Vietnam gives priority to enhancing opportunities for women: Vice President

The Vietnamese Party and State always give priority to ensuring gender equity and enhancing opportunities for women, particularly in creating corridors for women to access production resources and facilitating women’s engagement in business activities, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh has affirmed.

Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh speaks at the talkshow on business women. (Photo: vnexpress.net)
Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh speaks at the talkshow on business women. (Photo: vnexpress.net)

The official made the remark during a talkshow, entitled “Businesswomen and aspiration for a prosperous Vietnam”, which was held in Hanoi on May 2 under the framework of the ongoing 2019 Vietnam Private Economic Forum.

The State encourages businesswomen to connect together and support each other for co-development, while creating favourable conditions for them to participate in socio-political organisations, associations and business networks, Thinh said.

She stated that in Vietnam, women make up about 48% of the labour force in the business sector, with around 25% of executives and members of boards of directors being females. The country has already had the first self-made woman billionaire, namely Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, CEO of budget airline Vietjet Air.

According to the Vice President, Vietnam is extensively integrating into the region and the world with its participation in an array of new-generation free trade agreements (FTAs). Vietnamese businesses in general, and women’s enterprises in particular, are coping with greater challenges, especially fiercer competition, and will be impacted by the negative changes from the external market in a more direct, comprehensive and profound fashion.

In that context, Thinh asked female entrepreneurs and women’s enterprises to actively apply advanced science and technology, improve labour productivity and governance capabilities, strive to have more brands, products and services that meet international standards, and participate more extensively in the global value chain.

Businesswomen need to improve their awareness and understanding of international integration, constantly enhance competitiveness of goods and services, and gradually build brands at the national, regional and international levels, she said.

The official called on female entrepreneurs to uphold national pride, care for the material and spiritual lives of labourers and actively engage in social welfare and poverty reduction activities.

Tran Uyen Phuong, Deputy CEO of Tan Hiep Phat Beverage Group, shares ideas at the talkshow. (Photo: vnexpress.net)

At the seminar, delegates discussed the challenges and difficulties faced by women in the economy, and proposed recommendations to strengthen women’s role and position in the community of entrepreneurs.