GRI is expanding its presence in Vietnam with a new programme aimed at improving sustainability reporting across the country’s business landscape, from large listed companies to smaller enterprises. The initiative is designed to strengthen the use of ESG data, deepen policy engagement, and help companies build more consistent reporting practices in a market where transparency is becoming increasingly important for access to finance, trade, and long-term competitiveness.

The move is significant because Vietnam sits at the intersection of rapid economic growth and rising international scrutiny. As one of Asia’s most export-oriented and globally connected economies, the country is under growing pressure to align business practices with evolving expectations from investors, multinational buyers, regulators, and supply chain partners. In that context, sustainability reporting is becoming less of a voluntary communications tool and more of a practical requirement for companies that want to remain competitive.

 

GRI Is Returning With a More Capacity-Focused Strategy

 

With support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, the programme reestablishes GRI’s presence in Vietnam and signals a renewed effort to build local reporting infrastructure through partnerships with key stakeholders. The emphasis is not only on promoting standards, but on strengthening the conditions needed for reporting to become more widely adopted and more useful in practice.

That matters because reporting uptake in emerging markets often depends on more than the existence of a framework. Companies need local guidance, institutional support, policy alignment, and practical tools that make implementation manageable. By focusing on stakeholder engagement, data use, and market education, GRI appears to be approaching Vietnam as a capacity-building market rather than simply a standards adoption market.

 

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SMEs Are at the Centre of the New Programme

 

A major feature of the initiative is the launch of the Sustainability Twin Transition and Reporting Accelerator Program, developed with Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance through its Agency for Private Enterprise and Cooperative Development. The programme is intended to equip small and medium-sized enterprises with practical reporting tools and guidance.

This focus is particularly important in Vietnam. SMEs form the backbone of the economy, but they are often the least prepared for rising disclosure expectations tied to global supply chains and sustainable finance. Larger multinationals may already have internal reporting systems or international support, but smaller businesses often face a much steeper learning curve when asked to provide environmental and social data in a structured way.

Helping SMEs build reporting capability could therefore have an outsized effect. It can strengthen access to export markets, improve readiness for buyer due diligence, and make it easier for companies to engage with lenders and investors that increasingly expect better non-financial disclosure.

 

Reporting Is Becoming More Relevant to Market Access

 

The broader context behind the programme is clear. As Vietnam’s role in global value chains expands, businesses are facing stronger expectations from international customers and partners who want more transparency on environmental and social performance. At the same time, domestic regulators are showing greater interest in ESG-related reporting and data use.

That combination is changing the commercial relevance of sustainability disclosure. For many companies, especially those linked to manufacturing, exports, and international procurement chains, reporting is becoming part of how they demonstrate resilience, reliability, and strategic readiness. In practical terms, better reporting can influence not only reputation, but also contracts, financing opportunities, and long-term market positioning.

This is why globally recognised frameworks are becoming more valuable. Companies are not only looking for a way to communicate sustainability performance. They are also looking for a reporting approach that external stakeholders will recognise and trust.

 

Local Leadership Will Matter to Delivery

 

The programme will be led by Bao Nguyen, who previously managed GRI’s earlier Vietnam programme and has a long track record in the country’s sustainability landscape. That local continuity is likely to be important. Reporting frameworks often gain traction more effectively when they are supported by people who understand the national business environment, policy structure, and institutional relationships.

This is especially relevant in a market like Vietnam, where implementation will depend on cooperation across government, business associations, stock exchanges, and sustainability leaders. The programme’s plan to engage through national forums and stock exchange events suggests that GRI is aiming to build wider market participation rather than confining the effort to a small group of early adopters.

 

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A Sign of Broader Change in Southeast Asia

 

GRI’s stronger presence in Vietnam also reflects a wider regional trend. Across Southeast Asia, sustainability reporting is moving up the business agenda as economies become more integrated into global supply chains and capital markets. The demand is coming from multiple directions at once: international buyers, investors, regulatory developments, and financial institutions are all pushing for more credible ESG data.

Vietnam is particularly important in this shift because of its scale, growth trajectory, and manufacturing role. If sustainability reporting becomes more embedded there, it could influence not only individual companies but also broader supply chain behaviour across sectors linked to exports and industrial production.

 

What the Programme Ultimately Signals

 

The relaunch of GRI’s work in Vietnam is a sign that sustainability reporting is entering a more operational phase in the country. The question is no longer only whether companies should report. It is increasingly how they can do so in a practical, credible, and commercially useful way.

By focusing on SMEs, data capability, policy engagement, and local partnerships, the programme is attempting to build the foundations for that next phase. If it succeeds, it could help shift sustainability reporting in Vietnam from a niche exercise among larger firms to a more widely understood business tool that supports transparency, resilience, and access to global opportunity.