Nearly a year after VinFast was honored at the Vietnam ESG Awards 2024 organized by Dan Tri newspaper, the sustainable development story of this electric vehicle company continues to make significant progress.
In a context where ESG standards are increasingly becoming the ticket to participating in global supply chains, accessing green capital, and maintaining consumer trust, the award is both a recognition and a test: how will businesses translate their commitment into governance systems and operational practices?
VinFast aligns ESG with its transportation electrification strategy and its Net Zero goal by 2040. Efforts are being implemented across various sectors, from charging infrastructure and operational energy efficiency to supply chain and product lifecycle management, ensuring these promises don't remain just on paper.
In an interview with a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper, Mr. David Edgardo, Director of Environment, Sustainability, and ESG Governance at VinFast, reflected on the significance of the award, the changes over the past year, and the priorities for the next phase.
Towards achieving Net Zero by 2040
Almost a year has passed since VinFast was honored at the Vietnam ESG Awards 2024 organized by Dan Tri Newspaper. Looking back, what is the greatest significance of this award for VinFast, both from a brand perspective and in terms of long-term sustainable development strategy?
- The Vietnam ESG Awards 2024 is clear evidence of VinFast's pioneering position and serious commitment to ESG implementation. Spreading a brand image linked to social responsibility strengthens the trust of the community and internal staff in the brand, while also creating a competitive advantage when VinFast participates in the global supply chain or accesses international green funding.
Mr. David Edgardo - Director of Environment, Sustainability and Governance (ESG) at VinFast (Photo: VinFast).
The award also serves as a springboard for VinFast to perfect its professional and transparent governance system. Good ESG practices help us meet the stringent standards of partners and investors, while strongly promoting the transition to a green growth model, aiming for Net Zero by 2040.
At the time of receiving the award, ESG was still a relatively new concept for many Vietnamese businesses. For VinFast specifically, what concrete changes did that award bring about in management thinking, decision-making among the leadership, and the integration of ESG into their business strategy over the past year?
- Over the past year, we have announced our Net Zero strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2040, focusing on the 3E mission (Electrification - Energy Saving - Energy Greening). Within this, we have identified several specific goals and actions as follows:
Encourage and promote VinFast employees and their families to use electric vehicles for transportation.
Expand the number of charging stations in urban areas, densely populated residential areas, and at rest stops on highways, airports, and seaports to ensure the infrastructure can meet the growth of electric vehicles.
Building a culture of energy conservation and innovation.
The VinFast electric car manufacturing plant in the Vung Ang Economic Zone covers 36 hectares (Photo: Van Nguyen).
Setting energy saving and continuous improvement goals for all employees and departments; promoting investment in rooftop solar power systems. Specifically for the Hai Phong plant, we are currently installing rooftop solar power on the factory roofs with an estimated capacity of approximately 30MW.
The Vietnam ESG Awards 2024 have helped motivate VinFast to prioritize cooperation with suppliers and partners who meet high ESG standards to ensure a sustainable value chain.
By the end of 2024, 80% of VinFast's Tier 1 suppliers had signed commitments to comply with VinFast's Sustainable Supply Chain Policy and Supplier Code of Conduct. We will continue to implement this to ensure a sustainable value chain for VinFast.
In the Environmental pillar, what specific steps and actions has VinFast taken to demonstrate that it deserves the ESG designation it has been awarded?
- We have joined The Climate Pledge along with leading global companies and businesses, committing to achieving Net Zero by 2040, earlier than the Paris Agreement and Vietnam's commitment at COP26.
We have also signed agreements with numerous domestic and international partner businesses and organizations to jointly promote green transformation goals, aiming for a sustainable future.
The importance of reporting systems and internal control mechanisms.
Regarding the Social pillar, how have VinFast's programs for job creation, human resource development, workplace safety, and community support around its factory areas been updated or expanded over the past year?
- Last year, VinFast was ranked 101st in TIME magazine's (USA) list of 500 top "Best Companies in Asia-Pacific 2025".
VinFast is considered to be among the companies that "shape the region's position on the global economic map." This event demonstrates VinFast's increasing role in contributing to the sustainable economic and social development of the Asia-Pacific region.
VinFast also regularly organizes intensive training courses for workers and engineers, and provides opportunities for students from many universities and colleges to undertake full-time internships, thereby giving them the chance to access the latest automotive manufacturing technologies.
Upon graduation, these students will receive support from VinFast, including job placement assistance and recruitment into suitable positions at its member companies.
VinFast also continuously recruits local personnel for its factories in Hai Phong and Ha Tinh, making a positive contribution to social welfare.
VinFast Ha Tinh is equipped with the most modern production line in Southeast Asia (Photo: Van Nguyen).
At the same time, we have also strengthened our safety management systems according to ISO 45001:2018 standards - protecting the workplace for our employees, creating a safe working environment and providing workers with adequate protective equipment.
