Sustainable Development: Avoiding Mistakes and Misconceptions

Phát triển bền vững: Tránh những sai lầm và ngộ nhận - Ảnh 1.

Phát triển bền vững: Tránh những sai lầm và ngộ nhận - Ảnh 2. — *SDGs Implementation Status Chart*

The world is in a fierce race to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. But the race is facing unprecedented challenges, with progress on the SDGs at risk. The latest report shows that globally, nearly half of the targets have not been met, 17% have made no progress and 18% have fallen below the 2015 baseline.

Phát triển bền vững: Tránh những sai lầm và ngộ nhận - Ảnh 3.

Amidst this bleak picture, Vietnam has emerged as a bright spot. The ranking conducted by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network on 17 goals in 193 countries shows that Vietnam has risen to second place in Southeast Asia after Thailand in the sustainable development index in 2025 with 73.4 points, an increase of 27.4% compared to 2015. Our efforts in poverty eradication, hunger eradication, and clean energy at reasonable prices have recorded great improvements.

Phát triển bền vững: Tránh những sai lầm và ngộ nhận - Ảnh 4.

However, the road ahead is still full of thorns. Vietnam's scores in some targets are still quite modest: marine resources and environment only reached 48.24 points, land resources and environment reached 49.26 points, and industry - innovation and infrastructure development reached 57.5 points.

In reality, many businesses are facing huge challenges. A company specializing in garment and embroidery processing has just lost a contract worth over 1 million USD just because it did not meet the certification required by its American partner. Every year, the evaluation criteria from international partners become more stringent. Despite efforts to improve ESG practices, businesses admit that there are still many difficulties.

Phát triển bền vững: Tránh những sai lầm và ngộ nhận - Ảnh 5.

Experts warn: it would be a big mistake if businesses choose to withdraw or just do it for the sake of difficulty. It is time for a radical change in thinking - to do it for real, seriously and responsibly in the green transformation journey, practicing ESG. And on that journey, practical companionship from departments, branches, sectors as well as professional associations is needed - with systematic, in-depth training programs, saying no to trends and formalities.

Phát triển bền vững: Tránh những sai lầm và ngộ nhận - Ảnh 6.

Phát triển bền vững: Tránh những sai lầm và ngộ nhận - Ảnh 7.

Phát triển bền vững: Tránh những sai lầm và ngộ nhận - Ảnh 9.

Phát triển bền vững: Tránh những sai lầm và ngộ nhận - Ảnh 8.

Green practices are now a mandatory requirement for any business that wants to survive and develop. Especially for small and medium enterprises - accounting for more than 90% of the number in Vietnam - investing in ESG needs to be seen not only as a social responsibility, but also as the only way to improve competitiveness. To do this, businesses must have enough knowledge, enough trust and enough integrity to practice green seriously, systematically and responsibly. This is the key to opening the door to sustainable development in the coming period.

At this point, we are no longer talking about 'inevitable trends'. Green practices have become a mandatory requirement for all businesses if they want to survive and develop in the context of global integration. That requires businesses - especially small and medium-sized enterprises - to have enough knowledge, enough trust and enough integrity to practice ESG seriously, systematically and responsibly. This is not only a social responsibility, but also the key to improving competitiveness, opening the door to sustainable development in the future.