SMEs in Vietnam Defy Challenges to Win in 2020

Employees of SMEs also give their employers the thumbs up

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM - Media OutReach - 23 December 2020 - SMEs in Vietnam were celebrated today in a glittering ceremony highlighting their achievements in a challenging year.

Held in Ho Chi Minh City, the SME100 Fast Moving Companies Awards ceremony debuted in its first year in Vietnam -- having been established as the premier regional awards for SMEs in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

This year, more than 612 companies were nominated, with 225 companies selected in the shortlist and 39 companies selected as winners. The SME100 Awards utilises a basket of quantitative and qualitative criteria with a focus on growth (turnover, profit and market share) and resilience (best practices, sustainability and vision) to identify and recognise the top performing SMEs in the region.

"When the SME100 was first organized 11 years ago, the market and the economy were very different than today. As the pace of change accelerates, so does the pace of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Running a business today is far more difficult than eleven years ago," said William Ng, group publisher and editor-in-chief of SME Magazine.

"As some of Vietnam's most successful businesses; you will be carrying the flag of Vietnam internationally. With the SME100, a truly regional award, you will be carrying this flag with pride and with a sense of greater responsibility, especially since you will be the first in Vietnam to win this award," Ng added.

SMEs Given Vote of Confidence by Their Employees

In conjunction with the SME100 Fast Moving Companies Awards, a new survey conducted by SME Magazine also revealed that employees of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam believe in their employers, despite the challenges of COVID-19, a cooling global economy, and increasing competition.

The SME100 Experience Survey, conducted in partnership with Willis Towers Watson for the SME100 Awards was done to help SMEs better understand their employees' perspectives, enabling data-driven insights into the importance of developing a great employee experience.

By studying responses from organisations in Vietnam, it was found that overall, Vietnamese SMEs scored an average of 92 percent in employee experience. This is 8 percent higher than other countries in the region. Crucially, 4 out of 5 respondents are also willing to recommend their company as a good place to work.

"A good employee experience is not, and should not be the sole preserve of large multinationals. This survey shows that SMEs can build competence in this area to better attract and retain talent. In our experience, the employee experience contributes significantly to better company performance over time and is the consistent differentiator that separates the best from the rest," said Ng.

The experience of the SME100 Winners:

"We are so proud to be recognized as one of the Outstanding Vietnamese Small and Medium Enterprises by SME & Entrepreneurship Magazine. This moment is really meaningful, not only for myself but also for the whole of Black Cat's members who are talented and have shared many joys and sorrows together in the journey leading Black Cat's ship going through 9 years in a very competitive market. On this day, all of our efforts have been recognized and honored at this Prestigious Regional Award." - Mr. Ho Minh Kha - Chairman of Black Cat Insulation Technical JSC

"Through decades in F&B, I have seen and experienced a lot. My creations have been widely accepted and created a foundation for growth and development in the Vietnamese F&B market. However, in this modern era with more digitalization, things are changing faster than ever, and businesses need to adapt and be agile. I created ELG to be the next steppingstone for the industry, we want to be the market leaders in F&B innovation and set a higher standard. This award reflects that ELG is heading in the right direction and will inspire us to continue to always strive better." - Mr. Lai Trinh -- CEO of ELG Entertainment Corporation

"It is an honor for HYYH Trading and EQUO International to be a recipient of the SME100 Awards -- Vietnam's Fast Moving Companies 2020. We are thankful and humbled to be recognized for our perseverance, adaptability and innovative thinking. As a business that is purpose-led, while balancing the essentials of profitability, we are determined to make a change and reduce single-use plastic to be a thing of the past. Thank you to the current partners and the amazing team at HYYH/EQUO who helped the company grow to where it is today, and to the future ones I haven't yet had the fortune to meet. We are young, but we are tenacious. We will continue to pursue our dream of making our company a household name - one that provides consumers with sustainable and accessible solutions, and one that will ultimately help build a brighter future for the Earth and future generations to come. The best from us is yet to come." Marina Tran-Vu, Founder & CEO of HYYH Trading - EQUO International

"We are so proud to be selected as a winner of the regional prestigious SME100 Awards - Vietnam's Fast Moving Companies 2020. This is a milestone to record the achievement of IIST team's effort in recent years. This award gives us more motivation to expand business to ASIA and to the world in the near future." - Mr. Han Vu Thang - President & Managing Director of IIST Company Limited

