Over recent times, the women’s entrepreneurship movement in Da Nang has made a significant impact across various ages and industries. Particularly, women facing difficult circumstances have contributed to improving their family's well-being, created jobs for local workers, promoted gender equality, and elevated the role and status of women in society.

Ms. Ho Thi Ngoc Oanh won first prize at the Son Tra District’s 2024 Startup Ideas Contest with a product made from black sesame.

The idea of starting a business came to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Nguyet residing in Hoa Quy Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, in 2017. At the time, her family grew about 100 square metres of ginger, but when harvest came, prices were low, and there were no buyers. A friend suggested she make traditional ginger tea, prompting her to research and experiment. After several failed attempts, she found a satisfying flavour for her ginger tea, which soon gained the trust and support of friends. Encouraged by this success, she boldly embarked on a startup journey and developed the Tam Nguyen ginger tea brand.

Since 2020, Ms Nguyet has invested in machinery and built a new factory to facilitate production. Thanks to continuous efforts, her brand was recognised as a 3-star OCOP product in 2021 and was certified as a typical rural industrial product by the city. Her family’s products are now available on most e-commerce platforms.

"Through the 'Women’s Startup' programme, I was encouraged and supported by the district-level Women’s Union and the Ngu Hanh Son District's Economic Office. They offered me access to loans when needed to expand production. I also received training on digital transformation, patent registration, and had the chance to showcase my products at events organised by the Women’s Unions at municipal and district levels" said Ms Nguyet.

Ms. Cao Thi Lua, the owner of Nha Mat Products in Hoa Xuan Ward, Cam Le District, has been boldly pursuing her startup for the past seven years. She chose to start with products made from turmeric and ginger.

Initially, Ms. Lua partnered with farmers in Quang Nam and Quang Binh provinces, and the Central Highlands to source fresh turmeric and ginger. She then processed these ingredients into various products, such as turmeric jam, turmeric powder, turmeric starch, honey turmeric pills, and ginger jam.

"At first, my customers were mostly people I knew. Over time, satisfied users recommended my products to others. Today, several distributors of Nha Mat products in different provinces used to be my original customers" Ms. Lua shared.

With turmeric-based products as her main line, Ms. Lua's facility produces and sells over one tonne of turmeric starch annually, equivalent to more than 20 tonnes of fresh turmeric, and around 3 tonnes of ginger jam, equating to approximately 5 tonnes of fresh ginger. This brings in over VND 1 billion in annual revenue, with profits of several hundred million VND after expenses.

In addition to her own business success, Ms. Lua’s facility has linked up with farmers and women’s groups in Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Tri, and Quang Binh to secure outputs for their turmeric and ginger. Her facility also creates employment for many disadvantaged women.

"Thanks to the support of the Women’s Union, my products have gained more recognition in the market. Moving forward, I aim to develop new products to meet customer demand and create more jobs for women," Ms Lua said.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhung, a resident of Cam Le District, took out a VND 100 million loan from the bank to build a workshop and invest in modern machinery to expand production. Her facility produces 4 tonnes of grilled green bean cakes each year, primarily supplying the central and southern regions.

Currently, Ms. Nhung's facility provides jobs for dozens of local women, with an average monthly income of VND 8-10 million per person.

Ms. Do Thi Huyen Tram, Director of the Hoa Bac Ecological Agriculture and Community-based Tourism Cooperative, located in Hoa Bac Commune, Hoa Vang District, shared that the cooperative was established in March 2023 with 19 official members and 285 affiliates. Discussing her startup idea, Ms. Tram said the cooperative was founded to preserve nature and local culture, particularly the traditions of the Co Tu ethnic group.

In addition, the cooperative promotes educational tourism, helping to develop the local economy and increase income for the community. The cooperative’s agricultural, forestry, and community tourism teams are ready to serve groups visiting from various provinces. It also hosts students from primary schools to universities across the city.

The city currently boasts over 1,000 women-led startups, providing jobs for thousands of disadvantaged women. In recent years, the municipal Women’s Union has facilitated bank guarantees, enabling over 10,000 women members to borrow nearly VND 300 billion for business development. The Union has also partnered with various units to secure outlets and product distribution for female entrepreneurs.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal Women’s Union, the women’s entrepreneurship movement has fostered innovation and helped members expand their production.

"We always support women to ensure they have the best conditions for business and production. The Women’s Union also actively manages a development fund allocated by the city to assist women in improving their economic prospects" she added.

Reporting by MIEN THAO - Translating by TRUC VY