Corporate foundations

This is an activity in the framework of the initiative Gender Stereotype Circle Breaking – one of the four initiatives to be sponsored by the Asian Gender Trainers’ Network Programme. During the two days of training, through experiential games, role-playing, and debating methods, the teachers had the chance to gain knowledge about gender concepts, gender equality, norms, stereotypes, and domestic and international legal frameworks. In particular, teachers at Ban Lau Primary School and Muong Khuong Primary School No.1 participated in training units to find gender stereotypes and norms in textbooks and teaching activities, thereby suggesting appropriate solutions to students. “I will pose questions in my lessons so that the students can realise that today's females and males have equal rights to choose a career which suits their desires and abilities,” said Nguyen Thi Thua, a teacher at Ban Lau Primary School. The For Vietnamese Stature Foundation promotes gender equality … [Read more...] about For Vietnamese Stature Foundation promotes gender equality in education

Besides assessing business performance, a growing number of institutional and individual investors are taking into account the ESG criteria before making an investment decision. ESG requires businesses to be transparent about their environmental, social, and governance performance, including their contributions to local economies. On August 10, Masan Group , the only local enterprise with integration from production to retail, was honoured by Nhip Cau Dau Tu Magazine among the 50 firms in its Corporate Sustainability Awards. The award was finalised after more than two months of survey and evaluation based on criteria such as stable growth, sustainable corporate culture, corporate governance, environmental protection, and social responsibility. A representative of Nhip Cau Dau Tu Magazine said, “The development of awareness about systemic issues such as climate change, disease risks, resource depletion, and inequality has promoted the investment trends based on ESG criteria … [Read more...] about Masan honoured among top 50 businesses at Corporate Sustainability Awards

During the signing ceremony, permanent vice chairman of the VBA Phan Duc Trung said, "Through the launch of this Blockchain Bookshelf, the VBA and Alpha Books want to provide opportunities for professionals to speak out and share their knowledge." Officials from the National Innovation Centre who attended the ceremony highlighted their vision for the digital transformation of the country until 2030 and planned programmes for developing human resources in technology. The Blockchain Bookshelf launch signing ceremony The first book to be published on the new technology, NFT Revolution, will debunk any and all misunderstandings about it. It covers what NFT is, how it functions, what the consequences for the future of humanity are, and how to join this trend before it's too late. The second book in the Blockchain Bookshelf is The Metaverse and it is intended to introduce readers to a network of experiences, gadgets, tools, and infrastructure that transcends the idea … [Read more...] about The Blockchain Bookshelf: A future technological foundation

The eighth edition of the biennial World Cities Summit returned to a fully in-person conference format at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Marina Bay Sands after a largely virtual summit last time out. At the event, numerous examples were outlined of global cities responding to urban challenges in terms of how to be more resilient, sustainable, and cohesive. The theme of this year’s summit, “Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Emerging Stronger”, was crafted to reflect the urgent and important imperative that economic growth can no longer be pursued at the expense of climate change and environmental degradation. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, executive director of the UN Human Settlements Programme said at the summit that the world has had enough policies, strategies, and innovations. “What we are lacking are actions and we need to act now. This is the time to support multilateralism,” Sharif said. “The pandemic woke us up to really look at the design and focus on housing, climate … [Read more...] about Building cities fit for human needs

On August 1, Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Information and Communications, received Ng Boon Heong, CEO of Temasek Foundation, a Singapore-based non-profit organisation, who sought for more business opportunities in the country. Digital business lines developing well. Source: freepik.com Temasek has strong expertise in innovation, climate change, education, and healthcare, and wishes to cooperate with Vietnam on green development and digital transformation in the upcoming years. Likewise, service provider NCS, a member company of Singtel Group, is going to develop a strategic technology centre in Vietnam as a way to expand in the country. This Singaporean firm visited Vietnam last week to sign a cooperation agreement with FPT Software to realise the plan. Ng Kuo Pin, CEO of NCS, told VIR, “We see a lot of opportunities for digitalisation in the country. NCS is looking for partners to help enlarge our global talent pool of IT resources around the world. Digital talent … [Read more...] about Digital business lines developing well

