- In Vietnam, over 200 businesses led by women went through training in e-commerce, logistics, and international payments procedures
- 32 selected businesses received assistance to set up online stores on Alibaba.com for cross-border trade
Over 200 women-owned businesses in Vietnam have received training to strengthen their skills in e-commerce, logistics and international payments methods.
In addition, 32 selected businesses were supported to set up an online shop on Alibaba.com, thereby setting up their business for cross-border trading.
The updates were presented at a workshop assessing the project, "Promote Exports to EU Markets through E-Commerce for Women-owned Businesses in Vietnam" that took place in Hanoi on November 10th.
The workshop was conducted by the Vietrade, SheTrades Hub of the International Trade Centre (ITC), and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam.
At the workshop, Hoang Minh Chien, Deputy Director of Vietrade, stated that for a long time, Vietrade worked closely with the SheTrades initiative from the ITC on the inclusive trade agenda, women's entrepreneurs and the involvement of SMEs into the digitalized economy.
This project is funded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency - RVO and its Embassy, to support women-owned businesses from November 2024 to attempt to enter the European export market through the cross-border e-commerce platforms, Alibaba.com.
Mr. Chien stressed the critical importance of scaling international trade through digital transformation and e-commerce. He noted that women-owned SMEs now have greater capacity to operate truly globally in a sustainable way.
"It was wonderful to see women entrepreneurs from Vinh Long, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Bac Ninh, and Thai Nguyen using digital to engage in Vietnam's competitive e-commerce market."
While the project has concluded, Hoang noted that the work will continue around digital and capacity building for women entrepreneurs.
Vietrade will continue to partner with RVO, the Dutch Embassy, ITC SheTrades and other partners for more training, networking and export marketing programs focusing on higher potential sectors for women-owned SMEs in Europe: agriculture, processed foods and consumer goods artisan handwork.
Muriel Tombrink, Project Manager, ITC SheTrades, explained that the goal of the project was to enhance the capabilities, knowledge and confidence of Vietnamese women entrepreneurs to become more engaged in cross-border e-commerce, while also creating a more inclusive and sustainable digital trade ecosystem that fosters women's leadership.
