HCMC – The Saigon Times CSR 2023 program wrapped up today, November 15, with 40 businesses honored at a ceremony in HCMC for their meaningful and impactful corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and contributions to society.
The Saigon Times CSR 2023 Merit Ceremony was organized at the Rex Saigon Hotel in District 1, HCMC, with the participation of foreign diplomats, business partners, business executives, and representatives of the participating enterprises.
Riding on the great success of the four previous editions of the Saigon Times CSR program, The Saigon Times, an English news website of the Saigon Times Group, launched the fifth edition of the program in May this year.
After more than six months, the Saigon Times CSR 2023 program got a positive response from domestic and foreign companies. Over 65 impactful CSR stories were published on The Saigon Times and its sister online newspaper in Vietnamese, Kinh Te Sai Gon Online.
At the ceremony, 40 companies were recognized and honored for their outstanding CSR practices and great contributions to the community and society as a whole.
In his opening remarks at the ceremony, Pham Huu Chuong, deputy editor-in-chief of the Saigon Times Group, highly appreciated all the businesses participating in the program. “These businesses made significant contributions in various fields, ranging from environmental protection to nature conservation, from healthcare for those in need to assistance for students, from promoting the advancement of women to developing human resources, and providing food for impoverished households,” he said.
He emphasized that all the 40 businesses honored at the event demonstrated a pioneering spirit and made substantial contributions in realizing sustainable development, thereby playing a role in creating a brighter future for the community and society as a whole.
In recent years, CSR has become popular in the business community. And many businesses have begun embracing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance).
Highlighting the shift from CSR to ESG as an opportunity to intensify a company’s dedication to sustainability and social responsibility, Chuong expressed optimism about the high possibility of more businesses incorporating ESG into their long-term business plans in the near future.
The year 2023 is a special year for the Saigon Times CSR program as it marks the fifth year The Saigon Times has accompanied businesses in their journeys to implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
Among hundreds of companies that have joined the Saigon Times CSR program since 2019, five of them have made to the list of businesses that have been recognized in the Saigon Times CSR program for five consecutive years.
As part of the merit ceremony, the “Sustainability and Beyond” seminar was held, featuring panelists who are experts in the field and leaders of major corporations such as Joseph Low, President (Vietnam), Real Estate, Keppel Corporation; Kaneda Hiroki, General Director of Acecook Vietnam; Le Anh, Sustainability Director of Duy Tan Plastic Recycling; John Ditty, Managing Partner, KPMG Vietnam; and Le Hong Minh, General Director of i.Value Corporation, and Member of the Management Board of Startup Vietnam Foundation (SVF).
The seminar addressed the human factor in sustainable development, with a focus on the letter S, which stands for “social” in the key pillars that comprise the ESG framework.
