NAB Vietnam: Pioneering sustainable development and community engagement

As a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank (NAB), which is also focused on creating long-term positive impacts, NAB Vietnam is making significant strides in fostering a sustainable future for the country.

Driving sustainable outcomes

NAB's sustainability journey is long-standing, marked by significant milestones and global recognition over the last 20 years.

This includes ranking in Corporate Knights’ annual Top 100 Sustainable Corporations list in 2020-2023, recognising NAB’s efforts to integrate sustainability into its core business operations.

NAB’s approach focuses on understanding and managing its impact on climate change, natural capital, and biodiversity.

Along with this, NAB seeks to embed this focus in its policies, standards, and management frameworks, including building design and operating standards and risk management frameworks.

As a proud member of the industry-led, United Nations-convened Net Zero Banking Alliance, NAB is working towards reducing the emissions attributable to its financing, with the ultimate goal of supporting emissions reduction in the real economy and aligning with pathways to net zero by 2050.

This translates into tangible actions in Australia, such as $4.5 billion in funding for new green lending activities in 2023 alone.

Local impact: Green initiatives in Vietnam

In Vietnam, NAB's sustainability approach includes initiatives that resonate within local communities.

NAB Vietnam’s new 8,500sq.m office space in the Hallmark Grade A+ office building is testament to this. Achieving LEED Gold Certification from the US Green Building Council, the office is equipped with technology and systems which aim to minimise environmental impact while enhancing operational efficiency.

NAB Vietnam office has achieved LEED Gold Certification from the US Green Building Council

Recognising the importance of colleague engagement in environmental and social responsibility, NAB Vietnam has introduced two annual Volunteer Leave days, encouraging colleagues to participate in charitable and environmental causes.

Held in partnership with the Gaia Nature Conservation Center, the inaugural Volunteer Day took place on May 24 at the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve.

This initiative aligns with the Vietnamese government's ambitious project to plant 1 billion trees from 2021 to 2025.

More than 170 volunteers, including NAB Vietnam employees and community members, gathered during this event to plant 500 mangrove trees.

This effort sought to aid in local environmental preservation and also play a crucial role in protecting the ecosystem, preventing erosion, and safeguarding numerous species' habitats.

NAB Vietnam team takes action for a greener future at their Volunteer Day in Can Gio Biosphere Reserve

Howard Silby, general director of NAB Vietnam, expressed his pride in the initiative, noting that, “In Australia, NAB has gained widespread recognition for its environmental initiatives, particularly in supporting natural disaster relief. I am immensely proud that we are fostering similar activities as the Volunteer Days. While there is much more to be done to fulfill NAB’s ambition of achieving net zero by 2050, we are dedicated to implementing many more initiatives in Vietnam to align with this mission.”

Investing in Vietnam's tech future sustainably

NAB Vietnam's objective extends beyond environmental initiatives to fostering a thriving and sustainable tech sector in Vietnam.

Recognising the country's potential, with more than 50,000 new tech graduates entering the workforce annually, NAB strategically chose Vietnam for its Innovation Centre.

NAB supports this talent pool through training programmes, with over 7,000 certifications delivered in cloud technologies alone. NAB has partnered with various universities, offering 120 recent graduates opportunities to pursue tech careers, with the aim to empower the next generation of tech professionals.

Beyond technical skills, NAB Vietnam seeks to foster a positive and inclusive work environment that promotes diversity and inclusion, particularly empowering women in tech through providing a targeted mentoring programme and internships for female students.

Building a sustainable future, one step at a time

NAB Vietnam colleagues team up to plant a mangrove sapling, helping to protect the local coastline and biodiversity

NAB Vietnam's focus on sustainability goes beyond individual projects, and aims to embed continuous improvement and community engagement into the core of its operations. The annual Volunteer Day is one such example.

By building on NAB’s approach, and tailoring initiatives to the local context, NAB Vietnam seeks to set a high bar for sustainability.

ESG becoming mandatory criteria for sustainable development of business Environmental, social, and governance factors are increasingly becoming a prerequisite component in the investment decision-making process of many investors, with an initiative offered by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Sao Do Group leans on sustainable development The journey towards building eco-friendly industrial parks (IPs) to gradually reduce their carbon footprint is becoming increasingly respected by investors at Nam Dinh Vu IP.

Australis willing to invest $1 billion to advance sustainable development in Vietnam US-based Australis Aquaculture is willing to invest $1 billion to advance sustainable development in Vietnam with its current operation in the central province of Khanh Hoa.