Lang Son: Over 1,400 ethnic minority women receive support to start businesses.

With a flexible approach, the Lang Son Provincial Women's Union has effectively implemented the "Support for Women's Entrepreneurship Project giai đoạn 2017-2025". After 8 years, more than 1,400 ethnic minority women have been empowered to start businesses, creating many innovative economic models and contributing to the socio-economic development of the locality.

Since 2017, after the Prime Minister approved the "Support for Women's Entrepreneurship Project 2017-2025" (referred to as Project 939), the Lang Son Provincial Women's Union has proactively advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue a plan for implementation and directed its synchronized execution in each locality. Activities supporting women's entrepreneurship have been organized systematically, closely aligned with the practical realities and specific conditions of each area.

One of the highlights is supporting over 1,400 women in starting businesses, the majority of whom are ethnic minority women – those who face many limitations in terms of economic conditions, education, and market access. These women were not only inspired but also trained in entrepreneurial knowledge and skills through more than 40 training courses with nearly 2,000 participants.

Experts shared business strategy building skills at a training course to enhance entrepreneurial capacity for 52 women with startup ideas, organized by the Lang Son Provincial Women's Union in June 2024.

Thanks to this practical support, many ideas have been realized into concrete models. In eight years, the province has established 102 new cooperative groups and 31 cooperatives led by women, operating in various fields such as safe agricultural production, food processing, and community tourism. Many startup products have received OCOP 3-4 star certification, increasing their economic value and creating more jobs for local women workers.

The Provincial Women's Union also coordinated with relevant agencies to strengthen communication and introduce exemplary women entrepreneurs through thousands of news articles, videos, and clips. The Women's Entrepreneurship Day is held annually, becoming a creative platform that attracts 1,410 ideas/projects, including 168 ideas participating in competitions at the central and provincial levels.

Ms. Vuong Thi Thuong (on the right), representing the Lang Son Provincial Women's Union, won first prize at the 2023 "Women's Entrepreneurship - Promoting Local Resources" competition with her project "Developing the value chain of organic wind-dried ring-shaped persimmons, creating sustainable livelihoods for Tay-Nung ethnic women in the border region of Lang Son".

Notably, several products such as "Lua Vy Houttuynia Cordata Tea", "Tho Lang Herbal Pork", "Wind-dried Ring-shaped Persimmon" , etc., have won top awards and been well-received by consumers.

Besides communication and training activities, the Association also supports access to preferential loans, trade promotion, market development, and digital transformation. Nearly 6 billion VND has been disbursed to more than 50 women's projects through channels such as the National Employment Fund, the Social Policy Bank, and the Cooperative Development Support Fund…

Based on the practical results, the Lang Son Provincial Women's Union is continuing to propose extending and expanding the project, aiming to further promote the startup ecosystem for women in mountainous and highland areas – regions that still harbor many innovative ideas, resources, and aspirations for advancement.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/lang-son-hon-1400-phu-nu-dan-toc-thieu-so-duoc-tiep-suc-khoi-nghiep-20250724203138839.htm