Regarding the Governance pillar, how has VinFast strengthened its ESG department, monitoring mechanisms, reporting systems, and internal indicators to ensure that ESG commitments are not just strategic but are actually implemented in the company's daily operations?
- VinFast has taken several important steps to strengthen its ESG governance pillar, ensuring that its commitment is not just on paper but is implemented daily in all its operations.
VinFast has a dedicated Environment - Sustainability - Governance (ESG) department, which works closely with the Board of Directors and other departments/divisions to implement a comprehensive ESG strategy.
The ESG department is directly responsible for ESG-related activities, managing operations, and reporting on ESG both internally and externally.
We regularly provide transparent reports to the Board of Directors and shareholders, such as our annual Sustainable Development Report, our Net Zero strategy to 2030, and our vision for 2040.
Corporate governance documents such as the Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Conduct, and Audit Committee Charter are clearly implemented and published on VinFast's official website, enhancing credibility with investors and shareholders.
VinFast has also incorporated ESG into its internal KPIs, with a system for managing and regularly measuring indicators related to emissions, energy, human resources, and sustainable supply chain operations. These KPIs are implemented, monitored, and reported periodically.
Based on the scoring system from Sustainability, VinFast continuously refines its policies to improve its ranking through reporting systems and internal control mechanisms.
By strengthening the ESG Department, building a multi-tiered monitoring mechanism, and creating an internal reporting system and KPIs, VinFast has ensured that ESG has become an integral part of corporate governance and is integrated into daily operations.
VinFast is one of the pioneering businesses in the transition to electric vehicles, contributing to the emission reduction goals of the entire Vingroup ecosystem. Could you share some specific indicators, milestones, or results that VinFast used to assess its ESG contributions over the past year, particularly in terms of emission reduction and clean energy use?
- As of the end of the first nine months of 2025, VinFast had delivered 110,362 electric cars and 234,536 electric motorcycles and electric bicycles to customers worldwide.
In Vietnam, as of the end of November, VinFast had delivered 147,450 electric vehicles of various types to the market, making a positive contribution to reducing air pollution.
VinFast announced its Net Zero strategy for 2030, with a vision for 2040, on its website in January, outlining the 3E mission (Electrification - Energy Saving - Energy Greening).
VinFast has deployed a rooftop solar power system at its Hai Phong factory with an expected capacity of approximately 30MW.
The high localization rate of our product lines helps us enhance traceability and comply with EPR requirements for component recall.
VinFast has partnered with international partners such as Marubeni and BatX Energies to recycle and reuse electric vehicle batteries in Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).
VinFast also uses sustainable materials such as recycled plastics, eco-friendly fabrics, and modular components to simplify disassembly and recycling.
ESG is the path businesses must take.
Units honored with the title of comprehensive ESG implementation at the Vietnam ESG Awards 2024 organized by Dan Tri newspaper (Photo: Manh Quan).
Following VinFast's journey after receiving the ESG award from Dan Tri newspaper, what message does the company want to convey to the Vietnamese business community that is beginning to implement ESG? In the next 1 to 3 years, what new goals has VinFast set to continue living up to this award and further elevate its ESG standards?
- As Professor Nguyen Duc Khuong stated at the Vietnam ESG Awards, ESG is now a path that businesses must take, not just an ideal direction.
We also want to emphasize that ESG is not just an option, but a mandatory future. Furthermore, based on our experience at Vingroup, we want to convey the message that no business can solve environmental and social challenges alone; we need a collaborative community to raise ESG standards across the entire value chain.
Over the next 1-3 years, VinFast has set strategic milestones to further elevate ESG standards and strengthen trust from the community, partners, and investors through its Net Zero Strategy to 2030, with a vision for 2040, focusing on the 3E mission (Electrification - Energy Saving - Energy Greening).
We will promote and encourage people in urban and densely populated areas to use electric vehicles. We will also expand the charging station network, prioritize the use of electric machinery and equipment, replace fossil fuel-powered equipment; and continue to research, develop, and provide high-quality, advanced, and safe battery energy storage system (BESS) solutions to support the green energy transition.
In our operations, we promote a culture of energy conservation and innovation, setting energy saving and continuous improvement targets for all employees and departments.
Establish mechanisms and regulations for competition, rewards, and disciplinary actions related to energy saving; invest in the installation of energy consumption measuring equipment, energy monitoring and control equipment to optimize energy use; establish a carbon governance model; encourage suppliers of raw materials to switch to environmentally friendly, lower-emission, and highly recyclable materials.
In addition, we will strengthen communication and information dissemination on green energy; communicating to customers and society as a whole the benefits of using electric vehicles, using BESS, and contributing to the reduction of global carbon emissions.
Thank you for the conversation!
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/vinfast-va-bai-toan-net-zero-2040-giai-esg-la-cu-hich-de-di-nhanh-di-dung-20251219130140835.htm
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