The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vietnamese representative agencies abroad are ready to accompany and support small and medium enterprises.

On the morning of December 30, in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang attended and spoke at the Workshop with the theme "Enhancing the role of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises to effectively and substantially participate in the international market".

Bộ Ngoại giao, cơ quan đại diện Việt Nam ở nước ngoài sẵn sàng đồng hành, hỗ trợ doanh nghiệp vừa và nhỏ

Delegates attending the Workshop with the theme 'Enhancing the role of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad in supporting small and medium enterprises to effectively and substantially participate in the international market'. (Photo: Anh Son)

The workshop is a place for businesses, business associations, experts, ministries and sectors to exchange and share experiences and solutions to promote the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Also attending the workshop were Dr. To Hoai Nam, Permanent Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises; representatives of business associations; the Trade Promotion Agency, Ministry of Industry and Trade ; SME enterprises in the fields of seafood, agricultural products, textiles, etc.

The workshop is within the framework of the Ayeyawady - Chao Phraya - Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), the Project Management Board "Promoting the role of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad in supporting small and medium enterprises to recover and integrate into the international economy" organized by the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 3 cities: Ho Chi Minh City (December 26), Da Nang (December 28) and Hanoi (December 30).

Speaking at the event, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang emphasized that Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises play a particularly important role, contributing greatly to the country's socio-economic development.

SME enterprises account for 98% of the total number of enterprises nationwide and contribute about 30-35% of the state budget revenue, especially providing jobs for about 50% of the workforce.

These figures clarify the very important role of Vietnamese SMEs in the economy, especially as the country enters a new era.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 94 Vietnamese representative agencies abroad are well aware of their responsibility in promoting economic diplomacy and contributing to, supporting and accompanying the development of Vietnamese SMEs.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang speaks at the Workshop. (Photo: Anh Son)

Through the speeches of the delegates, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang expressed his appreciation for the enthusiasm and contributions, thereby helping the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representative agencies grasp the integration needs of associations and Vietnamese small and medium enterprises in the new development stage of the country.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that through the workshops in the three regions of the country, the parties clearly recognized the need to promote the establishment of a cooperation framework between associations, small and medium enterprises with foreign partners, thereby entering into specific cooperation frameworks.

With the shift in supply chains creating both opportunities and challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises, the Government and relevant agencies are promoting the increased participation of Vietnamese enterprises, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, in the value chains of large corporations, thereby creating opportunities for enterprises to participate more deeply in the global market.

The Deputy Minister also suggested that associations and small and medium-sized enterprises make the most of the benefits from the free trade agreements that Vietnam has signed; diversify markets, especially developing markets and potential markets such as the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, etc.; strengthen training, information sharing, and connectivity, etc.

The Deputy Minister affirmed that in the recent past, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the motto of taking people, localities and enterprises as the center of service, will continue to accompany and support associations and enterprises, including small and medium enterprises. The Deputy Minister requested that units within the Ministry and representative agencies continue to provide contact points to be ready to support enterprises, periodically exchange with enterprises to build specific cooperation programs in the coming time.

Overview of the Workshop. (Photo: Anh Son)

Also at the workshop, Dr. To Hoai Nam, Permanent Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (VINASME), said that small and medium enterprises not only play a key role in the domestic economy, but also contribute significantly to import and export activities, helping to strengthen Vietnam's position in the international market.

Dr. To Hoai Nam emphasized that in the context of the global economy undergoing many fluctuations, support from Vietnamese representative agencies abroad is becoming more urgent for the development of Vietnamese small and medium enterprises.

“The role of these agencies in connecting, promoting trade and supporting businesses to penetrate the global supply chain is the key to helping small and medium enterprises develop sustainably and affirm their position in the international market,” Mr. Nam emphasized.

Dr. To Hoai Nam, Permanent Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (VINASME) spoke at the Workshop. (Photo: Anh Son)

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, Director of the Project Management Board, Deputy Director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also hopes that today's event will be a valuable opportunity for businesses in the Northern region to directly exchange with Vietnamese representative agencies abroad as well as representatives of a number of ministries and branches. Thereby, the difficulties, obstacles and practical support needs of businesses in the process of accessing international markets will be clearly reflected.

At the workshop, delegates participated in two discussion sessions. Session 1 was on SME enterprises’ participation in international economic integration, session 2 was on improving the effectiveness of supporting enterprises of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad.

In particular, delegates participated in lively discussions, pointing out opportunities and challenges for SMEs in accessing and exploiting foreign markets as well as measures to support businesses from Vietnamese representative agencies abroad.

Some photos at the Workshop (Photo: Anh Son):

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, Director of Project Management Board, Deputy Director of Multilateral Economic Cooperation Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke at the Workshop.