Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has extended his greetings to the staff and students of the Vietnam Women’s Academy (VWA), officials of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU), and women nati𓃲onwide on the occasion of the upcoming Vietnamese Women's Day (October 20).

Speaking at a gathering at the academy in Hanoi on October 17, the PM underscored the important role women play in the development of each family, community, society and country. “Throughout our glorious history, Vietnamese women have always been playing a particularly important role, and making contributions to national construction and defence”, he said. As the country embarks on a new era of renewal, integration and development, the Party and State always pay great attention to female personnel affairs and gender equality, with the guiding principle of ensuring genuine equality between men and women in terms of opportunities, involvement and benefits across socio-political, economic and cultural spheres, he said. According to him, women account for 30.3% of National Assembly deputies during the 2021-2025 tenure, ranking Vietnam 64th globally, fourth in Asia, and first among Southeast Asian countries. Women hold key leadership positions in half of ministries and Government agencies, and about 20% of domestic small and medium-sized enterprises are owned by women. In 2023, Vietnam ranked 72nd out of 146 countries on the Gender Equality Index. The VWU has been instrumental in these achievements, serving as a key organisation that represents and protects the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese women from all walks of life, he pointed out. He expressed his delight at the VWA's success in building on and advancing the over 60-year legacy of the Central Women's Training School, with major and highly impressive accomplishments. The PM called on the VWU to continue with the practical and effective implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, along with various resolutions, conclusions and directives from the Politburo, the Party Central Committee and its Secretariat. This includes the Secretariat’s Directives on family building, sustainable poverty reduction, and women’s affairs in the new context. Ministries, agencies, the VWU and Hanoi authorities were assigned to offer all possible support to the VWA in its mission to train officials and public servants, especially in cultivating a skilled female workforce, toward the goal of advancing gender equality and fulfilling Vietnam’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals related to gender equality by 2030. Founded in 2012, the VWA has two campuses in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, offering an extensive curricula with 11 multidisciplinary undergraduate majors, four master and two doctoral programmes. With over 85% of its students being female, it has become a leading supplier of female talent across a range of sectors, including social science, business, law, journalism and technology. Impressively, more than 80% of its graduates secure employment immediately after graduation. Each year, the VWA trains 2,500-4,000 VWU officials at various levels. Over the past 12 years, it has trained nearly 50,000 local officials and hundreds of others from neighbouring countries./.