Women Entrepreneurs In Vietnam Face Many Challenges

Although women have established themselves as entrepreneurs in Vietnam, many businesswomen do not enjoy the same level of services and support as their male counterparts. While existing laws and policies in do not overtly discriminate against female entrepreneurs, cultural factors in Vietnam such as dominant gender stereotypes pigeonhole women into domestic roles or into employment sectors that are undervalued and poorly paid. 

These factors have a direct negative impact on the education of female entrepreneurs in areas like marketing, business expansion and business technology.  There is also a lack of services tailored to meet specific women's needs, especially time management, skills training, leadership development and human resource management. 


Business development is widely recognized as contributing to economic empowerment of women and promoting gender equality. However, not all women are born as entrepreneurs; instead, business skills must be learned from colleagues, family and friends, formal training, or from experience. A recent nationwide survey found that businesswomen in Vietnam are crying out for additional support that can assist them in growing their businesses.


In order to promote female entrepreneurship in Vietnam there should be business support and facilitation that address the needs of women, specifically in the areas of business planning, financial management, marketing, and quality control.

Women entrepreneurs face a number of barriers preventing them from expanding their businesses.   These barriers include:   1) a lack of sufficient business management knowledge and skills, 2) being disconnected from the larger business community, and 3) a low level of encouragement and support from the government and society. During the past few years, a number of work related programs initiated by women's unions and some NGOs have mostly targeted poor women in rural and remote areas. However, middle class businesswomen in Vietnam also need support in order to catch up with male entrepreneurs.