(VOVworld)- The 12^th National Congress of Vietnamese women will be held from March 7^th to 9^th in Hanoi. Under the theme “Solidarity, renovation, equality, and integration”, the congress intends to reform women’s unions’ activities to encourage women to be creative and contribute more to national development.

The 12^th National Congress of Vietnamese Ưomen marks the growth of the Vietnam Women’s Union. More than 1,100 delegates representing women of all ages, ethnic groups, sectors and localities nationwide will attend the event. The Congress will discuss ways to address women’s problems and improve their Unions’ performance. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha is Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women’s Union: “We focus on empowering women by helping them to reduce poverty and start businesses and participate in cooperatives, production and business chains. We also concentrate on improving policies that address women’s problems. We need to encourage women to solve their problems on their own.”

The Congress will also focus on promoting women’s rights and interests. Nguyen Thi Tuyet is Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women’s Union: “The Congress sets of the goal of promoting gender equality and women’s advancement in order to support women and their families. We also want to help women increase their income. By setting out these two tasks, we aim to protect women and assure their rights and interests.”

On the sidelines of the Congress, there will be a program called “Proud Vietnamese women”, a ceremony to present the 2016 Kovalevskai award, and an exhibition on Vietnamese women during 30 years of renovation. The 100 outstanding women honored on this occasion will meet Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.