Accompanying Viet Nam’s development process, foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a significant role. According to a report by the People’s Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM), as of November 2025, there were 379 foreign NGOs operating nationwide, with annual disbursed aid averaging nearly USD 230 million in recent years, focusing on sectors such as education, healthcare, livelihoods, environment and gender equality. Millions of people, particularly vulnerable groups such as poor children, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, older persons, populations vulnerable to dangerous diseases such as HIV, and women in remote areas, have directly benefited from these programs. Contributions from foreign NGOs have not only improved living conditions but also strengthened community capacity, promoted business participation, and enhanced multilateral cooperation.
In addition, foreign NGOs have contributed to improving management capacity, transferring technical expertise, and promoting people-to-people diplomacy, thereby expanding international relations and enhancing Viet Nam’s image on the global stage. Close coordination with Vietnamese agencies, under the management of COMINGO and with the coordinating role of PACCOM, has helped optimize aid effectiveness and reinforce the important bridging role of foreign NGOs in global integration.
Representatives of businesses, non-governmental organizations, and local communities at the handover ceremony of a project implemented under a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. (Photo: Action on Poverty)
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programs: This is a common form of cooperation among major corporations and multinational companies such as Samsung, HSBC, Coca-Cola, as well as reputable Vietnamese enterprises with significant scale, including Vinamilk, VinFast, Lộc Trời Group, GreenFeed, and Holcim Việt Nam. These enterprises possess substantial financial resources and strong awareness of social responsibility and sustainable development, and often implement large-scale CSR initiatives in areas such as education, environmental protection, and healthcare. Businesses frequently cooperate with NGOs in carrying out social activities in education, health, and environmental protection. NGOs contribute an in-depth understanding of local needs and help ensure that CSR programs align with community development objectives. This form of cooperation enables enterprises to realize their social commitments and strengthen brand reputation, while providing NGOs with additional resources to expand their operations.
Program and Project Sponsorship: NGOs mobilize and manage funding from enterprises to implement community development, poverty reduction, and environmental protection projects. This form of support is often provided through corporate foundations of major multinational companies such as Citi Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, IKEA Foundation, Toyota Foundation, and Google.org. These foundations provide not only financial resources but also technological expertise and global networks to improve the effectiveness of development programs, while advancing corporate social responsibility agendas. They are important actors in promoting global sustainable development and effective poverty reduction.
Blended Finance: This model combines public funding, corporate capital, and non-governmental aid to encourage business models that generate social impact, as well as innovative and creative initiatives aimed at improving capital efficiency and reducing development investment risks. This trend is attracting significant attention not only from impact investors, financial corporations, and large enterprises in the renewable energy and clean technology sectors, but also from start-ups. Major financial institutions and development banks such as the International Finance Corporation, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Asian Development Bank, together with several governments, have established funds and operational structures to implement blended finance mechanisms. Under this cooperation model, corporate funding is combined with contributions from donors, governments, and NGOs in order to reduce investment risks and optimize effectiveness.
Support for Start-ups: For small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly social enterprises and start-ups, NGOs can provide support through advisory services, training, and connections to financial resources from major enterprises and impact investors. This is considered an effective approach to promoting innovation and local economic development. Large enterprises with investment networks and interests in innovation and start-up development, such as Vingroup, FPT Corporation, and Green Technology Development and Investment Corporation, have supported training, consulting, and financial connectivity for small enterprises and social start-ups.
The Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) supports cooperative initiatives between non-governmental organizations and green innovation enterprises. (Photo: Action on Poverty)
Across the cooperation models mentioned above, partnerships between non-governmental organizations and businesses provide highly meaningful complementarities by leveraging the strengths and capacities of each side. Enterprises possess financial resources, technology, innovation capacity, and practical products and services, while NGOs have a deep understanding of social contexts, vulnerable groups, and inclusive and equitable development solutions.
Accordingly, the role of NGOs in cooperation with businesses extends beyond acting as intermediaries. NGOs also provide consultation and implementation oversight to ensure that programs generate positive and sustainable social impacts for communities, while helping enterprises enhance their reputation and achieve long-term development. Cooperation between NGOs and businesses, therefore, serves not only as a channel for resource mobilization but also as an important mechanism for linking socio-economic development with Viet Nam’s broader process of international integration and sustainable development.
Representatives of green innovation enterprises, non-governmental organizations, and donors at a workshop introducing green technology solutions. (Photo: Action on Poverty)
However, cooperation between non-governmental organizations and businesses in Viet Nam remains relatively limited. One subjective reason is that NGOs and enterprises still lack sufficient mutual understanding, while differences in objectives and management approaches between businesses and NGOs also constitute barriers to cooperation. In addition, Viet Nam still lacks a clear legal framework governing cooperation between NGOs and enterprises, and mechanisms for evaluating, recognizing, and encouraging good CSR/ESG practices among businesses remain limited.
To better realize the potential of cooperation between NGOs and businesses in support of sustainable and inclusive development in Viet Nam, several solutions are needed to address existing difficulties and obstacles, including:
- Establishing a legal framework and flexible mechanisms that encourage enterprises to participate in and co-finance projects generating positive social impacts. In this regard, the Government should facilitate businesses’ access to funding, financial incentives, and tax policies when enterprises implement socially impactful investment initiatives or partner with NGOs in priority sectors.
- Developing mechanisms to promote and encourage businesses to implement CSR/ESG practices linked to sustainable development goals. This includes standardizing guidelines and frameworks, such as national ESG standards and ESG reporting guidance, as well as mechanisms for monitoring implementation.
- Enhancing the proactiveness of both enterprises and NGOs throughout all stages of cooperation initiatives, from identifying objectives and designing projects to implementation, monitoring, and impact assessment, thereby ensuring the substantive and sustainable nature of programs. At the same time, greater participation by enterprises in ESG- and SDG-related networks and initiatives should be encouraged to strengthen capacity, share experiences, and access international resources.
Sending information