The training project “Startup Smart for Women” is implemented by the Vietnam Women’s Academy in collaboration with the US Center, the US Embassy in Vietnam, to mobilize all domestic and international capital sources to train and support women in starting businesses, aiming to enhance the role and power of women in the era of industrial revolution and implement Project 939 “Supporting women in starting businesses in the period 2017-2025” of the Prime Minister.

At the conference and fair, many impressive startup stories were shared by students. Typical stories from students about their startup journey and startup support have many valuable meanings.

There is the story of Ms. VI Thi Phuong, a Nung ethnic, Quang Son commune, Dong Hy district, Thai Nguyen province, whose achievement is a green tea hill grown in an organic way, helping her family’s products gain a brand and a foothold in the market.

There is also a story of Ms. NGUYEN Thi Hoai, Director of SAPO Production and Trading Company Limited, Khanh Hong commune, Yen Khanh district, Ninh Binh province – who proactively acquired knowledge from the training course to develop the Hong Hac fragrance brand, using Vetiver grass with a characteristic fragrance and essences that are good for health. Currently, the Company’s products have met the 4-star OCOP standard and are supported to participate in events displaying, promoting, and introducing products in Ninh Binh province and Hanoi city.

Ms. CAO Thi Thanh Mai – Director of Tinh Hoa Lang Huong Viet Company Limited (Ung Hoa, Hanoi) has a startup idea that comes from the meaning of incense, the scent goes deep into the subconscious of Vietnamese people, the incense stick is a connecting thread, expressing the gratitude of generations of each family, is a manifestation of a special spiritual beauty. Ms. CAO Thi Thanh Mai hopes that her incense production model will increasingly develop, bringing income to the people and maintaining the traditional craft village.

Or the story of improving business management skills and perfecting services of Ms. NGUYEN Thi Thu Thuy. With the choice of opening a wedding dress shop with the brand name VIVIAN at 74 Xa Dan, Hanoi, from a small shop, Ms. NGUYEN Thi Thu Thuy has now expanded to 3 shops in Dong Da and Cau Giay districts with a profit of 30-35%.

We can mention the story of HOANG Thi Tu Oanh – Family Essential Oil and Fragrance Joint Stock Company (Ha Dong, Hanoi) with a business line of products belonging to the personal and family care line of herbs and natural essential oils. She started her business because she herself often got sick, had used many types of medicine but the sickness still could not be cured. Hence, for a person with an allergic constitution that even affect the children, she directly researched and launched the product because her family had a background in traditional oriental medicine. Since launching the product, the product has been constantly improved to treat many diseases such as bone and joint diseases, rhinitis, sinusitis, etc. Some products have been exported to foreign markets. The purpose of producing this product is that Ms. Oanh also wants to support many people to limit the abuse of antibiotics, spread good products to many people, especially children because of the safety and benignity of the product. Not only that, because the product is made from herbs originating from agricultural products, it has supported farmers to have a sustainable income and jobs. Ms. Oanh hopes that her product line will be increasingly trusted by the domestic and international community, affirming the value and brand of products of Vietnamese enterprises owned by women.

Another example is the product of the Da Mai Clean Agricultural Products Cooperative (Bac Giang province). Ms. LUONG Thi Dien is the representative of the cooperative who has been attached to and initiated a business model with the support of the Women’s Union to maintain and develop the craft village of her hometown. Da Mai is a traditional craft village with key products such as fresh vermicelli, dried vermicelli, peanut candy, lam tea, gio cake… Ms. Dien wants to work with her hometown to communicate, distribute, expand the supply area, and improve the quality of local products. She hopes to have more opportunities to learn, connect and develop the cooperative’s products in terms of both production scale and brand reputation.

Ms. CAO Thi Thanh Mai – Director of Tinh Hoa Lang Huong Viet Company Limited (Ung Hoa, Hanoi) has a startup idea that comes from the meaning of incense, the scent goes deep into the subconscious of Vietnamese people, incense sticks are the connecting thread, expressing the gratitude of generations of each family, is a manifestation of a special spiritual beauty. Ms. Cao Thi Thanh Mai hopes that her incense production model will increasingly develop, bringing income to people and maintaining traditional craft villages.

The smart startup training course for women not only contributes to providing knowledge about starting a business but also inspires, enhances strength and determination for women to confidently start a business. Many women, mainly in rural, remote and isolated areas in the provinces and cities in the Northern region, are supported. Many ethnic minority women have improved their knowledge of entrepreneurship and business management skills, developed viable business ideas, and perfected the skills needed to succeed in the business environment. From the courses at the Academy, many students have successfully built and developed their own startup ideas, increased their family income, and created jobs for many local workers. I wish you all to increasingly develop smart, creative startup ideas and succeed with your passion.