Vietnamese women leaders connect the dots

26.5 per cent of businesses in Vietnam are owned by women

“When foreign-invested companies come to Vietnam, they prefer Vietnamese women for CEOs, not only in the technology industry but everywhere. They said Vietnamese women are resilient, warm, and committed,” Tieu Yen Trinh, CEO of Talentnet, said at the Empower Program’s launching day.

As the world of work is changing, women increasingly meet the demands of their jobs. Trinh said that the top 10 skills that people need for the working environment have changed a lot since the past. She said 60 per cent of the work is not EQ, relationship building, problem-solving, and people engagement.

If men tend to be ambitious and strong, always doing things with big views or visions, women have talent and competitive advantages in focusing on humans.

“I have had many chances to work with female CEOs. They focus a lot on the environment, bringing values and benefits for customers and the community. That is one of the competitive advantages for women to engage the community to run their own businesses,” Trinh added.

According to the latest Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs 2020 (MIWE), 26.5 per cent of businesses in Vietnam are owned by women, ranking ninth out of 58 economies studied.

Additionally, the country stayed in the top 10 at ninth in Women’s Advancement Outcomes that evaluate both drivers and deterrents of women’s advancement in four indicators of Women Business Leaders, Women Professionals & Technical Workers, Women Entrepreneurial Activity Rate, and Women Labour Force Participation.

However, MIWE 2020 also revealed that Vietnam needs to do a great deal to support women entrepreneurs when the country was ranked 44th in Supporting Entrepreneurial Conditions.

To support women leaders to succeed in business, Trinh said that the most important thing for women to start is building a clear strategy. "It could account for 20 per cent of their success. Women face plenty of problems all the time, but if they plan well, things can go smoother," she advised.

Chau Dang, CEO of Topica Native, stated that the most important thing for women leaders is to take care of themselves. “If you sacrifice yourself just to take care of family and other people without taking care of yourself, how will you survive to help them?” she asked.

However, it is easier for women in big cities to chase their careers than women in the highlands or remote areas with poor conditions.

Quynh Anh, CEO of Giga 1, commented, “While women are generally hard-working, disciplined, and intelligent, and are very careful – which are all good qualities to start a business –, they need more support from their family as well as from society, especially the startup society.”

The Empower Program was launched by Zone Startups Vietnam, in partnership with Sunwah Innovations & Swiss EP. The programme includes a 4-week free one-on-one accelerator programme that works with early-stage female tech entrepreneurs. It covers topics such as product development, marketing and communications, operations, leadership, and fundraising.