Speaking at the first Vietnam ESG Forum with the theme "Sustainable development strategy in the new era" held this afternoon (April 23), Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa, General Director of FPT Corporation and Chairman of the Vietnam Software and Information Technology Association (VINASA), shared about informal management practices at his company.

Mr. Khoa said that when implementing ESG, FPT Corporation does not consider itself as a large enterprise but operates like other normal enterprises. He informed that FPT has practiced ESG for more than 10 years, but the past 4 years have been the time when the enterprise has implemented it on a comprehensive scale, from internal to all partners to create connection points.

According to Mr. Khoa, applying ESG to strategy building is very important because it creates sustainability, creating "resistance" for businesses to fight against rapid changes of the times.

"Bringing ESG into core operations will enhance operations, expand sustainable growth, create a good environment, and attract young workers," he said.

According to him, young people today are very concerned about the environment. "We have 90,000 employees and nearly 45,000 of them are Gen Z," he said.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa, General Director of FPT Corporation (Photo: Thanh Dong).

3 principles of ESG implementation at FPT

Mr. Khoa shares ESG implementation principles at FPT.

The first is not to copy. "We learn but do not copy. I think businesses must build ESG implementation factors for businesses regardless of whether the business has only 3-5 people," he said.

Second is not to back down. Mr. Khoa said that this unit not only builds reports with beautiful content, but also has to implement them in the business's own operations.

Third, ESG practices must be measurable. There are quantitative and qualitative measures.

In response to concerns about why businesses must implement ESG, Mr. Khoa said that ESG is a common point for cultural exchange and customers sometimes do not want to leave FPT because the business brings them a special working culture.

He also informed that the strategic framework for ESG implementation at FPT is built on five principles, including promoting sustainable growth, increasing labor productivity, saving costs, building a happy working environment, and contributing to the community.

At the Dan Tri newspaper forum , Mr. Khoa shared the story of FPT building a happy working environment, applying science and technology, and innovation. "A business that wants to develop sustainably must have a kind, humane, and creative working environment; otherwise, it cannot work with its customers," Mr. Khoa said.

He also shared that at FPT, the unit puts people at the center. "Good and talented people are one thing. The important thing is to find the right people," he said.

In addition, this unit creates a lifelong learning environment. "We continuously learn and share. This is the reason why we have grown continuously over the years. Mr. Truong Gia Binh has 90 hours of class time a year, I also have 75 hours. If he does not attend enough classes, his 13th month salary will be reduced by a quarter," he said.

Forum scene (Photo: Manh Quan).

Need to form domestic ESG network

Mr. Khoa also shared that one of the important factors at FPT is building a green working environment with green offices, open spaces, controlling electricity and water consumption, and implementing paperless offices.

"We are present in 30 countries and always have to calculate how to keep FPT's energy consumption as low as possible. We control electricity consumption and control the paperless working system," Mr. Khoa shared.

Mr. Khoa also shared the story of AI application at FPT. Specifically, the application of AI in management. Accordingly, this unit applies AI to internal management, specifically the management of purchasing - sales and cash flow. "The jobs that are usually done on computers will now be done by AI," he said.

FPT also applies AI to business. For training, FPT trains tens of thousands of technology engineers in AI and AI virtual assistants.

"Don't see ESG as a burden but as an opportunity. If you see ESG as an opportunity, there will always be a way to do it," he emphasized.

Mr. Khoa proposed that the Government issue legal frameworks and national ESG standards. FPT representative said that they are ready to accompany to standardize ESG index sets suitable for Vietnam and approaching international standards.

At the same time, he proposed promoting green finance, preferential capital for businesses implementing ESG, reducing the financial burden for small and medium enterprises.

Besides, he said that it is necessary to form a domestic ESG network led by enterprises.

At the same time, according to him, it is necessary to build a national ESG ecosystem, integrate ESG into products and services, bring ESG into education, and raise awareness about ESG. "ESG is not an ornament, not a trend, but an advantage," said Mr. Khoa.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/tong-giam-doc-fpt-esg-khong-phai-la-mot-20250423132129835.htm