"Long Hai Securitas is a company specialized in security services. It's a service that needs qualified people. Our core value is: Integrity, Vigilance and Helpfulness. Every day, thousands of our security guards begin their work with a core value with a purpose of "Making your world safer". They, our employees all over Vietnam, feel proud of it. With the SME100 Award, as a testament to our core values, our purpose and encourages us to always do better." Phan Nam - General Director of Long Hai Securitas Company

"At New Viet Dairy, the nature of our business don't put us in the front of the scene. So, when SME100 organization proposed us to run for this award, we thought our staff deserves to win a public recognition for once. We are also proud for all suppliers from 25 countries that are trusting us to be their distributor and our 6,000 loyal professional clients for their support. We are confident 2021 will allow us to continue to grow and better perform." - Mr. Didier Lachize - Founder and Chairman of the Board, New Viet Dairy JSC

"OnePro advertising agency is proud to be recognized as one of the fastest-growing SMEs in Asia SME 100 award 2020. The award is proof that our company has great competency in the Vietnam advertising Industry as we offers creative, professional and prestigious marketing solutions. Our One Goal is to always make a progress for your brand through real & effective business results by delivering the right solution to the well-defined problem. Because only the progress in the making can drive your satisfaction at the end. For all the reasons, we believe that OnePro is the perfect partner for future brands." - Mr. Nguyen Tan Quang - Vice President of OnePro Advertising Company

"To everyone who received nominations and awards, I say well done.  RCR Vietnam is proud of being named one of Vietnam's Fast-Moving Companies and the Management team accepts this award on behalf of our people who form the backbone of our Company.  RCR Vietnam is a company built on integrity with an absolute commitment to safety, performance excellence and developing productive, sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships with our clients, partners, and the wider community.  Through our people we have created real value for our customers through process and systems, and deliver value which supports our strong reputation.  This award enables our people to further create and maintain a significant competitive advantage in our young market and will stimulate and encourage our people to continue the progression and evolution of our Company and bring further value to our current and future customers." -- RCR Vietnam

"At Square Roots we strive to retain the true nature of every piece of furniture that we create, bringing the wonder of the natural world into your home. We do not seek conformity in everything we do, but rather celebrate individuality and character. Being recognized with an SME100 award is proof that divergent thinking can lead to success. This award is testament to the values of collaboration and respect that we nurtured within the organism that is Square Roots." -- Square Roots

"Vight's vision to Improve Life through Light is inspired by our core values: passion for design, care for supplying high quality to our clients, adaptability for every brief, and a family-like dependability. While our Founders have a combined experience of 50 years, it's our talented team who are the driving force for our success. They consistently push the boundaries with innovation and are relentlessly creative. We are proud to be included as a SME100 company as it's a testament to our solutions-based approach on our projects. This award is confirmation for our team's hard work and for the Vietnamese community who inspire us on a daily basis.' -- Vight

Winner of SME100 Awards:

1.     3D Smart Solutions Company Limited

2.     5S Consulting and Media

3.     Abeo Vietnam Co., Ltd.

4.     ADP Group

5.     Babylons JSC

6.     Bap It Co.,JSC

7.     Baris Arch Architecture And Interiors

8.     Black Cat Insulation Technical JSC

9.     Cargo Care Logistics Corp.

10.  DataHouse Asia Consulting Joint Stock Company

11.  DBA Interiors

12.  ELG Entertainment Corporation

13.  Eteacher Tutor Company Limited

14.  Givi Vietnam

15.  GUDJOB Communication and Creative Company Limited

16.  HappySkin Vietnam Corporation

17.  Havas Vietnam

18.  HYYH Trading - Equo International

19.  Icon Technic Company Limitted

20.  IITS Indochina Integrated Solution and Technology Company Limited

21.  Ky Luc Co., Ltd

22.  Long Hai Securitas

23.  Nam Thuan Energy Joint Stock Company

24.  New Viet Dairy JSC

25.  Onepro Advertising Company

26.  OnPoint

27.  Point Avenue

28.  RCR Vietnam

29.  SAI Digital

30.  Sonatus

31.  Square Roots

32.  Super Cargo Service Company Limited

33.  UNIMATES Education Vietnam

34.  Ursin Company Limited

35.  Vexos Vietnam

36.  Viet An Environment Technology JSC

37.  Vight

38.  Zoop Care Company Limited

About Business Media International

Business Media International (BMI) is one of Asia's leading business-to-business publishers. Some of our media properties include SME Magazine, HR Asia, Capital Asia, and World Halal Business. As owners of some of the region's largest B2B media and events properties, BMI is uniquely positioned to offer business owners and senior business executives up-to-date business intelligence across the region.