SIMPLE DECOR JSC WON THE FIRST PRIZE AWARD OF “WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS PLANNING FOR SUCCESS” COMPETITION

On November 25, The Award Gala thrown in four different locations: Hanoi, Haiphong, and Ho Chi Minh city concluded the competition “Women entrepreneurs planning for success”

The event was hosted by Mr. Do Hai Thang, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Ms. Elsbeth Akkerman, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Vietnam, and Mr. Alexander Koch, chairman of the Dutch Business Association in Vietnam.

Funded by the Netherlands government and implemented by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) in cooperation with the Netherlands Embassy in Vietnam, the competition is among the activities of the project “Enhancing the capacity for women entrepreneurs to own in the digital economy” (e-SWB Vietnam).

For the duration of the competition, training sessions based on the framework of e-SWB Vietnam were initiated with over 600 participants who are all women entrepreneurs. After the training sessions, 60 business plans were submitted to be judged.

The prize pool of the competition includes 30 consolation prizes, 1 third place, 1 second place, and 1 first place. The participating businesses had to go through a total of three rounds to compete for the prizes.

Mr. Vu Ba Phu, Director of Vietrade, stressed the significant value of the competition and e-SWB Vietnam’s project in enhancing the capacity of women entrepreneurs in Vietnam, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to the pandemic, The Award Gala was hosted in 3 different locations with a livestream to connect the 250 guests.

The competition’s first place went to Mrs. Tran Thi Huyen, the CEO of Simple Decor on creating a sustainable ecosystem of handicraft products supported capitalizing on digital transformation. The remaining prizes were awarded to businesses with outstanding ideas in the field.

In his ceremonial speech, Deputy Minister Do Thang Hai emphasized the crucial role of women in general and female business leaders in the development of socioeconomic. The program has offered assistance for numerous women-lead businesses in the dire times of the pandemic. The initiative has become an inspiration for entrepreneurs and startups alike.

On another note, Ambassador Akkerman highlighted the contribution of gender equality in trade and investment in creating jobs, economic growth and developing sustainability. She was quoted saying: “Women are half of the world’s population and should therefore be equally represented in the business world. But that is however not the case… yet. We should all be aware of that. And we should all do everything we can to change that.”

As part of the event, the guests also witnessed the signing ceremony of an MoU establishing the Vietnam branch of Shetrades. The signing took place between Pamela Coke-Hamilton, executive director of the International Trade Center (ITC) signing from Geneva, and Vietrade director Mr. Phu signing from Hanoi. This branch office in Vietnam is forecasted to play a pivotal role in supporting Vietnamese businesswomen to startup and grow their businesses.

Join us on The Green Path Forward