Ngo Quy Viet, Head of General Department of Standardisation, Measurement and Quality, said the event this year drew the participation of 173 businesses. The assessment and selection were carried out at provincial and national levels.

The assessment was based on such criteria as the contribution of leadership, strategy definition, setting trends for customer and market, measurement, analysis and management, human resources development and turnover.

The maximum amount of points for all criteria was 1,000 and to qualify for the selection, businesses had to have 600 points and above.

The National Quality Award is an annual event and has been organized since 1996. So far, 1,303 businesses were awarded and 62 businesses were offered certificates of merit by the Prime Minister.

Since 2000, Vietnamese businesses have been participating in the International Asia Pacific Quality Award. By 2010, 42 businesses have been granted the award.

The award-giving ceremony of the National Quality Award will be held in Hanoi at 10am on December 26 and be broadcast live on VTV1 channel.