Lang Son’s women confident in starting up businesses

In recent years, Lang Son’s women have increasingly affirmed their role and position in many fields, including in opening a company. The women’s start-up movement has developed and spread to all levels of the women’s union, with many examples winning many awards at all levels.

Delegates visit the women’s booth at the Provincial Women’s Start-up Day 2023

The women’s start-up movement originated from the implementation of the Project “Supporting women’s startups in the period 2017 – 2025” approved by the Government in Decision 939 dated June 30, 2017 (Project 939). Implementing the Prime Minister’s Decision, the Provincial People’s Committee issued Plan No. 157 dated September 12, 2017 on “Supporting women in Lang Son province to start businesses in the period 2017 – 2025”.

Spreading the startup movement

Currently, women’s union members in the province are familiar with the movement of women starting businesses. Many women are confident to develop their family’s production and business models and send it to startup competitions from district to central level.

With the idea “Service business model at Goc Da Homestay”, Ms. Hoang Thi Ha, a member of the Women’s Union of Doan Ket village, Huu Lien commune, Huu Lung district, won the excellent idea award at the Provincial Women’s Startup Day in 2023. Ms. Ha said: “Previously, hearing about women starting businesses, I found this really difficult. But after receiving enough information and support from the women’s unions at all levels, I sent my family’s own business model to participate in the competition. After the contest, I have gained a lot of valuable experience and it was also an opportunity for me to introduce the model to many people. Goc Da homestay model has been carried out by my family since 2022 with the desire to develop community tourism including harvesting agricultural products and selling traditional products of the people such as embroidery and wickerwork. On average each year, the homestay welcomes nearly 2,000 visitors, with a revenue of about 300 million VND.”

From 2017 up to now, the Provincial Women’s Union (WU) has maintained organized the annual Provincial Women’s Startup Day, with presentation activities to introduce about ideas, projects and product display… The quantity and quality of ideas and projects of the following years are always higher than those of the previous year. Ideas and projects are in many fields, mainly related to production, business and processing of indigenous products. Many women members have also built ideas and start-up plans based on their local strengths and the ability to meet market needs… From 2017 up to now, the whole province has recorded over 1,200 start-up ideas from women in various fields participating in start-up competitions at all levels, over 200 ideas of them participating in competitions at central and provincial levels.

Ms. Nong Thanh Hai, Chairwoman of the Provincial Women’s Union, said: “In order for the women’s business movement to widely spread, we have directed all levels of the WU to introduce about Project 939,the guidelines, policies and laws of Party and State on start-up, business development, the position and role of women in economic development for female officials and WU members in many forms such as forums, competitions, Women’s Start-up Day, praising and honoring typical examples, startup ideas and projects that win awards at competitions; posts  on websites, mass media, social networks… Additionally, we increase the organization of courses on business start-up, scientific and technical training, various support and companion activities to improve quality or bring ideas and projects into reality.”

Ms. Vuong Thi Thuong, Director of Toan Thuong Produce Cooperative, Na Sam town, Van Lang district checks the quality of wind-hanging persimmons

Winning at competitions

Not only spreading the women’s start-up movement in the province, in the last 3 years, Lang Son’s women have won prizes at women’s start-up competitions at the Northern regional level and central level with 9 ideas. Typically, the project “Producing Lua Vy fish mint tea” by Ms. Vy Thi Lua, Director of Lua Vy Agricultural Product Processing Cooperative, Quan Son commune, Chi Lang district won the award “Improving OCOP products”, the highest prize at the 2021 Women’s Start-up Contest organized by the Vietnam Women’s Union; Project “Developing the value chain of organic wind-hanging Vanh Khuyen persimmons to create jobs and sustainable livelihoods for Tay and Nung ethnic women in the Xu Lang border area” by Ms. Vuong Thi Thuong, Director of Toan Thuong Agricultural Product Cooperative, Na Sam town, Van Lang district won first prize in the 2023 Women’s Startup Contest organized by the Vietnam Women’s Union; Project “Building a value chain of star anise and medicinal herbs under the canopy of star anise forest from local resources, associated with livelihoods for ethnic minority women in Tan Van commune, Binh Gia district, Lang Son province” of Ms. Hoang Bich Ngoc, Director of the Women’s Agriculture and Forestry Cooperative in Na Pai village, Tan Van commune, Binh Gia district, won second prize in the contest “When women lead” broadcast on VTV3 channel…

Ms. Hoang Bich Ngoc, Director of the Women’s Agriculture and Forestry Cooperative in Na Pai village, Tan Van commune, Binh Gia district, said: “reality shows help me to overcome the psychological barriers of ethnic minority women living in difficult socio-economic development conditions, which I found most meaningful to me. In the “When women lead” contest, I did many things for the first time such as presenting in front of a crowd, filming product introduction videos to attract target customers, managing risks when doing business online…. After the competition, I received support and investment from businesses, especially the investment in an oil press, which is one of the favorable conditions for me to continue developing my project.”

Returning from the 2023 Women’s Startup Contest with the theme “Women promote local resources” organized by the Vietnam Women’s Union, Ms. Vuong Thi Thuong, Director of Toan Thuong Agricultural Product Cooperative, Na Sam town, Van Lang district is still feels happy while sharing: “Passing the qualifying round, overcoming hundreds of ideas and projects from provinces and cities nationwide, I was honored to reach the final round and win the highest prize. At the competition, I learned many directions for building and developing projects for my province, I met leading experts in economic development. The competition opened up many new directions for me to develop the model. After the competition, I received many invitations from distributors and investors. While the model  in 2022 brought about 3 billion VND, that in the first 9 months of 2023 has reached 5 billion VND. I will develop the model in the direction of agricultural experience tourism with the aim of further introducing about Lang Son’s wind hanging persimmon. Currently, wind-hanging persimmons can only be preserved for about 1 month. In the coming time, I will cooperate with the Institute of Agricultural Electromechanics and Post-harvest Technology under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to research for longer persimmon preservation, ensuring export to a number of markets in Southeast Asia.”

The above results clearly demonstrate the development and confidence of award-winning members in particular and women in Lang Son province in general in the start-up movement. To achieve that result, women’s unions at all levels in the province have proactively implemented the women’s start-up movement from the beginning of the year, providing information and seeking for new, creative and effective ideas with high feasibility which are typical to participate in central-level competitions in accordance with the theme and criteria of each year set by the Vietnam Women’s Union. After passing the provincial competition round, the Provincial and District Women’s Unions accompany and support the authors to complete their ideas and projects and help them with presentation skills. From 2017 up to now, the Provincial Women’s Union has coordinated to organize over 30 training courses to improve the capacity of more than 1,200 WU officials and members with start-up ideas, projects and management of cooperatives and cooperation groups owned by women. Additionally, in order to support women in economic development and realize their business start-up ideas, from 2017  to now, WUs at all levels have connected preferential credit programs to provide financial support for women starting businesses with a total capital of over 3.7 billion VND…

Reality shows that the women’s start-up movement of the province is increasingly professional and highly effective. The stories of Ms. Lua, Ms. Ngoc, and Ms. Thuong have been inspiring WU members across the province in the start-up movement. Every Lang Son’s woman is becoming more and more confident, overcoming difficulties, claiming her position in all areas of social life.