Empowering women in digital economy

Digital transformation is rapidly changing production methods, business operations, and market access. Supporting women in improving their digital literacy and gaining access to capital, science and technology, startup knowledge, business skills, and e-commerce is essential to helping them confidently adapt to the digital age.

Women's startup products are displayed at an event organized by the Dong Nai Women's Union.

The Dong Nai Women's Union recently held a seminar to seek solutions and new approaches to further promote the association's role in supporting women's economic development in the digital age.

Supporting women in economic development

Speaking at the seminar, Le Thi Thanh Loan, Member of the Dong Nai City Party Committee, Vice Chairwoman of the City Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, and Chairwoman of the Dong Nai Women's Union, said the Dong Nai Women's Union has always identified accompanying and supporting women in economic development and innovative startups as not only a key task of the association's work but also an important political task that directly contributes to the locality's overall socio-economic development.

Le Thi Thanh Loan, Member of the Dong Nai City Party Committee, Vice Chairwoman of the City Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, and Chairwoman of the Dong Nai Women's Union, hopes that women in Dong Nai will not only adapt to the changes of the era but also proactively create new value, making increasingly practical contributions to the city's sustainable development.

In implementing Project 939 on Supporting Women's Startups for the 2017-2025 period and, currently, Project 2415 on Supporting Women's Startups for the 2026-2035 period, associations at all levels in the city have supported more than 6,300 women in starting businesses and startups; established 224 new cooperatives and cooperative groups; and provided consultations to support the establishment of more than 2,000 women-owned enterprises. The associations have also organized more than 800 training sessions to enhance the capacity of over 50,000 female members; established 174 points for introducing and selling products; and supported more than 110 women's products in meeting One Commune, One Product (OCOP) standards. Notably, the Women's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition, held annually by the Provincial Women's Union, now the City Women's Union, has attracted more than 540 startup ideas and projects from women.

Le Thi Thanh Tam, who holds a master's degree and serves as a lecturer at the Vietnam Women’s Academy's branch in Ho Chi Minh City, noted that the association has made considerable efforts in recent years to support women in economic development, but resources allocated to these activities remain limited. The association's staff often handle responsibilities across multiple fields concurrently, while supporting women in entrepreneurship, innovation, and digital transformation requires specialized knowledge that must be regularly updated.

Furthermore, current models for supporting women mainly focus on training, advocacy, and business startup support. Meanwhile, in-depth programs for technology development, product commercialization, investment connections, market expansion, and enterprise internationalization remain scarce. Coordination among state management agencies, associations, training institutions, research institutes, businesses, and investment funds is not yet truly close and synchronized. Another challenge is the relatively large digital gap among different groups of women.

These limitations and challenges highlight the need to strengthen the association's role in building an ecosystem that creates a favorable environment for women to develop economically, pursue innovative entrepreneurship, and participate effectively in the digital economy.

Creating a digital ecosystem

Dong Nai is entering a new phase of development that requires rapid, green, and sustainable growth. Supporting women in economic development today calls for a more comprehensive approach, from providing capital, knowledge, and management skills to building an innovative startup ecosystem and connecting markets through digital platforms.

Le Thi Thanh Tam said that to support women in economic development in the digital age, associations at all levels need to make a strong shift from providing individual support to building an ecosystem. The association needs to focus on enhancing women's digital capacity for different target groups, from basic digital skills to the application of artificial intelligence (AI), e-commerce, digital marketing, brand building, and business management on digital platforms. Training needs to be closely aligned with practical needs, helping women not only use technology but also turn it into a tool to improve productivity and product quality and expand markets.

Another important direction is to build a digital ecosystem for women, gradually developing a database of women entrepreneurs, a network of experts and online mentors, a repository of learning materials, and channels connecting women with capital, technology, and markets, thereby expanding their access to support services. Support activities need to shift from providing input resources to accompanying women throughout the entire process. This is the foundation for strengthening women's autonomy, adaptability, and competitiveness, while further promoting the association's role in economic development linked to science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation.

Representing women entrepreneurs, Pham Thi Trang, Director of Me Ro Clean Food Co., Ltd. in Binh Tan Commune, shared her experience in applying science and technology, digital transformation, and e-commerce to business development. Based on her experience, Pham Thi Trang stressed the importance of building credibility and a strong personal and corporate presence in cyberspace, while continuously learning, staying up to date, and adapting to avoid being left behind as social media platforms, e-commerce sites, and AI tools continue to evolve.

Technology helps businesses reach clients, but for customers to maintain their trust and remain long-term partners, products must be truly high-quality. This is the core value she has pursued throughout her startup journey. Thanks to this approach, Me Ro Clean Food has gradually gained a foothold in the market. Currently, Me Ro Clean Food Co., Ltd. handles an average of 2,500 orders per day, provides stable employment for about 50 workers, and records an average revenue of VND 500 million per day.

Thus, supporting women in economic development is not only about creating jobs and income but also about providing women with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to adapt to social changes. Therefore, it is necessary to continue building an environment and creating conditions for women to learn, apply technology, and participate more deeply in the digital economy.

By Nga Son – Translated by Minh Hong, Minho