At the “International experience on blockchain technology development and recommendations for Vietnam” conference held last Friday, Michael R. DiGregorio, the Asia Foundation’s country representative in Vietnam, suggested that the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) should allow businesses to experimentally approach areas that are not clearly regulated by laws, such as blockchain. Legalities in way of blockchain progress, illustration photo The Asian Foundation is collaborating with Vietnam Blockchain Corporation and jupviec.vn to pilot the application of blockchain. After the blockchain platform is successfully integrated into jupviec.vn, the system will connect about 2,000 domestic helpers with potential customers through the website and mobile application. This creates favourable conditions for workers when looking for a job, helping to increase their ability to negotiate salaries and other benefits related to their work records and professional … [Read more...] about Legalities in way of blockchain progress

The pandemic has accelerated an already strong shift towards digital across the world, redrawing how we live, work, and pay. Visa’s Consumer Payment Attitudes 2021 study shows that over half of Vietnamese consumers now regularly shop online and expect to be able to pay by card or mobile even in small physical stores. “As the architect of many of the solutions enabling this change, Visa is leveraging its world-leading digital expertise to make sure this transformation is inclusive and equitable,” said Dung Dang, Visa country manager of Vietnam. “We believe the digital economy will create global prosperity because economies that include everyone everywhere.” Innovation Workable strategies to go digital and embrace innovation are becoming essential. Around 90 per cent of small businesses with a digital presence attributed their pandemic survival to e-commerce, according to the 2022 Visa Global Back to Business Study. Visa is heavily invested in creating an ecosystem of … [Read more...] about Visa paving the way to an inclusive digital economy

For one, the oil and gas industry is under immense pressure to improve operational efficiency, productivity, and worker safety; maintain cybersecurity; and, simultaneously, reduce environmental impact. In order to solve these challenges, oil and gas companies are accelerating their digital transformation. Denis Brunetti, President, Vietnam and Myanmar Ericsson As they adopt use cases around automation, smart safety and environmental monitoring, the oil and gas industry is increasingly looking to advanced cellular connectivity to help drive efficiencies, while being more environmentally sound. The industry is expected to meet the global goal of net-zero carbon by 2050. According to a McKinsey study, the use of advanced connectivity to optimise drilling and production throughput and improvements in maintenance and field operations could add up to $250 billion of value for oil and gas upstream operations by 2030. Digitalisation enabled by cellular connectivity can … [Read more...] about 4G/5G wireless networks driving digitalisation across industries

CapitaLand Development (CLD) has entered into plenty of new development deals across many different businesses in Vietnam. What is your exact development strategy in Vietnam? Ronald Tay, CEO of CapitaLand Development (Vietnam) Vietnam is one of our core markets, and we are committed to being a long-term partner contributing to Vietnam’s economic development. Having been part of Vietnam’s growth for 28 years, CLD’s portfolio comprises one retail mall, two integrated developments, and more than 13,000 quality homes across 17 residential developments. Over the next five years, we aim to accelerate our investment in the country, doubling our capital allocation to grow our portfolio in Vietnam. Our real estate expertise, coupled with our extensive local knowledge, places us in a strong position to scale up our investments in township developments, logistics, industrial, and business parks as well as seek opportunities to expand into data centres. Our recent investments … [Read more...] about CapitaLand Development enhances its operations

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on August 8, 1967, marking the start of the process of deepening its integration for peace, stability, and development in Southeast Asia and the region. Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son From a group of Southeast Asian countries divided by war, through 55 years of construction and development, ASEAN is today one of the most important, prestigious, and successful regional organisations in the world. It has become a shared home for more than 650 million people across all 10 Southeast Asian countries which boast diverse cultural identities, the fifth-largest economic community in the world, and a reliable and important partner of many countries. ASEAN plays a central role in important processes of dialogues, cooperation, and also linkages throughout the region. Shared vision and identity The birth of ASEAN 55 years ago reflected the common aspirations of many countries in the region … [Read more...] about Building on the ASEAN Community