Nghe An is bustling with lottery markets.

Expanding the market through mobile phone screens.

At 9:00 AM on September 26th, the livestream introducing products from Phan Thanh craft village, organized by the People's Committee of Hop Minh commune, began. Processed eel products from the Khoi My facility were showcased on screen. Dried eel, eel rolls, marinated eel – products familiar to local people – were now presented to viewers on social media.

Approximately 6,000 people watched the livestream, along with hundreds of comments and hundreds of orders placed. It was a "market" without stalls, without buyers standing in front of sellers, and without requiring customers to physically visit the craft village. With just a phone and an internet connection, products from Phan Thanh craft village could reach customers outside the usual market.

However, simply looking at the number of orders might not fully capture the significance of this livestream. Mr. Nguyen Van Thao, owner of Khoi My eel processing and trading facility, admitted that the number of orders placed via livestream is still modest compared to the sales volume through traditional channels.

What he gained more clearly was the opportunity to bring his products to customers who previously had limited access. Many people, both within and outside the province, and even abroad, learned about the Phan Thanh eel processing village and its 3-star OCOP product for the first time.

For those in the industry, it's a more direct and broader way to promote their products. While it may not immediately translate into significant revenue, this attention opens up opportunities for the product to become known, sought after, and to continue connecting with customers after each livestream session.

In Quynh Phu commune, the story of squid and salt reveals another aspect of the digital market: products that already possess value must first gain market recognition to reach a wider market. The commune's economic advantages, stemming from its coastal resources, provide it with abundant seafood and many distinctive processed products. However, a good product doesn't automatically mean that consumers far away are aware of it.

The digital market "Introducing Local Products: The Quintessence of the Coastal Region - Connecting with Love," organized by the Women's Union and the Farmers' Association of Quynh Phu commune, aims to bring products to the online space, where sellers can directly introduce, tell the story of their products, and connect with customers who are previously familiar with the local market.

For Mr. Bui Xuan Dien, Director of Thang Loi Salt Cooperative, this is especially significant for their kiln-dried salt product. The salt-making profession has existed for hundreds of years, but not all consumers understand the value of sun-dried salt or the benefits of kiln-dried salt. When the product appeared on the livestream, the story behind the salt grain had a chance to be told more clearly.

After the livestream, the cooperative received many orders from customers in distant provinces. But from that, the salt producers realized another requirement of the market. For their products to reach a wider market in the digital space, quality must be guaranteed, packaging and design must be more refined, product information must be clear, and traceability must be possible. When buyers cannot directly handle the product, these factors become the basis for their decision to place an order or not.

According to Mr. Cao Xuan Diep, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Phu commune, who directly participated in the livestream introducing local products, as consumer tastes change and customers increasingly seek to buy goods on "digital markets" and e-commerce platforms, producers must also change their approach to the market.

Besides knowing how to promote, find markets, and apply technology to the sales process, they also need to focus on image, content, packaging, product information, traceability, and how to interact with customers. From being familiar with traders or traditional markets, producers must gradually master new skills to compete in the digital environment.

A new skill set is emerging in agricultural production and business, thanks to livestreaming. In Hop Minh commune, the commune's Public Service Center has opened livestreaming training courses for businesses and production households, aiming to improve skills in promoting and selling on digital platforms and finding markets for agricultural products.

This shows that for the "digital market" to become a regular market channel, it cannot rely solely on the excitement of a few sales sessions, but must start from the genuine capabilities of those who create the goods.

From digital sales to creating new value

Livestream sessions in Hop Minh and Quynh Phu communes clearly demonstrate that when products enter the digital space, market boundaries expand. However, for this change to go beyond just a few sales sessions, producers need to go further than simply putting their products online.

They need to know how to create content, build a brand, and maintain connections with customers. Based on this reality, the Hanh Lam "digital market" is being implemented in a broader direction, not just putting products online for sale, but gradually building a space to promote, connect, and develop the existing values ​​of the locality on a digital platform.

On June 20, 2026, the first "digital market" of Hanh Lam was held in a mountainous border commune lacking large businesses, industrial zones, or modern shopping centers. What Hanh Lam possesses are tea hills, orange groves, natural landscapes, villages, and unique cultural values. These values ​​have existed for a long time but are not widely known. Therefore, the challenge is not just to put tea, oranges, or local specialties online for sale, but also to tell the story of the products, people, and land to reach a wider market. In that sense, the "digital market" expands in another way: each citizen can become an promoter, each product can become a story, and the mobile phone becomes a tool to connect with the market.

With that goal in mind, Hanh Lam commune plans to launch "1,000 videos about Hanh Lam," encouraging local people to participate in introducing their hometown in the digital space.

Without the need for professional equipment, a beautiful landscape, a product, a person, an everyday story, or business experience can all become content that allows Hanh Lam commune to have a regular presence on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and other digital platforms. If maintained, such content will not only draw attention to products but can also become a long-term promotional asset.

A channel with a large following can become a bridge to the market, creating more revenue opportunities; content creators can earn additional income. From there, Hanh Lam commune aims to form a "Digital Content Creation Club," a "Digital Content Creation Space," and further, a "Digital Content Creation Village," gradually transforming creative skills and local stories into a resource for economic development.

However, the gap between a "digital marketplace" and a sustainable digital market is not short. A livestream session might attract thousands of viewers, but maintaining a sales channel requires consistent content, interaction skills, order processing, and customer service. Products must also meet increasingly high demands for quality, design, packaging, traceability, and supply. When customers are far away, logistics and delivery also become part of the value of the goods.

In particular, not every producer has the skills to shoot videos, write content, livestream, or operate a sales channel. If these skills are not accumulated, the "digital marketplace" is likely to stop at a single session with views and orders and then end, instead of becoming a regular market channel.

To bridge that gap, collaboration in technology, skills, and market organization is essential. As the provincial advisory body on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, the Department of Science and Technology supports localities in applying technology to socio-economic development, raising awareness, and creating conditions for local products to access wider markets through digital platforms.

"

"Digital markets" are not just about buying, selling, or promoting; they are the starting point for forming a community of digital content creators, helping people expand their agricultural product markets through social media and online platforms.

Therefore, the "digital market" should not be measured solely by the number of views or orders from a livestream session. Its greater value lies in its ability to expand the market, enhance the capabilities of producers, and gradually transform local values ​​into economic value in the digital space.

Mr. Nguyen Quy Linh - Director of the Department of Science and Technology