On October 28-29, the USAID Linkages for Small and Medium Enterprises (USAID LinkSME) project and the Vietnam Association for Supporting Industries (VASI), a leading business support organization in Vietnam, supported VASI's SMEs to participate in the Factory Network Business Expo 2020. The event served as a platform to strengthen business linkages between SMEs and lead firms. Nearly 200 Vietnamese manufacturers and international buyers, including Japanese, Korean, and Thai companies, seeking to purchase from local Vietnamese SME manufacturers participated in the event in-person and remotely via online platforms. USAID LinkSME and VASI supported 20 SMEs to display their products at the pavilion for Vietnamese Enterprises in Supporting Industries.

So What? Supporting SMEs to join networking events such as trade shows expands opportunities for them to participate in lead firms’ supply chains, supports Vietnam’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts, and strengthens the competitiveness of Vietnam’s manufacturing sector.