Data and Digital Standards: Building the New “Nervous System” of Vietnam’s Logistics

Digital and green logistics have been identified as twin strategic pillars to cut costs and boost competitiveness. The key question is how Vietnam can turn data into a true “central nervous system” for logistics, rather than a collection of disconnected databases.

From Paper Documents to Data Corridors: Logistics in the Age of Connectivity

More than a decade ago, Vietnam began building its National Single Window (NSW) and connecting it to the ASEAN Single Window (ASW), with the aim of enabling one-time data submission, synchronized processing and electronic document exchange among agencies. Technical documents stress the importance of data harmonization, standardized forms and the removal of redundant information as the foundation for seamless “data corridors” for trade.

Across ASEAN, the ASW has helped businesses save over USD 6.4 billion, reduced average transit time by around four days per transaction and facilitated the exchange of more than four million electronic documents. For logistics, this is a major step forward: moving away from paper-based operations toward electronic processing, storage and retrieval significantly reduces errors and waiting times.

In parallel, Logistics 4.0 initiatives are encouraging companies to deploy IoT, AI, Big Data and blockchain in transport and warehouse management, route optimization and demand forecasting. Studies and industry reports suggest that these technologies can cut logistics costs by some 20–25 percent compared to traditional practices.

Gaps in Data Standards and Information Sharing

Despite this progress, the landscape remains fragmented. Many small and medium-sized logistics firms use home-grown systems that are not aligned with any common industry standard, making integration with partners difficult. A host of e-logistics platforms, freight exchanges and tracking apps operate as “data islands,” with limited interoperability among themselves or with government systems.

At the regional level, ASEAN-BAC and partners are promoting a unified business-identity framework (UBIN) and SME toolkits to help smaller firms join secure digital-verification ecosystems and participate in cross-border digital trade. Yet in many countries, including Vietnam, SME logistics players still lack the tools and data standards needed to plug into such platforms at scale.

There is also the risk of data monopolies. In e-commerce, large platforms increasingly control transaction data, customer behavior and product flows. If logistics providers are confined to execution roles without meaningful access to data, they will struggle to optimize networks, improve service quality or innovate business models.

On the public-sector side, data remain scattered across ministries, agencies and local authorities. Sharing of near real-time data on infrastructure, traffic, accidents, congestion and investment plans is still limited, making it hard for businesses to build long-term strategies based on a comprehensive picture of the logistics ecosystem.

NSW, ASW and the Challenge of Interfacing with Private Logistics Platforms

The rollout of the NSW and ASW shows that Vietnam has made solid progress in digitizing trade procedures. The next challenge is to bring private logistics platforms into the same digital space - under a clear legal framework for security and privacy.

One promising direction is to develop common APIs and a minimal industry data standard covering shipments, bills of lading, containers, vehicles, timestamps and processing statuses. Once platforms speak a common “data language,” connecting businesses to each other and to public systems becomes far easier.

At the company level, early adopters are integrating their transport and warehouse-management systems with customer platforms via APIs, using IoT devices for real-time visibility and applying AI and advanced analytics to optimize routes, forecast demand and enhance customer experience. These pioneers offer a glimpse of what a more open, interoperable data-sharing model could look like - provided that access rights and governance mechanisms are clearly defined.

Building Vietnam’s Digital “Nervous System” for Logistics

From a policy perspective, Vietnam is implementing national strategies on digital transformation, the digital economy and data, with logistics identified as a priority sector. The question is no longer whether to digitize, but how to connect: how to link NSW and ASW with carriers, airlines and logistics operators; how to bridge public and private data; and how to ensure that platforms can interoperate while safeguarding security.

For businesses, crafting a clear data strategy - what to collect, how to use it, with whom to share it and under what conditions - will increasingly define competitive advantage. Companies that better understand their customers and their networks through data can optimize costs, improve service and build resilience to shocks.

Data and digital standards are quietly reshaping Vietnam’s logistics industry - from how firms obtain permits and clear customs to how they plan transport and how customers track shipments. When data are standardized, interoperable and used intelligently, logistics can become not only faster and cheaper, but also more agile, transparent and sustainable. For Vietnam, the task ahead is not just to expand physical infrastructure, but to build a robust “digital nervous system” in which data are a well-governed common asset - supporting both business competitiveness and the smooth, resilient functioning of national supply chains in an increasingly volatile world.