HANOI, October 12, 2014 -- More than one hundred women entrepreneurs from throughout Vietnam gathered today at the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Forum 2014, supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to share successful business models and to discuss challenges and opportunities for women.

The forum, themed ‘Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Towards the Future’ and organized by the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) with support from USAID’s Governance for Inclusive Growth (GIG) program, also sought inputs and suggestions from the participants for the development of VWEC’s strategy towards 2020 to build a strong national organization that can effectively represent the voice of women entrepreneurs in policy advocacy and support its members in doing business.

“Women-led enterprises are playing a significant role in Vietnam’s socio-economic development. As the recent PCI 2013 survey showed, women own 21% of the 7,821 firms surveyed,” said USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Joakim Parker. “Through this forum, we are pleased to help strengthen VWEC’s strategic role in supporting broader participation of women in business to ensure Vietnam’s inclusive and sustainable economic growth,” he said.

Today’s event also marks the International Day of the Girl (October 11), Vietnam Entrepreneurs Day (October 13) and Vietnam Women’s Day (October 20), and).  Forum participants included Dr. Vu Tien Loc, Chairman and President of VCCI; Ms. Tanya Hiple, Senior Advisor for Women’s Entrepreneurship at the U.S. Department of State; Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, Chairwoman of VWEC and Chairwoman of ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network; and local and international experts representing the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), Vietnam’s Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM), the International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Women as well as nongovernmental organizations.

Driven by USAID’s assistance strategy for Vietnam for 2014-2018, the Governance for Inclusive Growth (GIG) program works with the Government of Vietnam, the business community and dynamic social organizations to enable growth and trade that benefits all citizens, supporting Vietnam’s continuing integration into the global economy, while strengthening accountability in governance.

For photos of the event, visit: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5eLP7X