Vietnam ESG Awards 2025: The Judging Council shares interesting information

(Dan Tri) - Talking about Vietnam ESG Awards 2025, experts from the Appraisal Council said that each honored enterprise will become an ambassador to spread ESG values ​​- so that ESG does not stop at reporting...

Not just “scoring”, but an opportunity to recognize and encourage businesses

Ms. Le Thai Ha, CEO of VinFuture Foundation, CEO of Green Future Fund, member of the Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 Evaluation Council, believes that the most important thing is to ensure that the evaluation process is not just about “scoring”, but also an opportunity for dialogue, recognition and encouragement for businesses to continue to improve.

“In terms of process, the Appraisal Council consists of experts from many different fields - environment, corporate governance, sustainable finance, science and technology and development organizations,” she said.

Each application is reviewed independently according to a set of agreed criteria, based on specific evidence and data, before being discussed collectively to reach a common conclusion.

"We also pay special attention to spreading the spirit of encouragement. The titles not only honor businesses that have achieved outstanding results but also want to share good models and practices to inspire and help other businesses act together for sustainable development goals," Ms. Ha shared.

Dr. Le Thai Ha believes that the special point of Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 is not only to honor businesses that have gone far on the ESG journey, but also to promote the spirit of starting and persevering on the path of sustainable development. "The criteria of Vietnam ESG Awards are designed in two levels: basic and advanced so that businesses at different stages can participate, self-evaluate and learn," she said.

Many businesses, after completing their applications for the first round, shared that this process helped them have a more comprehensive view of their operations under the ESG lens, and that is the spreading value that the award aims for.

Dr. Le Thai Ha - Executive Director of VinFuture Foundation, Executive Director of Green Future Fund (Photo: Hai Long).

Dr. Bui Thanh Minh, Deputy Director of the Office of Private Economic Development Research (Department IV), said that the criteria set of Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 was built on the basis of inheriting from the 2024 criteria set, while supplementing and editing to suit current businesses in various industries.

"This year, the special criteria set integrates additional factors related to science, technology and innovation, in line with the spirit of Resolution No. 57 dated December 22, 2024 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation," Mr. Minh shared.

According to him, the criteria set is designed based on a combination of international standards and the actual implementation context in Vietnam. At the global level, the Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 Judging Council references popular standard frameworks such as GRI, SASB, TCFD, along with ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 26000 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

Meanwhile, at the national level, the set of criteria is localized according to major strategies and policies such as the Green Growth Strategy 2021-2030, the Program to support private enterprises in sustainable business for the period 2022-2025, and at the same time refer to the VNSI index set and the ESG implementation guidance framework of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (now the Ministry of Finance).

"The appraisal council does not mechanically apply international standards, but builds a scoring framework according to 5 levels of ESG maturity, from awareness to a proven, effective operating system," Mr. Minh shared.

This approach enables businesses of all sizes – from small and medium-sized enterprises to global corporations – to self-assess and position their ESG capabilities on a consistent, clear, and substantive scale. “We strive to ensure the high level of expertise of the award while also encouraging businesses to participate in order to achieve sustainable development goals,” emphasized Dr. Bui Thanh Minh.

Opportunity for businesses to have a "health check"

According to Mr. Vu Thanh Thang, Director of Artificial Intelligence (CAIO), and founder of SCS Cyber ​​Security Joint Stock Company - the most important thing of Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 is not only in the evaluation, but also in encouraging businesses to see ESG as a new strategic thinking.

According to him, the complete construction of the ESG criteria set was drafted by leading and reputable experts. Thereby, ensuring the criteria set is selected and developed sustainably based on international standards on ESG measurement currently being implemented in businesses.

“This year, the criteria set has updated technology criteria, responding to business changes in the 4.0 technology revolution,” Mr. Thang emphasized.

Dr. Bui Thanh Minh, Deputy Director of Professional Affairs, Office of Private Economic Development Research Board (Photo: Hai Long).

Dr. Bui Thanh Minh believes that participating in the Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 is not just for businesses to receive a title, but a journey for all parties to self-reflect and affirm the sustainable development value of Vietnamese businesses.

The honored enterprises will receive many practical benefits. First of all, the reputation of the enterprise will be enhanced. Winning ESG awards according to a transparent assessment framework, confirmed by a Council of reputable independent experts, will help enterprises strengthen the trust of partners, investors and consumers.

At the same time, winning the award also opens up opportunities to access green capital sources, as investment funds and financial institutions increasingly consider ESG as a prerequisite. Winning the award helps businesses increase their ability to mobilize capital, especially international capital.

Not only that, ESG is gradually becoming a "passport" in the global supply chain, helping businesses better meet the requirements of partners.

According to Mr. Minh, the distinct value of Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 lies in the fact that the title is not just about scoring or honoring, but also an opportunity for businesses to "check their health" and know where their ESG journey is and what the specific destination is, from which they can build a suitable and realistic roadmap.

"The participation process also helps businesses systematize data, identify strengths and weaknesses in sustainable management, thereby integrating ESG into business models and shaping long-term strategies, instead of just doing ESG as a movement," he emphasized.

"Passport" for businesses to access international markets

Sharing more about the biggest challenge for Vietnamese enterprises when practicing ESG, Dr. Le Thai Ha said that the biggest challenge today is not only cost or regulations, but lies in how enterprises perceive and approach ESG.

