'For Community Development' Gold Cup: Honouring Contributions to the Community

'For Community Development' Gold Cup: Honouring Contributions to the Community

This is the first time ViB Forum has cooperated with the Consultancy Institute for Rural and Mountainous Development, the Hanoi Culture Company, the Asia Friendship Company and the Central Song and Dance Theatre to organise voting and a presentation of the 'For Community Development' Gold Cup for enterprises, entrepreneurs and other individuals who have made great contributions to the Vietnamese community.

The major goal of the award is to promote and encourage the development of the Vietnam business community, building a more favourable business environment and honouring enterprises, entrepreneurs and those who have made great contributions to the development of the community. Enterprises voted as winners of the award must have made considerable achievements over the last three years with intellectual and material contributions to the community. They must be profitable and carry out their obligation of contribution to the State budget. Furthermore, the enterprises' products must be highly appreciated among customers. Samples and designs which have been presented with certificates for quality management systems and domestic and international prizes will be given priority. Enterprises must also have been involved in social activities, such as poverty alleviation, study encouragement and environmental protection programmes.

Individuals must have made contributions to the community as well as proving their talent in their work. However, this is the first time the award has been organised, so it may not be able to introduce all outstanding people in all fields. In the first award ceremony only enterprises, entrepreneurs, artists and sportsmen were presented with the award.

After considering and evaluating the various competitors the organisers decided to present the Gold Cup to 49 enterprises and 13 individuals, including six entrepreneurs and seven artists and sportsmen who have recorded excellent achievements and have contributed to charitable activities. The organisers hope that in the next event (held every two years), outstanding people in other fields, including journalists, teachers and doctors, will be recognised for their contribution.

According to enterprises and individuals who have been presented with the award, the acknowledgment is a great encouragement as it not only honours talent and kind hearts but also serves as a stimulus for enterprises and individuals to further contribute to the community.

Honouring talent and kind hearts - Le Dinh Truong, deputy General director of the Khanh Viet Corporation

I think that the voting and presentation of the 'For Community Development' Gold Cup are of great importance in honouring talents and kind hearts among Vietnamese entrepreneurs and enterprises. The Khanh Viet Corporation (Khatoco), in recent years, having been aware that 'Customers are the key to success,' has attached importance to renewing services and considering quality as its top target. With creative work from cadres and workers, Khatoco has created various products and services, thus contributing to the development of the Vietnamese economy. In particular, in 2003 we began to do expand into a new field: ostrich and crocodile farming. This is a household-based animal husbandry project, so it has created many jobs for farmers, thus helping fight poverty and hunger, and boosting the agricultural and rural economy.

Currently, the total asset value of Khatoco has reached more than VND900 billion (US$57.324 million). Of this figure, VND430 billion (US$27.388 million) accounts for the corporation's equity. Sixteen member companies each year earn total revenues of between VND4,000 and 5,000 billion (US$254.777 million and 318.471 million) for the corporation. Khatoco has always completed its yearly plans assigned by the State. We are a leading enterprise in Khanh Hoa province in State budget contribution, equalling one third of the province's State budget revenues.

Apart from business activities, Khatoco has actively joined social and charity activities contributing billions of Vietnam dong. In the last three years, we have poured in VND nearly 6.3 billion for these activities with a special focus on hunger and poverty elimination.

Khatoco is very proud of being awarded the 'For Community Development' Gold Cup. It is an encouraging recognition of our activities over the past years and a driving force for us to perfect ourselves and strive forward on the path to international economic integration.n

A forum for Business Cooperation - Cao Son Hai, deputy director of the Southern Company for International Labour Cooperation

During the industrialisation and modernisation process, enterprises and entrepreneurs have made significant contributions to socio-economic development. The voting and presentation of the 'For Community Development' Gold Cup will be a great motivation for enterprises and entrepreneurs to contribute their potential to the development of the Vietnamese community. I think the voting is of great importance. It is a forum for enterprises and entrepreneurs to introduce their production potential and experience, and receive information about markets. At the same time, it is an opportunity to promote trademarks and goods. Thanks to the forum, enterprises will have the opportunity to further business cooperation.

It is a great honour for Inlaco Saigon to be awarded the 'For Community Development' Gold Cup. This will boost the cadres and workers of the company to continue to strive for these achievements and promote the further development of the company, while contributing to the sustainable development of the Vietnamese business community and Vietnamese society.n

Encouragement for enterprises & entrepreneurs - Trinh Quang Tac, director of Haiphong Post Office     

The voting of enterprises and entrepreneurs for the 'For Community Development' Gold Cup is of great importance in promoting contributions of enterprises and entrepreneurs to the community. The award is a target for enterprises to achieve that acknowledges contributions made by enterprises to the society. It is a great encouragement for cadres and staff members in Haiphong city.

Within our plan to maintain and develop our position, the Haiphong Post Office will continue to develop its network and services for socio-economic development and the community's life. In developing post and telecommunication networks, we will strive to introduce more than 50,000 telephones this year, bringing the total number of telephones within our network to 270,000 units, or 16 telephones for every 100 people. We will also strive to gain a growth rate of between 14 and 15 per cent in revenues and between 15 and 17 per cent in budget contribution, in comparison to 2003. At the same time, we will promote creative labour emulation movements and honour outstanding people. We will launch movements in building post office-cum-cultural houses in combination with special events, especially holidays. We will combat corruption and social evils, while providing care for policy beneficiaries, helping reduce poverty and hunger and donating to victims in disaster prone areas.

• Reported by Nguyen Thoa