Despite the numerous benefits of technological innovation and the Vietnam government’s preferential policies for tech-companies to digitize their operations, many enterprises have yet to become aware, understand the nuances, and access government incentives linked to digital transformation. To address this gap, the USAID Linkages for Small and Medium Enterprises (USAID LinkSME) project is collaborating with the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform (ACAPR) to enhance the dialogue between small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the government through a series of conferences to address administrative procedural challenges in the business environment.

On October 7, USAID LinkSME, ACAPR, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), and the Vietnam Association for Small and Medium Enterprises (VINASME) organized a conference in Hanoi to discuss how technological innovation could help SMEs increase productivity thereby promoting competitiveness, and the changes needed in administrative procedure reform to support technological innovation for business development in Vietnam. The conference was attended by more than 180 government and business representatives in-person and also reached more than 75,500 people by being live streamed on the Facebook page of VnExpress, one of the most influential media outlets in Vietnam.

So What? Enhancing dialogue between MOST and VINASME supports the government’s efforts to overcome challenges in the business enabling environment, while increasing the capacity of Vietnamese SMEs to participate in supply chains and supporting Vietnam’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts.