Csr

CSR and sustainable development

The Saigon Times

General view of the Saigon Times CSR 2020 Merit Ceremony – PHOTO: SGT

Among the missions of business, the development of the community should always be held aloft. A community-minded company also will seek ways to give back to the community, and therefore, it is no wonder corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an integral part of the corporate culture of many a company.

In today’s business development, the CSR activity is no longer limited to social programs like feeding the hungry, financing health plans for the poor or giving relief aid to victims of natural calamities. Numerous enterprises have conceived new initiatives to make community support more sustainable, like helping poor students continue their schooling, or launching vocational programs to give the underprivileged what is described as a fishing rod. Other enterprises have gone further afield, launching sustainable development solutions to leave positive impacts on the community and economy on one hand and minimize adverse effects on the environment and nature on the other.

All such noble acts should by all means be honored.

Saigon Times Group today announces the launch of Saigon Times CSR 2021 to recognize the generous deeds of enterprises in the country for the good of the community and the economy. The program is meant to recognize exemplary acts by enterprises – and entrepreneurs in particular – that benefit the community on one hand, and to encourage efforts by the business circle to build a prosperous society for all in the long run.

While sponsorship for education, support for the public well-being, or commitment to help eradicate poverty are always worthwhile, we also cannon attention to efforts by the business circle to pursue sustainable development, which has now become a norm for many enterprises wanting to achieve respectful standing at home and abroad.

Apart from stories to be published on The Saigon Times website to tell CSR stories of enterprises, we will also serve as a forum for experts in the field to share their views on how CSR can do good for all stakeholders. We will also print a special supplement and organize a special seminar on the topic at the end of the year to sum up CSR activities of enterprises.

Enterprises with CSR programs are kindly requested to send related information with the contact numbers to our news desk by email to Ms. Nhu Huynh at [email protected] or via phone call 0981698697 . Where necessary, we will send reporters to write your CSR stories.

CityLand – active member in CSR field

The Saigon Times

Representatives of CityLand, local authorities and flood-hit residents pose for a group photo at a donation handover ceremony in late 2020 when Central Vietnam was hit hard by flooding – PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CITYLAND

For CityLand Real Estate Investment Company Limited (CityLand), corporate social responsibility (CSR) means a commitment to always maintain its business ethics, contribute to the sustainable development of the economy, and improve the quality of life of employees. Also, a business needs to make relentless efforts in implementing activities that will contribute to the community growth.

At CityLand, business operations will go hand in hand with CSR activities. “Commitment – Quality – Equality – Sharing – Professionality” are the core values that generations of CityLand leaders and employees have deployed since the beginning of the firm’s foundation. Aside from offering outstanding values to customers and business partners, CityLand has constantly improved its management policies and measures to develop human resources, and has been actively involved in charity programs in various localities, cultural and sports events nationwide.

Specifically, CityLand-branded property projects such as CityLand Garden Hills, CityLand Riverside, CityLand Center Hills, CityLand Park Hills have not only enabled customers to increase investment value annually, brought about the good livelihood to them, but they have also created prosperous and civilized communities that helps change the appearance of regions where the projects are located.

The property developer has reinvested a part of profits it earned from business operations through activities to develop human resources, take care of its employees, upgrade amenities of residential areas, invest in new projects in cities such as Hanoi, Phu Quoc, and especially give a helping hand to the community where it is operating.

In 2020 and the first months of 2021 alone, despite multiple obstacles triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, CityLand has been actively joining a wide range of community programs.

In March last year, it donated one Realtime Polymerase Chain Reaction testing machine which can conduct rapid Covid-19 test within 24 hours to Phu Quoc Medical Center in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang.

A CityLand representative said that the donation of the testing machine was to express the firm’s responsibility toward the community when the country was grappling with the public health crisis. The machine would help facilitate efforts to detect and quarantine suspected Covid-19 cases, thus minimizing the risk of community transmission. It also contributed to the local tourism growth as tourism is a driving force in the island city of Phu Quoc.

One month later, the real estate developer offered medical supplies worth VND300 million to the “For a healthy Vietnam” program and presented 3,000 face masks for an anti-Covid-19 program organized by Kinh Te & Do Thi Newspaper.

In mid-2020, the firm continued to give back to the community by funding the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh VND2 billion to build houses for underprivileged residents.

