Increasing income and gender equality for ethnic minority women

The Australian Embassy in Vietnam works with beneficiaries of a sub-project promoting business and leadership for women entrepreneurs.

The GREAT 2 Son La project is funded by the Australian Government on a non-refundable basis. The project implementation agreement was signed in April 2024. The project includes the following components: Developing a market system in the fields of agriculture and tourism; supporting strategies for 4 cross-cutting issues (Access to finance, digital transformation, enterprise development, women-led cooperatives, communication for behavior change); supporting policy development, completion and implementation. The plan is to develop and implement 13 sub-projects, with a total investment of about 250.8 billion VND, of which: Non-refundable ODA capital is over 236 billion VND; counterpart capital from the local budget is 14.5 billion VND.

To implement the project, the People's Committee of Son La province coordinated with the Australian Embassy in Vietnam to complete and sign an agreement to implement the GREAT 2 Son La Project. Son La province has established a Steering Committee and issued operating regulations; after arranging and streamlining the organizational structure in the political system of Son La province, the project has submitted adjustments to the project owner to the Department of Finance, perfecting the Steering Committee and the Project Management Board. The sponsor has approved the Project Implementation Manual; investment approval process.

Community tourism in Phu Mau village, Chieng Yen commune, Van Ho district, where the GREAT 2 Son La project is supporting.

To date, the project has had 8 proposals approved for implementation, reaching 61.5% and 5 proposals under construction, reaching 38.5%. Of which, the proposal "Developing the bamboo shoot industry in Son La province" was approved for implementation in the districts of Bac Yen, Muong La, Van Ho, Sop Cop, Quynh Nhai. The implementing partner is the Agricultural and Tourism Solutions Consulting Company Limited (CRED TAC). The 2024 - 2025 sub-project plan has 39 activities, of which 30/39 activities have been and are being implemented, reaching 77%; 9/29 activities have not been implemented, accounting for 23%.

Proposal “Technical support to enhance the inclusive digital transformation ecosystem for small and medium enterprises in Son La province”, the main partner is Kissstartup Joint Stock Company and the technical partner is Tay Bac University. The sub-project consists of 36 activities divided into many phases. As of the reporting date, 22/36 activities have been implemented, reaching 61.1%.

Ms. Ha Thi Khuyen, owner of a homestay in Phu Mau village, Chieng Yen commune, Van Ho district, shares her experience in introducing and promoting her business on social networking platforms.

Proposal “Improving the investment and business environment in Son La through enhancing competitiveness at the department, branch and district levels in the period of 2024 - 2027”, with the main partner being the Provincial Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center; the technical partner is the Economic Management Consulting Joint Stock Company. The sub-project is being implemented and has completed 7/18 activities, reaching 38.89%; 11/18 activities have not been implemented, accounting for 61.11%.

For the proposal “Technical support for the implementation of the production development support policy under the National Target Program in Son La province for the period 2024-2027”, the partner is currently in the stage of recruiting technical consultants. For the proposal “Developing vocational skills training services and job creation in the tourism industry in Son La”, the partner is in the stage of recruiting personnel and developing a detailed quarterly action plan.

In addition to welcoming domestic tourists, Ha Khuyen Homestay also welcomes and serves foreign tourists.

There are 5 sub-projects that are completing proposals, including: Digital integration in agriculture and tourism; developing Vietnamese ginseng in Son La; developing medicinal herbs in Son La; promoting and innovating supply chain management; and economics of changing behavior on gender equality.

The Australian Embassy delegation in Vietnam visited the honey bee farming model of Ms. Lo Thi Toan.

To ensure the set objectives, the GREAR Project Management Board continues to coordinate with the Project Management Consultant and partners to continue consulting, surveying, designing, building, and completing proposals for sub-projects to be implemented according to the components and ensuring the objectives of the project. At the same time, coordinate and urge partners and management consultants to support the acceleration of the proposal completion progress; hold investment meetings, submit for approval to the sponsor and the Provincial People's Committee so that the project can be implemented according to the roadmap and plan, contributing to increasing income and gender equality for women, especially ethnic minority women in remote areas.