"Many businesses still view ESG as a compliance requirement, while in reality, this should be a new strategic mindset - linked to the entire governance, investment and operation process. When considering ESG as the foundation for long-term development, businesses will see many opportunities open up: from energy saving, green technology innovation to enhancing reputation and attracting investors," said Ms. Ha.

From the perspective of the Appraisal Council, Ms. Ha recommends that businesses start with small but solid steps such as measurement, disclosure and continuous improvement.

"Transparency in data and actions not only helps businesses improve themselves, but also builds trust with the community and partners - the core of true sustainable development," she emphasized.

Sharing the same view, Prof. Dr. Mac Quoc Anh, Vice President and General Secretary of the Hanoi Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, Director of the Institute of Economics and Enterprise Development, said that participating and being honored at the Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 brings Vietnamese enterprises many important strategic advantages, especially in the context of sustainable development becoming an irreversible global trend.

“First of all, just registering to participate shows a strong commitment of the business to ESG values ​​- not just in words, but demonstrated through the process of planning, implementation, testing and improvement,” Mr. Mac Quoc Anh shared.

He believes that this process has helped businesses upgrade themselves, while sending a clear message to employees, partners and society about responsibility, transparency and sustainable development.

When honored, a business not only receives a title, but also owns a "certification" evaluated by an independent and prestigious expert council. "Businesses can take advantage of this reputation in communications, marketing, annual reports or partner profiles. It is a "certification mark" for sustainable management capacity - a factor that helps strengthen the trust of customers and investors," he added.

Mr. Vu Thanh Thang, Director of Artificial Intelligence (CAIO), and founder of SCS Cyber ​​Security Joint Stock Company (Photo: NVCC).

Talking about the value of being honored at the Vietnam ESG Awards 2025, Mr. Vu Thanh Thang said that this is a "passport" for businesses to access international markets and attract investment capital.

"This reputation will help businesses differentiate themselves from competitors, especially when customers, foreign investors, and partners are increasingly interested in ESG factors when choosing cooperation," he shared.

According to Mr. Thang, for foreign investors or global supply chains, the recognition of an enterprise in ESG is a strong signal of risk management, social and environmental responsibility, which can help facilitate access to capital, contracts or joint ventures. “It also affirms the potential for the enterprise to develop towards the global market, integrating with the playing field of influential enterprises in the world,” he said.

Mr. Thang emphasized that businesses participating in Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 will receive dual benefits of both enhancing their brand and receiving advice from experienced experts in the Council.

ESG does not stop at reporting, but becomes the "common language" of sustainable development.

From the perspective of expanding business opportunities, Mr. Mac Quoc Anh believes that being honored at the Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 gives businesses a clear advantage in negotiations and cooperation. Vietnam is deeply integrating into global supply chains, where ESG is considered a mandatory input criterion.

“A business that is recognized for ESG will have easier access to multinational corporations, investment funds or international financial institutions,” he analyzed.

The expert believes that being honored contributes to building trust with domestic and foreign investors that businesses have complied with stricter environmental, social, and governance standards. "This helps businesses access capital more easily, or receive more favorable conditions such as lower interest rates, support from ESG funds, green banks...", he added.

In addition to expanding the market, honored businesses can also expand their networks. Businesses, organizations, and associations will look at the honor list as a “suggested list” for cooperation. Therefore, the title helps businesses to be invited to cooperation programs, seminars, and sustainable development projects.

Mr. Quoc Anh emphasized that the value of Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 also lies in its profound impact on the internal capacity of enterprises. “The process of participating in Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 requires enterprises to review all ESG-related activities in terms of policies, procedures, reports, inspections and improvements. This is a “homework” that has the effect of upgrading the internal management system,” he said.

Prof. Dr. Mac Quoc Anh, Vice President and General Secretary of the Hanoi Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, Director of the Institute of Economics and Enterprise Development (Photo: Hai Long).

Regarding the role of the Appraisal Council, Mr. Bui Thanh Minh emphasized that the principles of independence, objectivity and transparency are top priorities. However, according to him, ESG is not just an award but a journey to change corporate awareness and culture.

"How to encourage businesses to change their perception? National goals cannot be achieved with just a few hundred businesses but require the cooperation of the entire business community," he affirmed that the Appraisal Council considers the role of "inspiration" not to be in opposition to but complementary to the impartiality factor.

The expert also revealed that the Vietnam ESG Awards 2025 title is evaluated based on evidence and encouraged based on potential. The Council will score based on authentic data, but still recognize and acknowledge the innovation efforts of businesses, especially endogenous ESG initiatives.

In addition, the transparency of the scoring framework and post-assessment feedback helps businesses see clearly the improvement roadmap, not just the results. Each honored business will also become an ambassador to spread ESG values ​​- so that ESG does not stop at reporting, but becomes the "common language" of sustainable development.

"After different rounds of judging, if there are any differences, we will discuss them specifically to unify our views. Therefore, the final result is the collective opinion of independent experts from different fields," Mr. Minh affirmed.

The workshop “Implementing ESG with science and technology - From data to action” - a satellite event of the Vietnam ESG Forum 2025 with the theme “Science and technology and driving force for sustainable development” organized by Dan Tri newspaper took place at 1:30 p.m. on November 26 in Hanoi.

Interested readers can register to attend the conference here.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/vietnam-esg-awards-2025-hoi-dong-tham-dinh-chia-se-nhung-thong-tin-thu-vi-20251112233518123.htm