When flooding took a heavy toll on Central Vietnam late last year, CityLand sent a working team to many central localities such as Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Hue, Quang Nam to offer presents worth nearly VND3 billion to flood-hit residents, encouraging them to soon overcome obstacles and losses caused by disasters. It also presented 3,000 hammocks to the border guard forces who have been working so hard to safeguard the borderland.

Moving on to 2021, the property company in January offered Tet gifts to various districts in HCMC including Binh Thanh, Go Vap, Cu Chi, with a total value exceeding VND1 billion. Two months later, it donated VND1 billion to help develop the Doc Binh Kieu 3 Primary School in Dong Thap Province. Apart from that, the firm spent VND15 billion on many other charity events in the year.

CityLand is among the leading firms that have made great contribution to the nation’s sport development. Since 2018, it has been a main sponsor of the HCMC football club for four consecutive years, and a main sponsor for the 2020 Vietnam Basketball Association season. It has also sponsored Vietnam’s National Futsal League for years. Recently, CityLand announced that it became the main longterm sponsor of Cantho Catfish, a talented basketball team.

“Being among the leading firms in the real estate sector in HCMC as well as in the country, we learn that aside from our mission of doing good business to help build a prosperous society, taking good care of our employees, offering legitimate interests to our customers and business partners, implementing CSR initiatives is part of our sustainable development goals. This is not only a good tradition of the company but it is also the business culture that has been nurtured over the past years as well as in the years to come. We pledge to maintain and develop our core business values,” said a representative of CityLand.

Poor residents in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District receive Tet gifts from CityLand

INSEE installs water pipes for residents in Kien Giang

The Saigon Times

Volunteers install water pipelines in Ba Trai and Hon Trem Hamlets – PHOTOS: INSEE

The INSEE factory in the Hon Chong area of Kien Luong District, Kien Giang Province, a factory of INSEE Cement Company, has installed 700 meters of water pipelines for residents of Ba Trai and Hon Trem Hamlets, Binh An Commune, as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities aimed at improving the quality of life of households around its factory area.

On May 11, 2021, the company handed over the project to the local residents.

The project has received an enthusiastic response from INSEE’s volunteers who installed the pipelines within just seven days from May 5 to 11. The project will help bring clean and stable water to more than 40 households around the Hon Chong Factory area.

Clean water has always been one of the most challenging issues facing the public for many years. According to the statistics and assessments of the Ministries of Health and Natural Resources and Environment, an average of 9,000 people die each year in Vietnam due to poor water and sanitation, and nearly 200,000 new cases of cancer have been reported partly due to their use of polluted water resources.

Many households in Ba Trai and Hon Trem Hamlets have not had running water for a long time. They are forced to use unhygienic water from rivers and wells for their daily activities.

In addition, they were constantly affected due to environmental impacts such as prolonged droughts or mangroves.

Therefore, INSEE Cement, more specifically, INSEE Hon Chong Factory, launched the project with a desire to provide local residents with a source of clean and stable water.

Andy White, director of INSEE Hon Chong Factory, shakes hands with a representative of Binh An Commune to hand over the project

On the handover day, Andy White, director of INSEE Hon Chong Cement Factory, said with a sustainable development orientation, INSEE has always attached importance to activities that bring value to the society and the community. INSEE is proud to launch the project, contributing to building and supporting the local community, especially in Kien Giang Province, where the INSEE Hon Chong Factory operates.

As a pioneer in building materials production and waste management in the south of Vietnam, INSEE has always set its goals with social development as a guiding factor in its development plans. The firm protects the planet by focusing on minimizing the negative impacts on the environment and, where possible, increasing positive activities in the community.

Over the past few years, INSEE Vietnam has made great strides in the construction of eco-friendly facilities in the local community, attracting all stakeholders to participate in a joint effort to improve the quality of life of locals, especially those living in the vicinity of its factories.

It has continually developed infrastructure for neighboring communities as one of the main ways to realize its social responsibility, including bridges, rural roads, playgrounds, kindergartens, health centers and housing for the poor as well as upgrading school facilities.

In 2020, INSEE invested VND5.4 billion in 48 projects with over 87,000 beneficiaries nationwide.

Particularly in Kien Giang Province, INSEE has executed multiple projects, such as Kien Binh 2 inter-school and the installation of water pipes in Ba Nui Hamlet, part of the “water for saline areas” program, which was jointly carried out with the Tuoi Tre newspaper.

With the brand statement “Build For Life”, INSEE believes that the world will be better if everything people make always contributes to making the world more worthwhile.