The workshop takes place in Hai Phong city on November 21 (Photo: VNA)Hai Phong (VNA) – Opportunities and challengesfacing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in getting involved in theFourth Industrial Revolution and global value chains were discussed at aworkshop in northern Hai Phong city on November 21.
Vu Viet Ngoan, head of the Prime Minister’seconomic advisory group, said to be part of global value chains and Industry 4.0,SMEs should be confident and active in integration.
He noted SMEs contribute more than 30 percent ofVietnam’s GDP and provide jobs for more than 50 percent of the workforce.
Bidhan Roy, a director at the US-based CiscoSystems, said digitalisation helps SMEs in ASEAN not only take part incross-border trade but also expand their business and cut expenses.
SMEs have different scales and are in differentdevelopment stages, and not all of them can reserve resources for IT.Therefore, more support from the Government and major businesses is needed todevelop a concentrated digital economy.
Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong municipalPeople’s Committee Le Khac Nam noted that many companies are still weak inintegration and foreign language skills, do not dare to face challenges andlack vision and capacity of engaging in international labour chains.
Michael W. Michalak, Senior Vice President andRegional Managing Director of the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC), said theworkshop, held by the US-ABC and the HaiPhong municipal People’s Committee, showed the US and Vietnamesebusiness communities’ commitment to supporting the Vietnamese Government’sagenda, which looks to improve local SMEs’ competitiveness amidst Industry 4.0and global value chains.
The US-ABC and Hai Phong encourage SMEs tocapitalise on sci-tech advances and opportunities to integrate into regionalmarkets, he noted.-VNA
VNA
