Digital Connectivity in the Halal Ecosystem: Opportunities to Advance Vietnam’s Participation in Halal Food Value Chains in Selected Countries of the Global South
Thuy T. Dang *
Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, 176 Thai Ha, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Dong Thi Thuy Linh
Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, 176 Thai Ha, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Trung Duc Nguyen
Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, 176 Thai Ha, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Kim Ba Tran
Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, 176 Thai Ha, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: To examine the role of digital connectivity in the Halal ecosystem and assess opportunities to advance Vietnam's participation in Halal food value chains in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Study Design: A qualitative comparative case study using a systems approach, structured document analysis, and cross-case synthesis.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was undertaken at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences in 2026 as part of a Ministerial-level Independent Science and Technology Project implemented during 2026–2028.
Methodology: The documentary corpus covers peer-reviewed studies and official legal, policy, certification, and platform sources issued between 2011 and June 2026. Documents were screened using explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria and coded across governance, legal scope, digital certification and verification, supply-chain and market connectivity, enterprise support, and cross-border trade facilitation. Time-sensitive claims were rechecked against the official portals of the relevant authorities.
Results: Malaysia links authoritative certification with ecosystem-development platforms; Indonesia uses SIHALAL to administer a mandatory Halal assurance regime; and Thailand combines religious authority, Halal science, and electronic services. The study's main conceptual contribution is a four-layer framework connecting institutional authority, traceability evidence, market transactions, and knowledge and support services. For Vietnam, this framework identifies potential pathways for reducing compliance burdens, strengthening verifiable Halal integrity, and supporting market access, while highlighting institutional fragmentation, certification-recognition challenges, uneven enterprise data capabilities, and cross-border data-governance risks.
Conclusion: Vietnam should develop an interoperable national Halal data architecture, pilot digital Halal passports in selected food value chains, promote certification interoperability with priority markets, and provide shared support services for small and medium-sized enterprises. These measures should be phased, evidence-based, and accompanied by safeguards for data quality, business confidentiality, and cybersecurity.
Keywords: Digital connectivity, Halal ecosystem, food value chains, digital traceability, certification interoperability, market connectivity, supply-chain governance, small and medium-sized enterprises