The launch ceremony for the Vietnam SDG Investor Map

The UNDP has just announced the Vietnam SDG Investor Map to provide policymakers, investors, and relevant stakeholders with market intelligence to direct their capital and activities toward SDG-aligned investment themes and business models, known as investment opportunity areas (IOAs).

This serves as a basis for Vietnam to plan investments in SDG-priority areas to generate profit and considers environmental and social outcomes. The map was made possible with support from the Centre for Impact Investing and Practices (CIIP) and the UNDP. CIIP is a non-profit centre established by the Temasek Trust.

The map will be used to guide the private sector to where funding is needed most within the country and encourages the application of technological innovation.

Using the UNDP SDG Impact’s robust methodology, the map has identified IOAs in the fields of education, healthcare, food and beverages, infrastructure, renewable energy, and financial services.

The map also identified seven white spaces – IOAs that have growth potential and are aligned with national development needs, but where government policies could go further to foster private sector investment.

CEO of CIIP Dawn Chan said, “The Vietnam SDG Investor Map provides critical market intelligence for those looking to invest sustainably in the country. It is an important tool that can be used by private and public sector players to direct capital to areas of high impact that contribute towards the achievement of Vietnam's SDGs."

Fabienne Michaux, director of SDG Impact added, “The private sector will be a big part of the transformation and the Vietnam SDG Investor Map aims to make it easier for investors to identify, and therefore allocate capital to, the sectors that will have the greatest impact.”

The workshop to attract private investment in science, technology, and innovation on December 10

Vietnam has enjoyed over three decades of uninterrupted economic growth and become a popular destination for private investors. However, socioeconomic challenges remain and the impacts of the pandemic have slowed progress. It is believed that private capital and blended financial investments will continue to be an important component of Vietnam’s sustainable development.

Against this backdrop, the government of Vietnam has made a strong commitment to meet the SDGs in the 2030 Agenda through its National Action Plan 2030. Science, tech, and innovation are considered among the main drivers for socioeconomic development in the country – as indicated in many regulatory documents – and are key enablers for achieving the SDGs.

Ramla Khalidi, UNDP resident representative in Vietnam, appreciated the strong commitment from the government to strengthening financial resources to develop science, technology, and innovation, adding that the launch of the map would contribute to this effort.

She offered recommendations for financing science and technology saying, “First, it will be important to nurture the development of the enterprise sector by promoting state-owned enterprise reforms that strengthen the overall business investment environment in terms of competition, access to finance, and administrative requirements. A suitably adapted public-private partnership pilot programme could help leverage resources and improve cooperation between public research institutions and businesses, including foreign firms.”