Ben Tre (VNA) – A workshophas been held in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre to effectively promote startupactivities in the region.

The number of startups has risen in the Mekong Delta region has beenflourishing after two years of implementing the Prime Minister’s Resolution 35on creating a favourable business environment for business startups, saidNguyen Phuong Lam, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce andIndustry (VCCI) in Can Tho.

Many regional localities have been working on long-term plans to promotestart-ups, he added.

From 2015 to 2017, the Mekong Delta saw a12 percent increase in new businesses, with Ben Tre and Hau Giang provincesseeing a 32 and 35 percent increase in new firms, respectively. Nine out of 13provinces in the Mekong Delta reached the targets promised to the governmentduring the period.

However, the Mekong Delta’s entrepreneurialgrowth is still below the nation’s average of 16 percent.

Lam, who is also Chairman of the MekongDelta Startup Network, said that start-ups in the region still faced challengesand did not have enough big firms or sources to provide experience, funding andassistance.

In addition, there is lack of customer supportas well as connections between businesses and the market.

The Mekong Delta has developed favourablepolicies, as well as infrastructure and education facilities, but it needs towork on promoting innovation and start-up skills, according to Lam.

Phan Van Mai, standing deputy secretary of BenTre province’s Party Committee, said that over the last two years the provincehas been working to promote a suitable business environment for smallstart-ups.

Nearly 1,000 new firms were establishedover the last two years, and a total of 3,920 firms exist in the province.

The province has also provided funding andfinancial aid for 774 projects, with 802 billion VND (34.5 million USD) worthof funds from sources such as the National Foundation for Science and TechnologyDevelopment and the Ben Tre Entrepreneurship Investment Fund.

Ben Tre needs to continue to raiseawareness of and inspire the spirit of entrepreneurship by providing trainingfor those looking to start their own business and improving the businessenvironment by gathering feedback, Mai said.

The province is also encouraging start-upsto use advanced technology and take advantage of their areas’ specialties toboost competitiveness. 

Cu Van Thanh, Director of the Luong Quoi CoconutProcessing Company, said that successful start-ups are passionate about whatthey do but are practical as well, and do not just follow trends.

The workshop was organised on September 11 by theBen Tre provincial People’s Committee, VCCI in Can Tho City, Mekong DeltaStartup Network and Saigon Times newspaper. – VNA