[5 July 2011] In Vietnam, SMEs are the main  generator of employment opportunities. The ILO Women Entreprise Development and Gender (WEDGE) project and its partners, and earlier the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have documented the situation  facing  women  entrepreneurs, with a particular emphasis on growth aspects such as financing; expansion of product base and markets; increase in employment,  and  improvements  in  employment  conditions;  progression  from  “informal”  to “formal” status; and growth from micro to small to medium size.  There is an expectation that the  support of  the  ILO  will  have  a  direct  and  positive  impact  on  creating  new enterprises and new jobs in both new and existing women-owned enterprises.

Implemented by a team of experts from Economica Vietnam and  the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLISA), the study follows the method elaborated in the mannual “Assessing  the  Enabling  Environment  for  Women  in  Growth  Enterprises:  An ILO  Integrated  Framework  Assessment  Guide”.  The study look into key  areas  of  the business environment in the country that merit further enquiry, as appropriate, in contributing to an enabling  environment  for  growth-oriented  women  entrepreneurs,  including  for  women  with disabilities and women  from  different  ethnic  origins.

The paper as the final product of the study aims at providing an insight on the issues faced by women entrerepreneuers in Vietnam, especially from the perspective of creating an enabling environment for women entrepreneurs in Vietnam. It is also expected that the study will provide inputs and suggestions for mainstreaming gender issues in the forthcoming policy or documents by the Government, e.g. the forthcoming 5 Year SME Development Plan between 2011 - 2016.