Today we visited GreenViet, a sustainability consulting company in Ho Chi Minh City. It was founded 12 years ago back when sustainability was a very new and unknown industry. We learned about how the company was able to grow and establish itself in this unique environment, and how important it was for the company to have an industrial network. Back when the company had no money, no clients, and no credibility, the founder and CEO had to rely on individuals who had worked with him in the past to be his first clients and trust his company. We also learned how reliant they are to the international business environment. For example, the CEO told us about how the One Child Policy in China actually decreased the labor market in that country because people started inheriting more and having less of a need to work. This effect decreased the foreign investments in China, which increased foreign investments in Vietnam because it became a better option with a more populous labor market. With these foreign investments, GreenViet gained more resources and success. Not only was the company inspiring, but the CEO told is about his career and how he decided to shape it. Every few years he goes back to college to earn a degree that he feels will help him and his company adapt to the constantly changing business environment in Vietnam. I found this habit interesting because even though he established himself in his field, he still continues to learn to improve his career.

Learning about sustainability throughout Vietnam at this site visit really made our water bus tour more meaningful because it lead me to look for and think about Saigon’s sustainability practices as we toured the city. It was a very beautiful experience seeing the city on the river and more of the districts we haven’t been able to visit yet. It made me really excited to go outside the city and to the beach tomorrow.