The ACGBP team travelled to Viet Nam from July 12–23, 2025, to visit local partners, consult with the local government and the Embassy of Canada to Viet Nam, and attend the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) III meeting.
In Hanoi, the team met with the FTU Innovation and Incubation Space (FIIS) at Foreign Trade University (FTU), one of our local implementation partners. FIIS activities in the ACGBP project include a policy brief on best practices for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating gender-responsive MSME policies, which is currently underway, as well as three policy leadership workshops which will be held in late 2025. The workshop series will address key issues for MSMEs in Viet Nam, including the transition from the informal to the formal economy, sustainable impact business, and linking ecosystems to promote inclusive business.
The team also met with the Da Nang Institute for Socio-Economic Development (DISED), another local implementation partner, at their office in Da Nang. DISED presented a detailed progress report on the policy brief they are developing for the ACGBP project, as well as their plans for research validation with experts and stakeholders. DISED’s policy brief will focus on policy support for MSME digital transformation in Viet Nam, a key theme for MSME development in the country.
Another highlight of the mission was the opportunity to meet with the Embassy of Canada to Viet Nam and Viet Nam’s Ministry of Finance, represented by the Agency for Private Enterprise and Cooperative Development (APED), to discuss areas of collaboration. The ACGBP team is thrilled to continue its engagement with the Embassy and APED to ensure that ACGBP project goals remain aligned with the local context and relevant to local stakeholders.
A major component of the trip was participation at the ABAC III meeting in Hai Phong, which took place from July 15–18. ABAC provides private sector input to APEC leaders, ministers and senior officials. Through engagement with ABAC, the ACGBP team aims to bring MSME issues to the spotlight so that we can continue to support MSME development in the region. The team’s attendance at the meeting in Haiphong provided an opportunity to connect with ABAC lead staff from our focus economies and plan for future activities.
