As part of the APEC-Canada Growing Business Partnership, implemented by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and funded by Global Affairs Canada, the Foreign Trade University’s Innovation and Incubation Space (FTU FIIS) recently launched its Policy Leadership Workshop Series in Viet Nam.
On September 23, 2025, FTU FIIS hosted its first workshop - “Pioneer Enterprise Forum 2025: Inclusive Business – Sustainable Competition in the New Era” - bringing together close to 200 delegates representing policy makers, local & international NGOs, women entrepreneurs, and key stakeholders to take an important step toward strengthening Viet Nam’s inclusive micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) ecosystem.
Over the years, FTU FIIS has been at the forefront of advancing inclusive business (IB) in Viet Nam, actively contributing to the economy’s and region’s IB growth priorities. Through its participation in the APEC-Canada Growing Business Partnership, FTU FIIS is also currently drafting a policy brief that examines the gap between Viet Nam’s legal framework and the actual support available to women-owned enterprises. The brief highlights systemic barriers such as limited access to capital, dual burdens, and social prejudices, and proposes actionable policy recommendations to foster an inclusive business environment. This inaugural Policy Leadership Workshop is part of FTU’s broader commitment to recognizing and amplifying the significance of IB models in driving sustainable and competitive growth.
“In ASEAN as well as in Viet Nam, inclusive business is gradually becoming an important driving force for sustainable development, connecting economics with social responsibility, commerce with humanity. This is the time for pioneering businesses to seize the opportunity, not only to lead the market but also to create a prosperous, fair, and sustainable future for all.”
- Ms. Trinh Thi Huong, Deputy Director, Agency for Private Enterprise and Cooperatives Development, Ministry of Finance
Co-hosted by FTU FIIS, WeLead Pioneering Women Leaders Network, and the, Agency for Private Enterprise and Cooperatives Development (Ministry of Finance), the workshop highlighted the need to remove barriers to market access, finance, and policy support for MSMEs, particularly women-led enterprises. It also emphasized the importance of fostering an enabling policy environment to empower women entrepreneurs and scale up gender-inclusive business models as drivers of sustainable and competitive growth.
Key speakers included:
- Ms. Trinh Thi Huong, Deputy Director, Department of Private Enterprise & Collective Economy Development, Ministry of Finance
- Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, Founder & Chairwoman, WeLead
- Dr. Dao Ngoc Tien, Vice Rector, Foreign Trade University
- Mr. Shehzad Sewani, Second Secretary, Development, Embassy of Canada
This milestone event also gained strong local media coverage, underscoring its growing influence in shaping inclusive business ecosystems in Viet Nam.
- Media coverage:
- Official Articles:
The Policy Leadership Workshop Series is part of a broader effort by APF Canada to contribute to gender-responsive, inclusive and sustainable MSME development in the APEC region. By engaging policy actors in such important and timely discussions, APF Canada aims to strengthen the MSME policy landscape, with a focus particularly on supporting women-led MSMEs.
