Representatives of some of the enterprises pose for a photo. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hiếu

HÀ NỘI — A total of 116 Vietnamese enterprises were granted National Quality Awards for their 2019-20 performance during a ceremony held on Sunday in Hà Nội. 

Hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the awards ceremony was attended by Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân. 

Four other firms received the Asia Pacific Global Performance Excellent Award in 2019 during the ceremony. 

In his speech at the event, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Lê Xuân Định praised enterprises that have won the awards amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has harmed all sectors, including services, processing and manufacturing and high-tech industries.

In this context, the companies had to fight the pandemic, ensure economic development and business performance and keep workers employed.

Despite these challenges, some of them still had impressive business growth, Định said. 

To receive the awards, enterprises needed to excel in several criteria including leadership role, strategic planning, customer and market orientation, human resource management and development, production management, and business results.

According to Định, the awards recognised the contributions and success of the winning enterprises while encouraging other firms to ensure their sustainable development in production and business activities. 

The Việt Nam National Quality Awards are the Prime Minister’s annual recognition for organisations and enterprises with remarkable quality achievements in production, business activities and services, helping promote the standing of Vietnamese products and services in the domestic and foreign markets. The award is a part of the Asia Pacific Global Performance Excellent Award (GPEA) system of the Asia - Pacific Quality Organization - APQO) and is implemented based on accepting the model and criteria of the Quality Awards of advanced countries.

The awards, first presented in 1996, were initiated by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Over the past 25 years, more than 2,000 enterprises have won these awards. — VNS