How Keppel Land enriches lives and uplifts the community

Vietnam is a key growth market for Keppel Land and, as the company expands its presence in the country, it remains steadfast in its commitment to nurturing communities, wherever it operates.

In line with Keppel’s Vision 2030, Keppel Land places sustainability at the core of its strategy and operations. This commitment is also reflected in the company’s corporate social responsibility activities, which focus on engaging and supporting the community through environmental stewardship and creating meaningful social impact.

Representatives of Keppel Land and Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment interacting with students at the Green Sculpture Competition and Exhibition

Championing environmental stewardship

Keppel Land regularly organises and participates in eco-initiatives to promote environmental awareness and conservation.

The company raised public awareness about environmental protection and climate action through the Green Sculpture Competition and Exhibition in July 2022, where participants were tasked to create sculptural artworks with recycled materials, including plastic waste. The competition received close to 60 submissions from more than 100 students and members of the public.

In the same month, Keppel Land contributed 3,000 trees to the Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve to support Vietnam’s national programme that targets to plant one billion trees by 2025.

Other initiatives to raise awareness about plastic waste include organising the display of a plastic straw art installation at Keppel Land’s mall, Estella Place, in Ho Chi Minh City. Named “The Parting of the Plastic Sea”, the art installation achieved the Guinness World Record for the ‘Largest drinking straw sculpture (supported)’.

Keppel Land volunteers engaging with local schoolchildren on the use of water filtration systems in Dai Hoa Loc and Bao Thuan communes in Ben Tre province

Caring for the community

Keppel Land is committed to giving back to the community by supporting the vulnerable and those in need in difficult times.

In October 2022, over 270 units of blood were donated to the Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital at a blood donation drive. It was jointly organised by Keppel Land Vietnam, Saigon Centre, and Ben Nghe ward, and saw the participation of 200 Keppel Land staff and tenants. The total units donated at the drive is estimated to contribute to saving over 800 lives.

Back in April 2022, leveraging Keppel Infrastructure’s expertise in water solutions, Keppel Land launched the Living Well initiative to provide water filtration systems that offer about 20,000 villagers in both the Dai Hoa Loc and Bao Thuan communes in Ben Tre province, better access to clean drinking water.

These are two areas which have been affected severely by harsh drought and saltwater intrusion. This has destroyed thousands of hectares of rice fields and fruit orchards, and resulted in the lack of fresh water for the daily needs of the villagers.

In 2021, Keppel Land donated a total of VND7.4 billion ($321,700) to support Vietnam’s nationwide efforts to fight COVID-19. The donation supported the country’s vaccination efforts and provided medical supplies to local hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City as well as other affected regions in Vietnam.

The donation included medical supplies worth VND300 million ($13,000) that were donated by Watco II, Keppel Land Vietnam’s joint venture company, to government agencies in the city.

Keppel Land Vietnam has been supporting educational initiatives, including “Nang Buoc Thu Khoa” programme under Tien Phong’s Fund for Young Talents of Vietnam since 2011, and it has awarded a total of 75 scholarships to date.

Keppel Land has also been a sponsor of the Words on Wheels mobile library programme, which is organised by the Singapore International Foundation. The programme provides access to books and multimedia facilities via a mobile library that visits participating schools on a rotational basis.

Additionally, volunteers from Keppel Land were involved in the development of sustainability-themed English lessons on green living and financial literacy as part of the programme.

Keppel Land and Shopee join hands to collaborate on Celesta Heights project Keppel Land has announced a partnership with Shopee to market Celesta Heights, the latest residential project jointly developed by Keppel Land and Phu Long Real Estate Corporation.

Keppel Land nurtures local communities in Vietnam Keppel Land has been in Vietnam since the early 1990s and is one of the largest foreign real estate investors in the country, deeply committed to engaging with and contributing to local communities. Joseph Low, president for Vietnam at Keppel Land, talked with VIR's Binh An about the firm's corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.

Keppel Land raise plastic waste awareness "Shackles", a sculptured artwork, was chosen as the first prize winner from more than 60 submissions to the Green Sculpture Competition organised by Keppel Land in support of the Plastic Free July global movement and in conjunction with Keppel Land Vietnam’s 30th-anniversary celebrations.