Empowering women in digital economy development, green economy, digital transformation and entrepreneurship

That was the theme of the workshop organized by the Union of Friendship Organizations of Can Tho City in collaboration with the Center for Women's Development in the Mekong Delta and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF/Germany). The workshop provided many suggestions and inspiration for young workers, especially women, about starting a business. In the context of digital and green economic development, enhancing women's power in economic development is of interest to many women because it is an objective trend of the development process associated with the goal of gender equality.

Start-up efforts

Choosing the path of producing and trading medicinal products, aiming at the health of consumers, in 2017, pharmacist Doan Thi Hong Tham decided to start a business, establishing Hygie & Panacee LLC. Hygie and Panacee are the names of two daughters of the ancient Greek God of Health (Asclepius), specializing in growing and processing medicines to care for people's health. Ms. Tham's goal is to exploit and enhance the medicinal value of agricultural products, creating products that are beneficial to human health. Different from tea made with water and discarded residue, medicinal tea is processed in the form of soluble powder, concentrated active ingredients, and dissolves quickly in warm water when used. Since 2019, the company has launched medicinal teas: ginger lemongrass tea, lotus heart passion flower tea, purple stewed vegetable tea, fish mint tea, chrysanthemum tea... Ms. Tham is interested in promoting products on domestic and international e-commerce platforms; social networking platforms... are well received and supported by customers. Currently, her herbal tea production facility is operating stably, the production line meets ISO 22000:2018 standards (food safety certification according to international standards).

Exhibition of OCOP products and startups of female-owned enterprises and cooperatives at the workshop "Enhancing women's power in developing digital economy , green economy, digital transformation and business startups".

Ms. Chau Ngoc Dieu is a Khmer woman in An Giang province. She successfully started a business producing palm honey products under the brand name Palmania. Ms. Dieu shared: “Palmania has two product lines: 100% pure organic and natural. With the dream of enhancing the value of homegrown products, Palmania invests in technology to produce delicious palm honey jars, with eye-catching packaging and to retain the nutritional value of the gift of nature”. Currently, the products are sold at safe food stores, clean food stores, large supermarkets in many provinces and cities and e-commerce platforms. In particular, this specialty has also been exported to demanding markets in Europe and won many international awards.

In recent times, women across the country in general and Can Tho City in particular have promoted their role in economic development. Many production and business models have brought about efficiency, both enriching themselves and creating jobs for local workers. Typical examples include the start-up model from rattan and bamboo of Ms. Truong Thi Bach Thuy, Head Representative of Thuy Tuyet Rattan and Bamboo Cooperative; Ms. Lu Thi Nhat Hang, Director of Ngu Thuong Mekong Cooperative for circular economic agricultural production... Many models of women starting up and being entrepreneurs have actively and effectively participated in the implementation of the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) program.

Supporting women's economic empowerment

At the workshop “Enhancing women’s power in developing digital economy, green economy, digital transformation and business start-up”, Ms. Le Thuy Ngoc Lan, Vice President of the Union of Friendship Organizations of Can Tho City, commented: “In the cause of innovation, integration and sustainable development of the country, Vietnamese women are always an important force, making great contributions in all fields. Especially, in the context of the fourth industrial revolution, along with the trend of developing green economy and digital economy, the role of women is increasingly affirmed. Many women participate in the process of starting businesses, innovating, developing sustainable and environmentally friendly business models, applying digital technology to improve production and business efficiency”.

However, according to experts, the 4.0 revolution opens up many new job opportunities but also brings many challenges for female workers. Women still face many barriers and limitations in accessing capital, technology, market information; lack of management skills; social prejudices still exist... Master Ngo Thi Tuyet Em, Director of the Center for Women's Development in the Mekong Delta, said: "Despite many support programs and policies, women in the Mekong Delta still face difficulties in accessing stable jobs and have inadequate income. The rate of female workers receiving vocational training in the Mekong Delta is the lowest in the country, about 13.2%, while the national average is 20%. Many women still lack the skills to be self-employed, change careers, and lack soft skills, making it difficult to meet the needs of the labor market: services, industry, logistics...".

Dr. Cao Minh Tuan, School of Economics, Can Tho University, said: “International studies show that women often have lower levels of access to the internet and technology than men, especially in developing countries. The UN Development Coordination Office (2025) report also shows that women in rural areas and ethnic minorities face more difficulties in accessing digital skills, technology equipment and online business opportunities… Dr. Cao Minh Tuan believes that digital transformation is becoming a national strategy, so fully exploiting the potential of the female workforce should be considered one of the strategic priority policies.

At the workshop, many opinions said that the Party and State need to establish comprehensive, synchronous, multi-dimensional programs and policies to contribute to solving difficulties and challenges to increase employment opportunities for women; continue to build gender equality support programs and professional training for female workers and female leaders to ensure that they participate and benefit from the development of the digital economy in a fair and sustainable manner. In addition, there should be preferential capital support policies for businesses with a high proportion of women; organize digital transformation training programs specifically for rural women; form a network of green and circular agricultural enterprises, create a space for connection between production - consumption - market... Along with that, the issue is that women must maintain their faith, determination and creativity, boldly pioneer in innovation and sustainable development.

Article and photos: KIEN QUOC

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/nang-cao-quyen-nang-cua-phu-nu-trong-phat-trien-kinh-te-so-kinh-te-xanh-chuyen-doi-so-va-khoi-su-d-a190378.html