At the event. Photo: USAID

This five-year, USD 22.1 million project will strengthen the small and medium enterprise (SME) supply chain linkage ecosystem, and improve business associations’ and trade groups’ capacity to support SME business development.

The event was attended by US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Michael Greene as well as representatives from ministries, local government agencies, business associations, Vietnamese SMEs, foreign firms, international organizations, and the media.

LinkSME aims to address this gap by strengthening the capabilities of the intermediary organizations in Vietnam, such as business associations, export development centers, and SME promotion agencies, in order to facilitate the supplier-buyer relationships between Vietnamese SMEs and lead firms located in Vietnam and expand Vietnamese SMEs’ capacity to participate in manufacturing supply chains.

USAID LinkSME will enhance the business enabling environment by institutionalizing key reforms and strengthening the legal and regulatory framework for SME growth across the nation. Overall, this project will advance the Indo-Pacific vision of improved economic competitiveness and support USAID/Vietnam’s objective of expanding inclusive, market-driven, private sector-led growth./.