[26 April 2020]  — In Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, the lack of awareness and limited availability of information on how to enter and tap into markets within and outside of the region continue to be among the core challenges faced by SMEs. Not knowing international requirements and standards often prevents SMEs from linking up with regional or global value chains, thus hampering their growth and expansion.

Improving access to relevant information and networks, along with targeted capacity building programmes aims for internationalization, can therefore play a critical role in enhancing their market access, both from a regional as well as an international perspective.

The Strengthening Regional Structures for Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion in ASEAN (ASEAN SME) is a regional project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat. The ASEAN SME project aims to improve Information and promotion services for SME within the framework of the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development 2025.

Economica Vietnam was entrusted to support the project in implementing a survey on information needs of SME in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. The work includeds designing the tool set (paper-based and online questionnaire and templates for data collection) and analysing the collected data for the surveys on the needs of SMEs for information. The survey cover four countries which are Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) in order to identify the needs of SMEs on information that necessary for their growth and expansion internationally.

The result of the survey in each country will later be used as inputs for the design or improvement of the national SME support portal in the country accordingly.