Corporate Philanthropy on the Rise in Vietnam

LIN Center for Community Development released the report, Corporate Philanthropy in Ho Chi Minh City: An Update on the Status of Giving in Vietnam, in December of 2009. 

I finally had the opportunity to review the report. The findings do not surprise me but it does point out some rising trends in Vietnam. Unfortunately, corporate philanthropy and CSR are relatively new concepts in the region so those that are responsible for implementing strategies, formally or informally, find that they are doing so on an ad hoc basis. 

The laws are changing to encourage corporate giving and with the increasing presence of multi-national corporations in the region, I can see CSR and corporate philanthropy being more institutionalized in the future. Add to this the rising awareness of philanthropy and groups like LIN that are strengthening the infrastructure of nonprofit groups, and you have an enabling environment for corporate philanthropy and CSR to thrive. The nonprofit sector, corporations, and Vietnam still have a long ways to go in their civil society development and the corporate philanthropy and CSR fields are far from mature.

Some interesting findings from the report:

• Corporate philanthropy is on the rise and that the prospects are good for a continuation of this trend in the future.
• A significant number of corporate giving programs are diffuse and appear to lack a clear focus. Corporate philanthropy is implemented with a top-down approach with decisions being made at the highest levels and implementation ed by marketing, PR or HR departments.
• Ad hoc grantmaking was common. Companies prefer to give cash (grants/sponsorship) and in-kind contributions or products or equipment. Employee volunteer programs and pro bono service is a rising trend, especially among foreign companies.
• Corporations are being publicly recognized for their efforts. In 2008, The Saigon Times weekly and The Saigon Times Daily, included the "support for community development and environmental protection" in their criteria when selecting the annual Top 40 Award for foreign-invested enterprises for excellence in business.
• Suggestions to raise the level of effectiveness of corporate philanthropy include the introduction of support services. These include corporate volunteer placement and management services and a community resource center providing information about community needs, giving strategies and best practices.

It was interesting to note in the report, when asked how much their companies gave in 2008, companies were either unable or unwilling to provide a rough estimate.

A couple of sources said that it was company policy not to share this information. Others explained that their budgets for philanthropy come from multiple sources.

Despite this lack of transparency by some companies, contributions of other companies ranged from US$30,000 to nearly $4 million.

The researchers also asked about the concept of a community foundation. Some corporations said they saw a need and value, especially as a resource and facilitator. Others doubted whether the current policy conditions in Vietnam would allow for such an entity to function properly. There were also concerns about the ability of such an organization to operate independently or produce the level of transparency necessary to operate effectively.

The report provides a general sense of where corporate philanthropy is and what is needed to encourage its growth in Vietnam. Until corporations provide reports on their giving and an entity is able to collect and analyze the data, it is difficult to evaluate the amount and impact of corporate giving in Vietnam. For those managing corporate philanthropy programs in Vietnam, they will need to rely on examples and stories from their colleagues on what to do. 

Kudos to LIN for developing this project! Download the full report by clicking here.

Duy-Loan T. Le, Philanthropist and Business Leader

Talking Points Vietnam (TVP), the blog of OneVietnam Network, has a post on Duy-Loan T. Le, philanthropist and business leader.  Duy-Loan came to the U.S. when she was 12. She taught herself how to read English and within four years, graduated as a valedictorian of her high school.  Duy-Loan then joined Texas Instrument and was eventually elected as a Senior Fellow, a rank equivalent of a Senior Vice President.  She is the only women holding this position in Texas Instrument's nearly 80 years of history.

Duy-Loan has received many awards and recognitions, including the National Technologist of the Year, Times People, Asian American Engineer of the Year, Women of Vision: Leadership, and Top 15 Women in Business.

Duy-Loan serves on the board of the Mona Foundation.  She is a founding member and currently serves on the advisory board of the Sunflower Mission.  Sunflower Mission is a U.S. based non-profit that is committed to improving the lives of the people in Vietnam through educational assistance programs. They have built over 62 classrooms in remote areas of Vietnam, where 90% of the poor live. Through the Sunflower Mission Dao-Le Scholarship Program, over 2,200 scholarships have been awarded since 2004.

