belonging to the Dak Lak Durian Association in training, e-commerce development, communication, and trade promotion. The core goal is to enhance supply chain value and build a sustainable Dak Lak durian brand.

Dak Lak is considered one of the key regions of the Vietnamese durian industry. In the context of export markets increasingly demanding high quality, traceability, and brand standards, "bringing agricultural products to digital trading floor" is no longer an option, but a mandatory direction to increase competitiveness and reduce dependence on traditional consumption channels.

The cooperation agreement between the three parties identifies four key implementation contents. First, training in e-commerce and TikTok. Accordingly, SYS Vietnam will provide free online training for members of the Dak Lak Durian Association. For offline training, the parties will coordinate to arrange funding to invite experts from SYS and eComDX to deploy directly in the locality.

Second, organizing intensive sales courses, focusing on sales skills on TikTok. Notably, learners belonging to the association enjoy a policy of partial tuition support from the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Federation.

Third, developing digital infrastructure and technology products. eComDX and SYS will support the Association in standardizing sales channels, while connecting to apply support programs from TikTok for the Association. In addition, the agreement also sets a direction for supplying production materials, especially in distributing nano-technology fertilizers for durian trees with price subsidy policies.

Fourth, professional training and communication. The parties agreed to organize professional courses in the durian industry and issue official certificates; at the same time, develop plans and provide specialized TikTok communication packages for Dak Lak durian businesses to promote their brands.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Le Anh Trung, Chair of the Dak Lak Durian Association, said the durian industry is entering a new stage of competition, where quality alone is not enough, but market capacity and branding are also needed.

“We expect this cooperation to help members not only sell products but also sell the brand. Dak Lak wants to go the long haul, and there must be digital capacity, communication capacity, and standardization capacity," Trung said.

Nguyen Phan Huy Khoi, Director of the Vietnam Youth Startup Support Center, said that SYS Vietnam identifies this as a model for a new approach: taking training as the root, digital transformation as the lever, and digital platforms as the channel to expand the market, thereby creating sustainable momentum for Vietnamese agriculture.

“We do not just teach how to open a shop or make a video. We aim to build a generation of businesses - cooperatives - farmers with a digital business mindset, doing e-commerce the right way, and having the ability to develop long-term," Khoi said.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Huu Tuan, Director of the E-commerce Development and Digital Technology Center (eComDX), said this cooperation is a step to concretize the role of specialized agencies in accompanying localities, industry associations, and social organizations in implementing substantive e-commerce.

“E-commerce and digital technology are not just sales channels. They are a system of capacities including standards, processes, data, communication, traceability, and governance. This cooperation aims to create that capacity for the Dak Lak durian industry," Nguyen Huu Tuan said.

"Industry-Training-Platform" model 

Nguyen Lam Thanh, representative of TikTok Vietnam, praised the parties sitting down together to build a structured cooperation model, in which training and standardization are the foundation, rather than just stopping at an online sales movement.

Thanh said TikTok is ready to accompany from a platform perspective, supporting programs toward sustainable development, transparency, standards, and creating brand value for Vietnamese agricultural products.

“If Vietnamese agricultural products want to go far, they cannot rely on output alone. They need stories, brands, data, and digital capacity," Thanh said.