USAID is supporting the development of a strong and prosperous private sector that bolsters Vietnam’s economic growth by helping remove constraints to, and build the competitiveness of, small and growing businesses in Vietnam, including those led by women and ethnic minority populations. On December 5, USAID joined the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Vietnam Women’s Union to host the first ever co-creation workshop to gather feedback to inform the design of the upcoming USAID Improving Private Sector Competitiveness project, which will be implemented from 2020 to 2025. Ninety-four participants (38 male and 56 female) from different Government of Vietnam agencies and the private sector attended the event. Participants focussed their discussion on the status and challenges of the Vietnamese private sector as well as proposed solutions to increase the productivity and efficiency of small and growing businesses; improve their accessibility to resources such as capital, land, labor, and technology; and strengthen the interlinkages between subsets of the private sector.

So What? The co-creation workshop provided timely input for the USAID Improving Private Sector Competitiveness project design process, ensuring USAID technical assistance meets Vietnam’s needs in promoting private sector-led growth and advances the Indo-Pacific vision of improved trade and competitiveness.