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The final round of the Vietnam ESG Challenge 2024 competition took place on November 1 in Hanoi. Photo: Vietnam ESG Challenge 2024

Viet Nam ESG Challenge 2024 is co-organized by the State Securities Commission of Vietnam and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). Held for the first time in 2023, the Viet Nam ESG Challenge is the first academic playground on corporate governance towards sustainable development for students of leading universities in economics, finance and business administration.

Entering the second season, the contest has made a breakthrough in both the number of participants and the scale of the organization, and has attracted the support of large organizations and businesses in Vietnam. The contest attracted the participation of thousands of students from 18 leading universities and academies in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

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Team “InVINcible” from VinUniversity (VinUni) won first prize at the final round in Hanoi. Photo: Viet Nam ESG Challenge 2024

With their excellent performance in the situation handling, debate and role-playing rounds, the “InVINcible” team from VinUniversity (VinUni) won over the judges and won the first prize - “Effective Board of Directors” at the final round in Hanoi. The second prize - “Smart Board of Directors” was awarded to the “TMUniverse” team from the University of Commerce. The third prize - “Creative Board of Directors” and “Innovative Board of Directors” were awarded to the “Mighty Lions” team from the British University Vietnam and the “GreenPioneers” team from the Academy of Finance.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the first place went to the “gReen” team from RMIT University. The second place went to the “FTU2gether” team from Foreign Trade University, Campus 2. The third place went to the two teams “BK EcoVisionaries” from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (Ho Chi Minh City National University) and “Origin Unity” from Ho Chi Minh City Open University.

The Sustainability Round in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City concluded the second season of the competition "Corporate governance towards sustainable development" - Viet Nam ESG Challenge 2024.

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The final round of the Vietnam ESG Challenge 2024 competition took place in Ho Chi Minh City on November 3. Photo: Vietnam ESG Challenge 2024

Before entering the final round, 90 contestants participated in an intensive training series on ESG, guided by leading experts; visited the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) and Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HOSE); and received ESG training at the offices of PwC Vietnam and SSI Securities Corporation. Before that, the contestants also participated in a training session called "The Truth About Climate Change" organized by experts from The Asia Foundation (TAF). These activities not only equipped the contestants with practical knowledge but also broadened their vision of the importance of ESG in the current context.

Not only did the finalists win valuable cash prizes worth a total of VND140 million, they also received full scholarships for the “Fundamental of Sustainability” course from ICAEW, which is valid globally, and internships at major companies that are sponsors of the competition. In addition, the teams that won first, second, and third prizes also received scholarships from the Securities Research and Training Center, the State Securities Commission of Vietnam, for professional certificate courses in securities.

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Ms. Vu Thi Chan Phuong - Chairwoman of the State Securities Commission of Vietnam delivered the opening speech of the competition. Photo: Viet Nam ESG Challenge 2024

Ms. Vu Thi Chan Phuong - Chairwoman of the State Securities Commission of Vietnam shared that sustainable development has become an urgent need and an inevitable trend in the development process of society. She hopes that the competition will become a professional playground, a learning platform and practical experience for students. At the same time, with the goal of not only raising awareness but also promoting action, the competition will help young people see more clearly their role and responsibility in sustainable development.

Ms. Dang Thi Mai Trang - Chief Representative of ICAEW Vietnam said: “We are very pleased to witness the strong influence of the Vietnam ESG Challenge 2024 and its attention from the business community and universities. From 5 participating schools in Hanoi in 2023, this year's competition has attracted 18 participating schools in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The quality of the contestants has also increased significantly compared to the first year. These are great motivations for us to strive to organize the annual competition, bringing the Vietnam ESG Challenge beyond the framework of a competition, becoming a place to create a future generation of Vietnamese human resources who are knowledgeable about corporate governance and sustainable development, contributing to the realization of the country's sustainable development goals".

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The first prize of the final round in Ho Chi Minh City went to the “gReen” team from RMIT University. Photo: Viet Nam ESG Challenge 2024

As a prestigious ESG academic playground for Vietnamese students organized nationwide, the Vietnam ESG Challenge 2024 has received the support of large domestic and international organizations and enterprises.

Phuong Dung