Local nonprofit works to aid orphanages in Vietnam

After the United States halted adoptions in Vietnam, one Knoxville organization is working support underprivileged orphanages.

Tracy Foster, a mother of three adopted children from Vietnam, began a nonprofit organization called Project Being There earlier this year. Its objectives include raising funds for food, clothing and basic necessities for non-government sponsored orphanages in Vietnam.

In 2008, the United States suspended all adoptions from Vietnam following a report by the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi claiming corruption and illegal trafficking in Vietnam's adoption system. According to Associated Press reporter Vu Tien Hong, this report claims agencies were pressuring mothers to give up babies to be sold for adoption. The report stated that some American agencies paid orphanage brokers as much as $10,000 for a referral.

According to the article, over 1,200 Vietnamese children were adopted by American families from 2007 to 2008. Despite the fact that the United States is a major leader in Vietnamese adoptions, the defaming report shut down 42 U.S. adoption agencies operating in Vietnam.

Even though there are all these restrictions, the problem is that the orphanages are all still full. Tracy Foster, Executive Director of Project Being There

In response to the reports revealing corruption, in October 2008, over 78 countries ratified the Hague Adoption Convention, which established restrictions to ensure adoptions are safe and within the best interests of the children involved. While the United States sanctioned the legislation in 2000, Vietnam has yet to comply. International organizations such as UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) also strongly supported the legislation.

According to its Web site, UNICEF's official stance on inter-country adoption states that "Inter-country adoption is one of a range of care options which may be open to children, and for individual children who cannot be placed in a permanent family setting in their countries of origin, it may indeed be the best solution.  In each case, the best interests of the individual child must be the guiding principle in making a decision regarding adoption."

Vietnam is not the only country to face adoption restrictions, however. In the past few years, other countries like China, Guatemala and Russia have enforced stricter qualifications for international adoption. According an article by Pam Belluck and Jim Yardley in the New York Times, China prohibits candidates who are single, obese, over 50 years of age, do not meet economic standards or suffer from psychological health problems from adoption.

According to Tracy Foster, while these rules are not completely unreasonable, it is surprising that the governments of countries with such high orphanage rates would suddenly become so strict. Foster attributes a lot of these changes to political agenda. "Why in the world would they make it more difficult to adopt babies? The general consensus of some is because international organizations like UNICEF take a strong position against international adoption," said Foster. "They feel that these children should be adopted in birth countries they grow up in. Of course, there's definitely nothing wrong with that, but let's look at how many domestic adoptions in Vietnam happen every year. They can probably be counted on one hand."

There were probably 200 children in each orphanage with eight or nine kids sharing a room. It's a lot of kids in one place, so they don't get as much attention as they deserve. Thien Mai, UT student

"Even though there are all these restrictions," Foster said "the problem is that the orphanages are all still full."
Most of the orphanages in Vietnam are not government sponsored but are owned privately by churches. These private orphanages are run by the donations and charity of non-Vietnamese firms like nonprofits or mission groups.

University of Tennessee student Thien Mai, who worked with several orphanages in Ho Chi Minh City with his church group over the past two summers, described his visits as "an eye opening experience." "Because the orphanages aren't backed by the government, the kids don't have many opportunities. There were probably 200 children in each orphanage with eight or nine kids sharing a room," said Mai. "It's a lot of kids in one place, so they don't get as much attention as they deserve."

Foster began Project Being There in March 2009 in an effort to improve the conditions of the orphanages in Vietnam. "The whole idea came across because of the three orphanages of our children. Each of those facilities had limited resources, no heat, no air and no money. But we noticed the difference between the three had to do with the staff training, which makes a huge impact." According to Foster, her son Noah's orphanage had the worst conditions. "All of the children had scabies, skin conditions and diarrhea or were very sick."

Project Being There works closely with St. An's orphanage, which is located in North Vietnam. So far, the nonprofit has raised over $10,000 which goes toward facility upgrades, education support and medical expenses for the children. "We used a portion of the funds to purchase fleece coats for all the kids and paid for the salary of the special needs' teacher," said Foster.

