At the FIATA World Congress 2025, held on October 9 in Hanoi, experts and government representatives from numerous nations discussed the topic "Restructuring global trade: Challenges and new adaptation strategies". This discussion panel was held in light of the world's geopolitical crises, shifting tariff policies, and growing complexity in international trade.

A new logistics strategy for Vietnam, aiming at regional connectivity

At the panel discussion, Mr. Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Director General of the Import-Export Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that Vietnam is finalizing a new National Logistics Development Strategy, which includes eight major focuses to create a solid legal foundation, infrastructure, and resources to help logistics become an important service industry in the process of deep integration into the global supply chain.

According to Mr. Hai, perfecting the legal framework is the top priority to build a transparent and favorable environment for logistics enterprises to develop, overcoming shortcomings in current regulations. In parallel, developing modern logistics infrastructure, especially two large-scale logistics centers in the counry's Southern region, is considered an important pillar to help increase international connectivity.

In addition, the new strategy aims to improve the competitiveness of domestic logistics enterprises, as most of them are currently small-scale and operate mainly domestically.

"We want to promote enterprises to reach out to international markets, seek new partners and opportunities in the global supply chain," Mr. Hai emphasized.

Another pillar identified is developing high-quality human resources to meet the requirements of digital transformation and green logistics. Vietnam will focus on training a team with international skills and qualifications, and ability to quickly adapt to new trends.

Besides, the strategy also aims to build free trade zones - a relatively new model in Vietnam, to attract investment and develop high-value logistics services.

"Vietnam is promoting the exploitation of the East-West economic corridor, connecting its Central region with Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, turning this area into a "springboard" for growth and expanding connections in the regional logistics network," Mr. Hai said,  adding that "with the new strategy, Vietnam hopes to become a more attractive destination for international investors, while improving domestic logistics capacity to keep up with the new globalization trend"

Tariffs and digital transformation in supply chain balancing

One of the notable issues raised by speakers in the panel discussion was that changes in tariff policies, especially those of the US, have caused supply chain shifts and increased uncertainty.

Discussing this issue, Mr. Brandon Fried, Executive Director of the Airforwarders Association (the US), said that reciprocal tariff policies are essentially a measure of the two-way trade balance between countries. However, consumers are the ones who suffer the most from tariff policies.

According to Mr. Fried, the US removal of the de minimis threshold for shipments under $800 will result in billions of packages being subject to tax, disrupting the operations of carriers and delivery agents.

"Businesses that lack the digital capacity to comply with customs will face great difficulties, and this is a challenging period for small delivery companies," he emphasized. "The US collects billions of dollars from import tariffs, but the real costs fall on consumers and small businesses - important links in the economy. We need to return to a more reasonable and stable tariff policy to ensure trade balance."

Representing Vietnam, Mr. Hai affirmed that Vietnam is steadfast in its trade liberalization orientation, while flexibly adjusting tax policies to support businesses.

“When some countries increased import taxes, Vietnam had timely policy responses by adjusting import taxes from 49 to 20 per cent, even 0 per cent for some goods, to increase competitiveness in the global supply chain,” said Mr. Hai. "Businesses need to strictly comply with rules of origin and production regulations to avoid trade risks and ensure reputation in the global supply chain."

Experts from the EU and the Asia-Pacific region also agreed that reciprocal tariffs disrupt connectivity, increase costs and severely impact small and medium-sized enterprises, in the current context, the global supply chain is under great pressure from policy uncertainty.

According to Mr. Martin Lee, Business Manager for Africa, Asia, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Australia – New Zealand, WiseTech Global, API systems are the “backbone” of global connectivity, from customs to shipping lines and airlines.

Mr. Lee commented that the logistics industry needs to apply real-time API connectivity systems, linking governments – carriers – customers to keep up with rapidly changing regulations. On the other hand, Mr. Lee said that the concentration of high-quality data creates a “single source of information”, allowing automation and faster decision-making, helping to reduce manual errors, speed up customs clearance, and reduce delay costs.

However, the challenge is still to synchronize data quality between multiple parties to avoid discrepancies, fines or additional checks. "It is necessary to train the next generation, maintain problem-solving skills in the context of AI increasingly replacing manual operations," he added. "Update the system as soon as the government issues new regulations to help make decisions before the goods arrive, although there are still limitations due to physical transit times."

In general, speakers agreed that global supply chains need a long-term direction to ensure resilience in the face of geopolitical uncertainty. Mitigating supply chain risks is not just a matter of technology, but also a matter of national strategy, multi-sector coordination and long-term investment in data, people and connectivity.

In a volatile world, the ability to adapt quickly, act proactively and coordinate closely with all parties is key to ensuring the global trade flow is not interrupted.