USAID Improves Vietnamese SMEs’ Awareness of Supply Chain Opportunities: The USAID Linkages for Small and Medium Enterprises (USAID LinkSME) project aims to help Vietnamese Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) participate in manufacturing supply chains. From November 20-23, USAID and the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Agency for Enterprise Development organized workshops in Gia Lai and Thua Thien-Hue provinces to promote partnership opportunities with USAID LinkSME to regional officials and business support organizations. The workshops covered capacity building for officials that support SMEs and how to effectively implement the law on SME support. The Gia Lai workshop drew 50 participants (34 male and 16 female) and the Hue workshop drew 70 participants (43 male and 27 female) from Hue, Quang Ngai, and Quang Nam provinces.

So What?  Vietnamese SMEs  are now better equipped to  join supply chains, which will promote private sector-led growth in Vietnam, aligning to the Journey to Self-Reliance and advancing the Indo-Pacific vision of improved trade and competitiveness.