Hanoi women embrace business startups with regional specialties

To promote and showcase distinct (OCOP) items and specialties produced by Hanoi women, the Hanoi Centre for Vocational Education and Support for Women’s Development, in collaboration with Ha Dong District Women's Union launched a communicative programme for innovative startups and promotion of One Commune, One Product items and regional specialities by Hanoi women on November 22.

Photo: baodautu.vn

This event featured 64 booths and took place from November 22-24 in Duong Noi ward in Hanoi’s Ha Dong district.

The event brought together hundreds of products, ranging from regional agricultural specialities to traditional handicrafts. All products on display met strict quality and origin standards, ensuring consumer confidence and satisfaction.

With its large scale, the programme not only served as an opportunity to showcase OCOP items and regional specialities but also allowed women to affirm their roles in production and business, creating distinctive marks in the capital city’s economy.

According to Pham Thi My Hoa, vice chairwoman of Hanoi Women's Union, women account for a significant proportion of the workforce across many sectors of the economy.

Statistics show that women manage 26.7 per cent of businesses and 67 per cent of trading households in the city. They not only participate in production but also play a vital role in shaping consumer behaviour, building brands, and developing markets.

To support women in economic development, the city’s management authorities and Hanoi Women's Union have come up with diverse practical programmes. A highlight among them is the scheme that supports Hanoi’s women to embrace business startups, approved by the Hanoi People's Committee in 2018.

This project encourages entrepreneurship while providing women with access to resources, enhancing their production and business capabilities.

Pham Thi My Hoa, vice chairwoman of Hanoi Women's Union giving remarks. Photo: baodautu.vn

Hoa emphasised that the promotion scheme is part of a series of activities supporting women. It provides businesses, co-operatives and production facilities an opportunity to showcase their products directly to the consumers while promoting the ‘Vietnamese people prioritise using Vietnamese products’ movement.

Like-minded Nguyen Thi Hao, director of Hanoi Centre for Vocational Education and Support for Women’s Development and head of Hanoi Women Entrepreneurs Club, noted that in the era of Industry 4.0, women increasingly demonstrate their creativity and ability to meet ever-growing market demands.

Their products are not only of high quality, but also have nice designs and diverse distribution channels, allowing more effective customer engagement.

With the strong participation of booths, the initiative created a wide space for connection between producers and consumers.

To date, there are 237 Hanoi’s women with 324 products certified under OCOP standards. Additionally, 275 women-owned businesses have received support to develop their brands, leaving a mark on both domestic and international markets.

These figures highlight Hanoi Women's Union's compelling efforts to enhance the role of women while fostering the sustainable growth of women-led businesses.

In the past six years, Hanoi Women's Union's support activities have included provision of unsecured loans surpassing $330 million to support technological innovation, promoting digital transformation end e-commerce development.

These initiatives not only help women build their brands but also expand their market reach and boost product value.

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