Women's entrepreneurship drives economic development

Entrepreneurship not only provides women with opportunities for economic development but also enhances their position and voice within their families, communities, and society. It is also an important driver of economic development, positively contributing to the country's sustainable economic growth.

Officials and women’s union members visit exhibition booths featuring startup products developed by women from communes and wards during the 1st Dong Nai Provincial (now City) Women's Congress for the 2025–2030 term. Photo: Nga Son.

Implementing the Prime Minister's Decision No. 939/QD-TTg approving the Project to Support Women's Entrepreneurship for 2017-2025 (referred to as Project 939), Dong Nai City has recorded positive results in promoting women's entrepreneurship.

Enhancing entrepreneurial capacity

Bui Thi Hanh, Vice Chairwoman of the Dong Nai City Women's Union and Head of the City Women's Affairs Committee, said that to implement Project 939, the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee (now the City People's Committee) issued implementation documents and assigned the City Women's Union as the standing agency responsible for advising on the project's implementation. Every year, under the guidance of the Central Project Steering Committee, the City People's Committee issues an implementation plan. Based on this plan, local authorities and relevant units develop their own implementation plans, proactively allocate budgets, and assign specific responsibilities to specialized departments to fulfill the objectives of Project 939.

Communication activities on entrepreneurship, employment, and economic development have been carried out extensively through diverse forms. During the 2017-2025 period, agencies and sectors organized more than 5,600 communication and awareness-raising sessions on entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, 850 news reports, articles, and feature stories were produced and published through the mass media, helping nearly 673,000 union members and women improve their awareness of entrepreneurship and business startups.

Le Thi Thanh Loan, Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and Chairwoman of the Provincial Women's Union (now Member of the City Party Committee, Vice Chairwoman of the City Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and Chairwoman of the City Women's Union), presents the First Prize to the winning team at the 2025 Provincial Women's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition. Photo: Nga Son

Alongside communication activities, agencies, sectors, and local authorities have focused on supporting women in business development and innovative entrepreneurship. Since 2018, the City Women's Union has maintained the annual Provincial Women's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Day. The event features startup product exhibitions as well as networking and discussion sessions with experts and successful businesswomen, creating opportunities for participants to establish connections, exchange experiences, and expand business cooperation. The activities have helped foster the spirit of innovative entrepreneurship among union members and women.

The City Women's Union has also organized the Women's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition, which has attracted more than 540 ideas and projects. At the same time, it has guided and supported 108 ideas and projects to participate in the women's startup competition organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union. In addition, the Department of Science and Technology organizes an annual Innovation Startup Competition, with women accounting for 57% of the total 261 entries.

Units implementing Project 939 have also supported women with feasible business ideas by organizing training courses and capacity-building programs, assisting union members and women in accessing credit, and promoting products to consumers. At the same time, they have supported the establishment, consolidation, and improvement of the operational efficiency of cooperatives and cooperative groups managed and operated by women, creating numerous jobs for female workers.

These support activities have gradually enhanced the awareness and entrepreneurial capacity of union members and women, contributing to the development of many effective business models. One notable example is the Tuyet Tuan rice business owned by Nguyen Thi Tuyet in Nam Cat Tien commune. Starting with limited capital, after receiving training and accessing startup support funds, she expanded her business, established direct purchasing links with farmers, and invested in warehouses, transport vehicles, and rice preservation equipment. The business has increased her family's income and created stable employment for approximately 15 local workers, each earning an average monthly income of about 8 million VND.

Linked to digital transformation

Building on the achievements of Project 939, in 2025, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 2415/QD-TTg approving the Project to Support Women's Entrepreneurship for 2026-2035 (referred to as Project 2415), aiming to create favorable conditions for women to promote their potential, entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, and the application of science, technology, and digital transformation.

The Dong Nai City People's Committee has issued a plan to implement Project 2415, with the goal of promoting the role and potential of women in economic development and innovative entrepreneurship, thereby contributing to the objectives of economic growth, sustainable poverty reduction, and gender equality.

Project 2415 will be implemented in Dong Nai in two phases: 2026-2030 and 2031-2035. Each phase includes specific goals and targets related to raising awareness; equipping union members and women with knowledge, skills, and procedures concerning business registration, taxation, preferential credit, and innovation; and facilitating access to preferential capital sources and innovation startup funds.

The City Women's Union organized a program to showcase the products of the Truong Phat Agricultural Service Cooperative in Nhon Trach Ward. Photo: Nga Son

Project 2415 also seeks to support women-owned business households in registering to convert into enterprises; support women-owned and women-managed enterprises and cooperatives in restructuring, consolidation, and organizational strengthening to improve their members' capacity; and provide support and guidance on digital transformation, green transformation, and sustainable business development.

According to Bui Thi Hanh, Vice Chairwoman of the City Women's Union, to further promote women's entrepreneurship and economic development, the City Women's Union will continue to lead and coordinate with relevant departments, sectors, and units in effectively implementing Project 2415. Priority will be given to raising public awareness, particularly among union members and women, of entrepreneurship and the role of the private sector in economic development, thereby fostering entrepreneurial aspirations, encouraging the spirit of business and legitimate wealth creation, and creating favorable conditions for women to establish and develop enterprises, cooperatives, cooperative groups, and women-owned business households.

The City Women's Union will also strengthen connections within the entrepreneurial ecosystem and propose policies and legislation to support women's entrepreneurship. At the same time, it will promote participation in sustainable business models, digital transformation, and green transformation while assisting women in accessing suitable capital sources, products, and financial services.

For women entrepreneurs, adapting to the new context is considered essential to making greater contributions to the city's development. Nguyen Thi Bich Le, Director of the Truong Phat Agricultural Service Cooperative in Nhon Trach Ward, said the cooperative will accelerate production restructuring by focusing on urban agriculture, high-tech agriculture, and clean, safe, and high-quality production. It will also develop OCOP (One Commune One Product) products, enhance brand value, meet market demand both within and outside the locality, apply digital transformation, gradually introduce products to e-commerce platforms, and strengthen cooperation and business linkages to expand consumption markets.

According to a report by the City People's Committee, Dong Nai has fulfilled and exceeded six targets under Project 939. Several targets significantly surpassed expectations, including support for women in business initiation and entrepreneurship, which reached nearly 852% of the target, and coordination and support for the establishment of new cooperatives and cooperative groups, which exceeded the target by more than 460%.

By Nga Son – Translated by Minh Hong, Minho