Inspiring startup ideas | Gia Lai Electronic Newspaper

The semi-final ideas of the regional competition include: “Building and developing a clean medicinal material area and producing instant herbal tea products in the Kon Ha Nung plateau” by Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Trang (Tan Phong village, Tan An commune, Dak Po district); “Jrai community cultural tourism village in Ia Mo Nong commune, Chu Pah district, Gia Lai province” by Ms. H'Uyen Nie (Ia Lok village, Ia Mo Nong commune, Chu Pah district); “Traditional hand-woven brocade” by female artisan Pel (Phung village, Bien Ho commune, Pleiku city); “Buying and selling brocade products - beer opener bags” by Ms. Ro Mah Vol (Ghe village, Ia Dok commune, Duc Co district).

Female biotechnology engineer Nguyen Thi Thu Trang participated in the national women's startup playground for the first time with herbal tea products prepared by her and a team of biotechnology pharmacists and experienced, skilled farmers.

Graduated with a degree in biotechnology from Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry and continued to study for a master's degree in Biology from the University of Natural Sciences (Ho Chi Minh City), Ms. Trang once participated in the project to conserve and develop medicinal plants in mountainous areas of the provinces: Quang Nam , Gia Lai, Kon Tum. She said: "If local products are invested in technology and innovation, little-known medicinal plants with little commercial value can bring great economic value. Kon Ha Nung Plateau is a treasure trove of precious medicinal plants, with great economic value if exploited and preserved in the right direction. The process of participating in the project to conserve medicinal plants has made me more aware of this great potential in my homeland." In 2017, Ms. Trang established Li La Herbal Company Limited. The company name is an abbreviation of the two words ginseng and lingzhi mushroom, one is exploited from natural resources (lingzhi mushroom), one is grown under the forest canopy (ginseng).

Along with the natural medicinal resources exploited from Kon Ha Nung World Biosphere Reserve, the 9X female engineer also has the aspiration to build and develop a clean medicinal area under the forest canopy. Ms. Trang shared: “Currently, the Company only creates jobs for 5-6 workers. The supported start-up project will have a certain impact on the socio -economic and environmental development of the locality. If the scale is expanded, especially the medicinal plant growing area, the project will create jobs for more workers, especially female workers.”

Startup projects from cultural heritage are also highly appreciated for their relevance to the contest theme and social impact. Artisan Pel is known as the "fire-bearer" of the brocade weaving profession of the Jrai people in Bien Ho commune. The Weaving Club, which she is the head of, currently has nearly 30 members who are women skilled in weaving. The showroom of weaving products right in her family's living space is very lively for people and tourists to learn and explore the traditional profession. In early 2023, President of the Vietnam Women's Union Ha Thi Nga visited and highly appreciated the Club's form of operation, saying that this is a model with a lot of room to exploit economic values, develop tourism, and create jobs for female workers.

Ms. Pel shared that the visit of the President of the Vietnam Women's Union inspired her to confidently develop the idea of participating in the women's startup competition. "I believe that the project will promote the preservation and development of traditional weaving, creating sustainable livelihoods for women. It is also a condition for me and my sisters to restore the dyeing technique from natural, locally available materials such as: leaf moth, bark of the Indian laurel tree, snail shell, turmeric... while creating new values. My idea also aims to teach and pass on the profession to the younger generation and the weaving exhibition house will become a destination in community tourism tours," Ms. Pel said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Ro Mah Vol's project is a strong inspiration because she herself is a woman with a physical disability. Although her legs are disabled, she has talented hands. Not only is she good at traditional weaving, she also "invades" the field of handicraft weaving. Along with traditional materials, she uses recycled materials to create new products. She is one of the first people in the commune to initiate a movement to make handicrafts from recycled materials, contributing to environmental protection. The movement was later responded to by many women in the villages, considering it a side job that both increases income and preserves traditional crafts. "Each basket or handbag I make is sold for 200,000 VND to 1 million VND. For brocade products, I weave, cut, and sew the fabric myself according to customers' requests," said Ms. Vol. With a stable income, Ms. Vol is able to take care of her elderly parents over 80 years old and maintain vocational training activities for disabled women in the area.

The model of developing community tourism from indigenous culture contributes to preserving heritage, consuming agricultural products, and increasing income for local people from the service sector of Ms. H'Uyen Nie, which previously won first prize at the 2022 provincial women's startup competition. This is also a project that was highly appreciated by the Organizing Committee when it was submitted to the national competition. Ms. Vu Thi Bich Ngoc - Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union - said: "Among the 76 projects/ideas sent by women from all over the province, the Organizing Committee has selected 6 qualified projects to submit to the regional competition and 4 projects to continue to the next round. These are all feasible projects and very much in line with this year's theme of "promoting local resources" launched by the Central Union. The owners of the ideas/projects that entered the regional competition will be trained in Quang Binh in mid-June. The Central Union of Vietnam Women's Union invites experts to guide women in the skills of completing start-up projects, presentation skills, and defending projects/ideas in higher rounds of competition."