Project Being There's motto is "small victories in a big world." Foster believes that everyone's place in the world is significant and with every small change, a victory occurs.

As of May 2009, Sweden joined the United States in suspending further adoptions from Vietnam. Currently, the United States has made no plans to renew another bilateral adoption agreement with Vietnam. According to the Department of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, adoption cases will not resume unless a new agreement is made and Vietnam is recognized as a Hague compliant.

 "When it all comes down to it, if you are trying to eliminate corruption, you can't simply go into another country and regulate their rules for adoption," said Foster. "Where we can make change, however, is within our own government system. Change has to start here."

Source: http://tnjn.com/2009/dec/10/local-nonprofit-works-to-aid-o/

Will Vietnamese non-profit art space Sàn Art shift the art scene from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city? – interview Dinh Q Le

SOUTHEAST ASIAN CONTEMPORARY ART

Here is a useful Art Info interview with artist Dinh Q. Le, one of the four founders of the renowned Vietnamese non-profit Sàn Art. Multimedia artist Dinh Q. Le will be having a solo show at MOMA in 2010. Read on for his perspective on the Vietnamese art scene, the challenges and opportunities ahead and how San Art is already drawing artists away from Hanoi to create a new vibrant art scene in Ho Chi Minh City.
 Sàn Art was established in 2007 as an independent, non-profit, artist-run exhibition space located in Ho Chi Minh City. The contemporary art space is completely supported by grants and individual contributions, and dedicates itself to the exchange and cultivation of contemporary art in Vietnam.

Interior photo of the San Art exhibition space

The focus of the interview with Dinh Q. Le is about Sàn Art’s cultural context, history, and future in Ho Chi Minh City. After frustration with trying to fund a non-for-profit organization in Vietnam, Dinh Q. Le set up the Vietnam Foundation for the Arts (VNFA) in Los Angeles with the help of his dealers Shoshana and Wayne Blank, owners of Shoshana Wayne Gallery.

Dinh Q. Le

VNFA’s original programs were focused on disseminating information about art from outside Vietnam, lecture series, and grant programs. After realizing the need to showcase artists’ works, they switched some of the funding from the VNFA lecture and artist grant programs to fund the opening of Sàn Art.
Here are some questions and responses from the interview:

What was the art scene in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) like when you first returned to Vietnam in 1993? What inspired you to get involved?

The biggest reason I wanted to do something to help was because of the respect I felt for young artists at the time. They were well trained as painters and traditional sculptors and could actually make a decent living by creating works catering to the emerging tourist art market. But they decided to abandon their traditional training and try out installation and conceptual art, even when they had little information on these practices. I thought they were very brave.

How does Sàn Art fit within the Vietnamese art system? Is it recognized by the government?

Sàn Art acts as a bridge between local and international art scenes. We are nationally recognized. All our openings have been televised nationally by government stations and written up in the local and national newspapers. I guess, in a way, they are supportive. But at the same time, they are also keeping their distance and keeping a watchful eye on us.

Photo from current exhibition titled "Collection Show" running from December 1-28. Unknown Monsters; acrylic on canvas Dimensions Variable; 2009 Artist: Tyke Witnes

How do you think Sàn Art has impacted the local art scene?

The biggest impact is that Sàn Art created a community that was not here before. Hanoi used to be the place to go if you were an international curator coming to learn about the Vietnamese contemporary art scene, but today many artists from Hanoi are considering moving to HCMC.

Upcoming solo exhibition of American artist Hap Tivey, titled "Light Shreds - 2000 Car Paintings" opening on December 31st.

With new leadership in place, a new building, and two years of experience behind you, what does the future hold for Sàn Art?

We hope that Sàn Art will have a closer working relationship with the HCMC Fine Arts Association and the HCMC Fine Arts University so that we can reach out to the older members of the Fine Arts Association and to the students at the university. Sàn Art can contribute a tremendous amount of content to their programs through our international connections. Like many artist-run spaces, our most fundamental hope is for Sàn Art to be financially stable so we can keep serving the community.

