TIANJIN, June 3 (Xinhua) — Just 20 km from central Hanoi, in Vietnam’s famed furniture-making region, Nguyen Lan grew up surrounded by business. Today, the 24-year-old has come to China, aiming to leverage social media and her Chinese language skills to bridge the markets of the two countries via e-commerce.
The sophomore at Tianjin University in north China’s Tianjin Municipality developed a strong interest in cross-border commerce during high school, when she purchased goods from Chinese e-shops and resold them in Vietnam via Facebook and other platforms.
“Whatever I bought from China, people would rush to buy,” she said with a smile.
Eyeing the huge trade potential between the two countries, young Vietnamese people like Lan are attracted to China, learning the Chinese language and seeking business opportunities in cross-border e-commerce.
Lan was born into a business-oriented family, with her brother running a mobile phone shop and her sister being an active entrepreneur. Influenced by her siblings, Lan started reselling items for her classmates in high school through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, gradually becoming a micro-influencer with over 4,000 followers.
However, as more Vietnamese people began learning Chinese and selling Chinese goods online, competition intensified. Realizing that long-term success in cross-border e-commerce requires better language skills and deeper cultural understanding, she decided to pursue further studies in China.
She was admitted to Tianjin University in 2023, when she was first impressed by the maturity and efficiency of China’s e-commerce ecosystem.
“While cross-border e-commerce in Vietnam is still in a phase of rapid growth, China’s platforms are already mature, with abundant products, efficient logistics and excellent shopping experiences,” she said.
She said Vietnamese merchants are very enthusiastic about sourcing goods from China, frequently traveling to Guangzhou, Yiwu and other cities to purchase wholesale products for retail in Vietnam.
Recently, Lan witnessed merchants in Yiwu using a Chinese AI model. By simply describing their needs to a camera, the model could generate multilingual scripts for promotional videos, enabling the quick creation of cross-border marketing content.
“I was amazed and excited when I saw it for the first time,” she said.
Lan added that AI technology can significantly lower the barriers to cross-border purchases, improve operational efficiency, and help small businesses expand into international markets. “I believe the combination of AI and cross-border e-commerce will greatly promote global trade development.”
During her spare time, Lan actively documents her life in China. Her videos have recorded the daily lives of Vietnamese students in China and helped more Chinese people understand Vietnam, gaining over 6,000 followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
“Understanding leads to closeness. I hope to help more Chinese friends learn about my homeland,” she said, adding that content related to Vietnamese rice noodles, spring rolls and landscapes has been popular with her Chinese followers.
She was particularly thrilled to discover that, in Tianjin, she could easily purchase coffee, cashews and dried fruits from her hometown with just a few taps on her phone, making her feel closer to home.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Vietnam.
Over the years, the two countries have strengthened economic and trade relations. China has been Vietnam’s largest trading partner since 2004, while Vietnam has been China’s largest trading partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations since 2016.
Bilateral trade has exceeded 200 billion U.S. dollars for four consecutive years, reaching 260.65 billion dollars in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 13.5 percent.
Looking to the future, Lan is determined to bring more Vietnamese specialties to the Chinese market.
“I also aim to use AI technology to enhance the efficiency of short video production, creating more professional and engaging e-commerce content to make cross-border e-commerce more personal and competitive,” she added. ■
