Phuc Khang Corporation joins hands with Japanese businesses on green buildings

Luu Thi Thanh Mau, CEO of southern developer Phuc Khang Corporation, is one of the few entrepreneurs to have proactively connected with Japanese businesses to promote green building development in the country.

CEO Luu Thi Thanh Mau (3rd from right) with the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association delegation on a business trip to Japan in mid-March

This trend offers economic benefits and aims to restore and preserve natural ecosystems, in which green buildings have become essential to promoting a green and circular economy.

Phuc Khang Corporation is renowned as a pioneering green building developer. Its most famous project is the Diamond Lotus Riverside luxury apartment complex located in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, which is being constructed and registered according to LEED standards set by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and LOTUS standards set by the Vietnam Green Building Council (VGBC).

The project was named in the top five best smart green building projects in 2021, and the top 10 best luxury apartment projects in 2022, achieving LOTUS provisional certification. It is also on track to reach "Gold" status when complete.

This strategic vision comes from CEO Luu Thi Thanh Mau, the company’s co-founder, who has been embracing the go-green trend in global production and consumption from an early stage.

“Sustainable development is about exercising our social responsibilities for the next generations. We can achieve this by promoting sustainable development with green buildings as the foundation,” said Mau.

Expediting energy-balanced construction projects reflects corporate social responsibility on the journey to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, contributing to the nation’s goals and adopting the global trend.

Since 2015, Mau has been embarking on trade promotion trips with foreign partners, especially major partners in Japan, to learn from their experience of green building development to create an energy balance.

CEO Thanh Mau meets Japanese businesses for cooperation expansion and development of green buildings and green urban areas

In 2017, Phuc Khang Corporation had a ‘million-dollar handshake’ with Japanese multi-national Mitsubishi Corporation to establish the Phuc Khang Mitsubishi Corporation Holding (PKMC) joint venture.

At that time, Mitsubishi Corporation held a 49 per cent stake, and Phuc Khang retained a 51 per cent stake to establish PKMC and invest and develop the Diamond Lotus product line, the first high-rise apartment building in Vietnam to be built, managed, and operated according to LEED standards, which are recognised in 150 countries around the world.

Diamond Lotus Riverside is an eminent project symbolising cooperation with Japanese partners, and is a testament to the promotion endeavours made by CEO Thanh Mau.

Consolidating cooperation with Japanese partners

In mid-March, in her role as vice chairwoman of the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association for the 2022-2025 term, Mau set off on a business promotion trip to Japan.

Within the framework of the trip, Phuc Khang’s CEO attended the 43^rd national conference organised by the Japan Young Entrepreneurs Group, where he signed an MoU .

The event aimed to deepen cooperation and promote networking between young Japanese entrepreneurs and their counterparts from ASEAN by exchanging experiences and promoting trade.

The trip affirmed Mau's burning desire to reach out internationally and promote green building that could elevate the position of Vietnamese brands in the near future.

CEO Thanh Mau (fifth from right) with delegates of the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association and Japan Young Entrepreneurs Group during the MoU signing ceremony in mid-March

Mau noted that Japan is one of the leading global economies, and is renowned for its state-of-the art technologies and management expertise.

Through this cooperation, Vietnamese entrepreneurs can approach fresh sources of investment and the latest technologies, while expanding their output markets and promoting the development of local industries, thereby instituting a diverse and wholesome business environment.

Cooperation with Japan also helps bolster supply chain and management skills, helping to propel business innovation.

Maintaining relationships with strategic partners with extensive experience in developing green and energy-balanced buildings is how Mau is working towards a sustainable future.

With a desire to shape green buildings that meet genuine international standards in Vietnam, along with efforts to connect with Japanese partners, Phuc Khang’s top leader is hoping to enhance the position of Vietnamese entrepreneurs in the regional and international arenas.

Phuc Khang outlines M&A strategies On the sidelines of the Vietnam M&A Forum 2023 held by VIR on November 28 in Ho Chi Minh City, Luu Thi Thanh Mau, CEO of Phuc Khang Corporation, spoke with VIR’s Bich Ngoc about her assessment of the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market in Vietnam.

Japanese investors continue to make headway in Vietnam Japanese investors are continuing to ramp up their expansion in the Vietnamese market as the two nations have recently elevated their bilateral ties.

Green development the first choice for businesses Many businesses in Vietnam are still committed to investing more resources for green and sustainable development, despite the macroeconomic challenges.