For local specialty products, collective marks, certification marks, and geographical indications are becoming vital tools for building reputation and establishing a competitive edge in the marketplace. While collective marks help identify products from a specific community of members and certification marks provide a basis for verifying specific product characteristics, geographical indications link a product's value to its geographical origin and to the qualities and reputation derived from that region's specific conditions.

In particular, when entering international markets, intellectual property protection should be viewed as an integral part of market development strategy rather than merely a legal formality. A product with a recognized name, a clear origin, and a rigorous management system is better positioned to build trust among partners and consumers, thereby gradually enhancing its commercial value.

For Can Tho and the Mekong Delta, this approach is significant in enhancing the value of key products and local specialties. Once origins are established, quality is controlled, reputations are safeguarded, and information is digitized, collective marks, certification marks, and geographical indications serve not only to differentiate products but also to facilitate production organization, brand building, and market expansion.

From a science and technology perspective, export market trends necessitate a shift in mindset: moving from "protection to preserve a product name" to "protection to create value and develop the market." This shift embodies the core theme of the seminar—strengthening connections among regulatory bodies, experts, enterprises, cooperatives, and product owners to put intellectual property and digital transformation solutions into practice.

When intellectual property is effectively managed and linked to quality, traceability, and production capacity, products with distinctive local characteristics gain a stronger foundation to establish their reputation, enhance their value, and advance further in the international market.