Economic empowerment for ethnic minority women

Elevating the status of highland women

Viet Nam and Australia share a strong commitment to promoting gender equality and inclusion as a key driver for national development. The Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT) Program, with a budget of 67.4 million AUD for the 2017-2027 period, is not only an example of development cooperation but also a typical model for reducing information poverty for ethnic minority communities.

Through the partnership between the Government of Australia and the People's Committees of Lao Cai and Son La provinces, GREAT aims to enhance the economic capacity, information access skills, and the ability of highland women to participate equally in information flows.

Implemented in two phases, GREAT focuses on creating systemic changes within the local policy and business environments. Within this, reducing information poverty is identified as a critical pillar: helping ethnic minority women access market information, digital literacy, pricing data, quality standard information, and tourism trends - all crucial factors for small women-owned businesses to survive and thrive. This market system development approach helps ensure that economic benefits are sustained after the program concludes.

According to Ms. Vu Quynh Anh, Deputy Chief Advisor at GREAT, the project has collaborated closely with universities, including Tay Bac University and the Thai Nguyen University Branch, to bridge the knowledge gap in the digital age. From there, practical subjects like the application of AI and Big Data in business were integrated into the digital economy curriculum, thereby building a digitally skilled workforce ready to support local enterprises. This is a crucial step toward building a workforce capable of disseminating knowledge and helping local businesses access information more effectively.

"We work with national service providers (such as software and online training platforms) to adjust digital solutions to suit the affordability and absorption capacity of mountainous business households and cooperatives. The goal is for ethnic minority women to not only access digital platforms but also to know how to use digital information for business and personal use.

Currently, GREAT supports 28 sub-projects and collaborates with numerous partners across government, the private sector, and social organizations. These projects focus on sectors with high potential for women, including: agricultural value chains (such as bamboo shoots, cinnamon), tourism, entrepreneurship, and digitalization/access to finance," she shared.

Empowering ownership through digital transformation

A prominent initiative supported by GREAT is the Inclusive Digital Acceleration Program (IDAP), implemented by the local enterprise KisStartup. If, previously, the challenges for highland women were a lack of information, ranging from market and customer data to technological skills, IDAP acts as a bridge, helping them enter the digitized information environment more smoothly.

IDAP is building an open digital information ecosystem in Lao Cai and Son La to empower ethnic minority women and people with disabilities by improving their digital skills and access to digital resources. This helps ethnic minority female entrepreneurs participate actively and comprehensively in Viet Nam's digital economy, ensuring they are well-positioned to increase their income and enhance their quality of life.

A highlight of IDAP is its activities focused on improving the capacity for searching, processing, and utilizing information. The training courses help businesses understand how to read business data, assess market demand, grasp consumer trends, and use digital platforms to convey information to customers. Connecting MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) with digital service providers also supports them in accessing reliable information sources, instead of relying on traditional word-of-mouth methods as before.

After one year of implementation, the project has directly organized specialized training and coaching courses for nearly 250 businesses. In Lao Cai, 131 businesses benefited, 40% of which have used and paid for digital technology services to increase revenue. Meanwhile, 112 companies in Son La benefited, including 81 women-owned enterprises, 90% of which have adopted digital technology to expand their markets.

A typical example is Mrs. Sung Thi Lan, Director of Muong Hoa Cooperative (Lao Cai), renowned for her brocade craft. Participating in the project since phase 1, she was trained in a series of skills such as: posting product listings on social media, maintaining brand recognition, and managing customer information. Subsequently, in phase two, she continued to receive guidance on upgrading her business model, implementing digital transformation, and leveraging local cultural potential.

"Thanks to the project, we successfully transitioned from selling traditional souvenir brocade to high-end products, using recycled materials and incorporating the Mong - Gay cultural heritage, and supplying materials to fashion designers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and international markets. Cultural experiences, such as beeswax painting and presenting traditional stories, have also been developed by the cooperative members into high-value experiential tours, contributing to an increase in revenue of about 70%," she shared.

According to Ambassador Gillian Bird, Australia consistently prioritizes gender equality and inclusion across all development cooperation relationships with Viet Nam. This is not only about respecting the dignity of every individual but is also a smart approach. When all men, women, girls, and boys have the opportunity to maximize their potential, the economy will grow, and the nation will prosper.

"GREAT not only supports women in establishing businesses within the agriculture and tourism sectors but also aims to change the business and policy environment, ensuring that women's economic empowerment is sustained and developed for the long term.

It is truly inspiring to witness the real changes in the lives of individuals like Mrs. Sung Thi Lan, Director of Muong Hoa Cooperative, who has successfully implemented this and contributed to supporting more than 300 other households in the community and surrounding areas," the Australian Ambassador to Viet Nam expressed.