Source: http://artradarjournal.com/2009/12/15/will-vietnamese-non-profit-art-space-san-art-shift-the-art-scene-from-hanoi-to-ho-chi-minh-city-interview-dinh-q-le/

Australian Navy on Goodwill Visit Donates Gifts to Needy Children

The children were also given a tour of the HMAS Darwin, a naval vessel on a five-day goodwill trip to HCM City. Lieutenant Apron Convery handed over the gifts, including pens, toothpastes, notebooks and textbooks. On Wednesday, the ship’s women’s football team played a friendly match with the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Culture at Thong Nhat Stadium in District 10. One day earlier, the ship’s sailors played volleyball with students of the VPN Technical College in District 4. The ship, commanded by Commander Christopher Smith, arrived in the city Monday, with 205 officers and crew on board. Since the establishment of defense relations between the two countries in 1999, 15 Royal Australian Navy ships have paid goodwill visits to Vietnam, said Colonel Stuart Dodds, Australian Defense Attaché in Vietnam. HCMC is the final stop on the HMAS Darwin’s tour of six Southeast Asian countries which started early last month. The ship will sail to Singapore again before heading home, Smith said.

Vietnam to Hand Over More US MIA Remains

The remains of what are believed to be US servicemen who died in the Vietnam War will be handed over to the US government on September 12 in the 111th repatriation ceremony held by the two nations. The remains to be handed over at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport include those recovered by a
Vietnamese excavation team in central Vietnam, as well as remains turned over by Vietnamese citizens. The exact number of persons the remains account for will be released at the ceremony, according to the US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. US Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak and US Army Lieutenant Colonel Todd G. Emoto will represent the US government at the ceremony. So far, the remains of 909 Americans have been identified in and around Indochina since US troops officially left Vietnam in 1973: 645 in Vietnam, 230 in Laos, 31 in Cambodia and three in China, according to the US Embassy in Hanoi. There are 1,737 Americans still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, including 1,322 in Vietnam, the embassy said in a statement.

Teaching hip hop to homeless children

Source: ThanhNien News

Those who frequent stages in Saigon may be familiar with a hip hop group of 9 homeless kids called Baby Action, who have turned into dancers thanks to their teacher’s kindness. 
 

When Luu Huynh Lam first opened a small hip hop class at his residence in Nha Be district, HCM City in 2004, he saw some young kids come to watch him and his students every day. "Some of them then approached me, begging me to allow them to pay monthly tuition fees by installments – one thousand dong every day,” said the 28-year-old teacher. 

Luu Huynh Lam said these were chiefly homeless kids who supported themselves by selling lottery tickets. After inquiring about these children’s family backgrounds, teacher Lam was very touched and decided to bring them all home to provide them with hip hop lessons – as well as many other things. 

The kids are from 5 to 14 years old of age. Some are orphans. Some were sent to live in pagodas since their parents are too poor. But they all love to learn hip hop. So in the morning, Lam sends them all to Phuoc Kieng Elementary School. From 2 to 4 pm in the afternoon, they practice dancing hip hop. 

As for evenings, these are reserved for performances on numerous stages throughout the city like Trong Dong, 126, Lan Anh or Dam Sen. There are also days when they are invited to perform out of the city. One may wonder how teacher Lam pays for all of this. 

For every performance, Baby Action earns from VND300,000 to 500,000, which isn’t much, and is making their teacher worried. He said that on sunny days, he and his young hip hop dancers did all right. But on rainy ones, people aren’t inclined to go to stages to watch shows, hip-hop or otherwise. 

"So I have been calculating a great deal – about how to have enough money to give them food, pay their school fees and buy them clothes, as well as give each of them around VND700,000 every month to help support their remaining relatives,” said Lam. 

Despite material difficulties, Lam said he told the kids that if they wanted to pursue some particular career, they only needed to tell him, and he would save money to send them off on their chosen road. 

As for the short-term plan, Lam said if possible, he would buy career insurance for Baby Action, since dancing, especially hip-hop dancing, is quite a dangerous profession.