Vietnam and Japan held an international seminar on e-commerce in Ho Chi Minh City on Nov 25, which attracted participation of e-commerce experts, businesses and lecturers.

At the seminar, e-commerce experts appreciated Vietnam’s internet growth even though a number of businesses and individuals were not applying the technology in their business practices.

The participants engaged in an exchange with Vietnamese businesses who pioneered the application of e-commerce in business and with foreign experts to discuss the latest in e-commerce in the world.

According to the Department of Information Technology E-Commerce, last year more than 30 million people were accessing the internet in Vietnam everyday, nearly 35 percent of the country’s total population. However, 60 percent of Vietnamese businesses still do not have e-commerce websites.

Experts say that e-commerce development in Vietnam is still very slow. Currently there are only 22 million bank accounts, covering   around 20 percent of the total population. Most Vietnamese people do not transact money online.

Vietnam needs to limit cash transactions so as to boost e-commerce, said an expert. The country should also invest more in information technology and raise awareness of the benefits of using e-commerce technology.

Currently, businesses in HCMC were taking the lead in applying e-commerce, engaging in e-commerce trading and offering a wide range of online services.

However, the businesses are facing numerous obstacles while using e-commerce, particularly with regard to security and electronic payments, said a representative of the Department of Information Technology E-Commerce.