SME Academy Resources
VARISME represents around 600 businesses in rural Viet Nam with an aim to improve their business practices and protect the rights of businesses, entrepreneurs, workers, artisans, agriculture workers, and village enterprises. Specific activities include support through research, promoting trade, supporting investment, and creating linkages within business communities.
The VYEA has 9,000 members and 66 chapters across Viet Nam. The association’s functions include the following: to connect members to international partners; to protect member’s rights in regards to Viet Nam’s laws; to build members’ domestic and overseas customer base; to support business development; to provide consulting services on business law and policy and management; to support networking amongst members; and to serve as a link between the government, authorities, and the business community.
The Can Tho Business Association provides business support services to member businesses, which is partly accomplished in partnership with the Mekong Private Development Facility. Business Owner members have established a Business Owners Club as well as a Business Owners Joint Stock Company to more fully support their needs.
Founded in 1961, the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance is a social and economic organization which promotes the development of cooperatives and the cooperative economy, supports policy formulation around the cooperative sector, and represents the rights of members. The alliance is comprised of more than 7000 member cooperatives and represents a range of sectors including agriculture, trade, industry, and construction, among others. The alliance also conducts research related to program design and implementation and provides consulting services and support for cooperatives and SMEs.
Started in December 2013 by the Asia-Pacific Telecentre Network (APTN), the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), the Research Center of Communication and Knowledge Management (CCDKM), and New Media4D, this program offers ICT training to four groups of people: the elderly, youth, women, a and people with physical, hearing, or visual impairments.
Established in 2002 under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, OWAFD serves as the economy-wide focal point for the promotion of gender equality and the strength of the family institution. OWAFD implements policies, measures and mechanisms to support other public and private sector units in their own policy implementation promoting women’s economic potential, their rights, and gender equality and equity. By hosting annual assemblies of provincial, regional, and national women’s networks, OWAFD serves as a platform to review the problems and progress in women’s affairs.
Established in 2010, TSEO’s priority is to stimulate cooperation among social enterprises and develop their networks in Thailand. In addition, TSEO reaches out to all possible entrepreneurs who have a particular interest in social and environmental issues, and to inspire social responsibility. TSEO hosts events for social entrepreneurs including the Social Enterprise Talk, the Social Change Film Festival, and the Thai Social Enterprise Awards.
Wedu is a leadership development organization offering mentorship and financing options to help women complete higher education or start a business. The Thailand chapter offers mentorship “walk and talks,” bringing together aspiring entrepreneurs and established businesswomen.
Thai BISPA serves as an incubator for new entrepreneurs to be successful in business. It provides business suggestions, training workshops, and support from government agencies and the private sector.
GET is an entrepreneurship hub made up of community leaders, entrepreneurs and partner organizations, with the aim to inspire people—men and women—to launch and grow scalable startups and businesses. It runs a Thailand Women’s Entrepreneurship initiative, organizing events, activities and mentoring opportunities to equip women entrepreneurs with the tools and skills they need to expand their business.