The USAID Linkages for Small and Medium Enterprises (USAID LinkSME) project aims to strengthen the supplier-buyer relationships between Vietnamese SMEs and foreign firms located in Vietnam. On July 5, the activity participated in the “Supply-Demand Matching Conference in Supporting Industries” organized by the Danang City People’s Committee and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT). It was attended by over 350 participants. At the event, USAID registered 38 firms to explore opportunities with USAID LinksSME, including 26 SMEs in the activity’s target sectors - electronics and metals. USAID LinkSME also executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Danang Association of Mechanical Industry, a key business association in the city, to connect and promote trade and investment between domestic and foreign enterprises.

So What? USAID LinkSME’s outreach events of this nature build awareness and facilitate the integration of Vietnamese SMEs into global supply chains, which in turn grow Vietnam’s SME sector and build its middle class, major consumers of American products.