Today we saw the consulting company GreenViet. We heard how this company is designing buildings so that they are up to sustainability standards. We learned about the use of wind and solar to shift the power grid away from fossil fuels. An interesting fact that was brought up was the Vietnamese government paused their nuclear program. Nuclear can give great amounts of energy with little waste, but the issue that Vietnam ran into was its scientists had to go to Russia to learn ten years ago. This meant that Vietnam would be reliant on other countries to fix anything that goes wrong. It also meant that the scientists who learned didn’t immediately have a job so their knowledge slowly fell away. Vietnam also noticed nuclear plant after nuclear plant get shut down in Europe, so they have not continued their effort into nuclear power.

Twelve years ago when GreenViet started, there was little to no market for sustainable building in Vietnam but the company wanted to try anyway. I think a huge part of their success was the experience from the co founders. I think if this business was created by someone out of college, it would not have made it because the recently graduated students would not have any connections or proof of working skills. I think it was the connections made by the co-founders in their jobs before this that allowed them to succeed. Mr. Quang even told us that it was a friend from a job that got his company its first contract. With sustainable building being more expensive on the outset than regular construction, I doubt the contract would have gone green.

Another factor to the success of the company is the global initiative to going green. This began around the time that GreenViet was founded, which meant they had a jump on any would be competitors and now have a massive lead. By being there from near the beginning, GreenViet has had a chance to learn and to do things like get LEED proven provider certified to shorten their timetable. It is this that makes them cheaper than other green competitors, and the longterm savings that help get them on par with the non green competitors.

As the week ends, I am taking a moment to reflect. I have made amazing new friends both from Pitt and UEF. Experiencing Vietnam isn’t something I will soon forget. Crossing the street through the sea of motorbikes is a bit of a thrill. I definitely feel I made the right choice by coming here.