With the invitation of President of Korea Women Inventors Association (KWIA) and World Intellectual Property Organization, Mme. Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy, Vice President of Vietnam Women’s Union headed the Vietnamese women delegation to attend the 2nd Forum and Exposition: “Korea International Women’s Invention Forum 2009” in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, during 29th April – 5th May, 2009.

250 delegates from 30 countries participated in this significant event. Under the topic: “Global Market Access for Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs”, the Forum focused in discussing: Case studies on Global Market Access of Women Inventors & Entrepreneurs and Success Stories; Policies and Practices of Government and Public Institutions for Supporting Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs; The Role of International Organizations and NGOs for Supporting Global Market Access of Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs. At the Forum, VWU Vice President Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy delivered a speech on “Policies in Vietnam for Supporting and Promoting Women’s Innovative Capacities, Women’s Enterprises Development and Gender Equality”.

The VWU delegation attended the Exposition “Korea International Women’s Invention Forum 2009” at COEX, Seoul. Entrepreneurs from more than 30 countries participated in the Exposition with various innovative products and technologies in aspects of agriculture, industry, biology, food and drug products...The Exposition attracted public attention by impressive inventions, and innovative products and technologies as well as women’s valuable contribution to society development. By the end of the Exposition, many excellent women inventors and entrepreneurs from Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Iran, Poland, South Korea... were acknowledged and awarded noble prizes for their innovative and unique products.

VWU Vice President Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy was invited to attend the General Assembly of World Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs Association, which was established in December 2008. The main goal of this Association is to strengthen the cooperation among countries in this area.

On this occasion, the delegation visited the Vietnam Embassy to the Republic of Korea in Seoul and Vietnamese Women Culture Centre in Deagu province to learn about “International Marriage” among Vietnamese women and Korean men. From different sources of information, the delegation was informed that only about 30% of Vietnamese women got married with Korean men has “temporarily stable” life, the majority of them are suffering difficulties, challenges and risks due todifferences in language, culture, age, level of education... thus causing corollaries and not good impression. With efforts to solve this problem, the Government of South Korea has implemented many policies and measures to assist the Vietnamese brides for their life integration and the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea has released “Law on Marriage Matchmaking Management” in 2007 to address this issue. The Vietnamese Government has taken many measures in preventing illegal marriage matchmaking activity in Vietnam and raising society’s awareness on this issue. Being a mass organization representing for women, the Vietnam Women’s Union has been strengthening its moral education and IEC programs for women to enable them to make right decision for their marriages./.

Translated by Thanh Cam

• Working visit to the People’s Republic of China (May 22,2009)
• Vietnam Women’s Union signed a coordinated program “Building friendly schools and active students” (May 22,2009)
• Marie Schlei Association and its contribution to Vietnamese poor women (May 13,2009)
• Receiving the delegation of the Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) Party of Tunisia (May 13,2009)
• Vietnam Women’s Union study tour to Republic of Korea on marriage of Vietnamese women and Korean men (May 13,2009)
• Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) received the Norwegian working group on partnership between Vietnam and Norway for gender equality (Apr 09,2009)
• Vietnam Women’s Union confers the Merit Medal to 8 individuals (Apr 09,2009)
• Get-together between Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and Cuban Embassy in Vietnam (Apr 08,2009)
• President of VWU welcomed scholars and Russian enterprises (Apr 03,2009)
• International community urged to assist 61 poor districts (Mar 23,2009)