On the afternoon of May 22, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Minister Le Manh Hung held a working session with the Department of Foreign Market Development on the implementation of tasks in the first four months of 2026 and orientations for the coming period.

Synchronously implementing key tasks

Attending the meeting were Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang and representatives of various units under the Ministry.

Reporting at the meeting, Do Quoc Hung, Acting Director of the Department of Foreign Market Development, said that in the four months of 2026, the Department had carried out seven key groups of tasks. Notably, it developed working programmes closely aligned with export market development orientations, international economic integration strategies, and the target of achieving export growth of 15 - 16%.

The Department also prepared for high-level economic external affairs activities involving senior Party and State leaders as well as Ministry leadership. At the same time, it strengthened policy research and response efforts, including the formulation of strategies for upgrading, negotiating and signing free trade agreements (FTAs) for the 2026 - 2035 period, alongside the Strategy for Trade Development with the Chinese market through 2035.

Efforts in trade negotiations and the expansion of commercial cooperation continued to yield positive results. Over the recent period, the Department of Foreign Market Development implemented numerous activities aimed at promoting negotiations on bilateral preferential trade agreements, expanding cooperation in potential markets, and enhancing exchanges to facilitate export activities for Vietnamese enterprises.

In terms of business support, the Department coordinated efforts to resolve a range of difficulties related to agricultural and seafood exports. It also assisted enterprises in handling issues arising in overseas markets, while strengthening guidance for businesses in meeting technical standards and international import regulations.

Notably, the trade office system has initially undergone innovation through the digital foreign market development platform, which was officially launched in March 2026. After more than two months of operation, the system recorded approximately 253,000 visits, with thousands of market updates, working reports and analytical reports uploaded by Vietnam’s trade offices abroad.

Despite the achievements, foreign market development activities continue to face several challenges, including pressure to diversify export markets, the need to improve forecasting capacity, enhance adaptability to market fluctuations, and strengthen coordination efficiency in management and business support activities.

The Department of Foreign Market Development proposed seven groups of key tasks and solutions for the coming period, focusing on renewing governance thinking towards a target and results oriented approach; strengthening research, forecasting and close monitoring of international market developments; and restructuring import-export markets towards a more balanced and sustainable direction, reducing dependence on several traditional markets.

At the meeting, participating units exchanged views on the Department’s performance during the first four months of 2026 and discussed orientations for the time ahead. Discussions focused on enhancing coordination among units, sharing market information and data, and proposing solutions to remove obstacles and promote sustainable and effective market development and exports amid ongoing global economic volatility.

Strengthening governance capacity and expanding markets

In his concluding remarks, Minister Le Manh Hung acknowledged and highly appreciated the efforts made by officials and civil servants of the Department of Foreign Market Development amid continued fluctuations in the global economy and trade landscape.

According to Minister Le Manh Hung, foreign market development efforts in the coming period will face new requirements, demanding stronger forecasting capacity, strategic research and inter-agency coordination. Therefore, the Ministry of Industry and Trade must continue improving its governance model, accelerating digital transformation, standardising data and enhancing coordination efficiency among units to meet management and operational requirements in the new phase.

The Minister also stressed the need to formulate a foreign market development strategy closely linked with Vietnam’s import-export strategy and international economic integration strategy. At the same time, greater efforts are needed to effectively leverage FTAs, expand into new and potential markets, and enhance the competitiveness of Vietnamese enterprises.

He further requested continued improvements to the efficiency of Vietnam’s trade office system abroad, stronger application of digital technology and cross-border e-commerce, and the development of a shared database system to support management, operations and business assistance activities.

Concluding the meeting, Minister Le Manh Hung called on all units to continue promoting a proactive spirit, strengthen coordination, improve the quality of strategic advisory work, and effectively implement market development tasks, thereby contributing to export growth and the sustainable development of foreign trade activities in the coming period.