As a people-centered enterprise, Vien Son Company in Lam Dong has made significant strides towards responsible business practices. With nearly 20 years of experience exporting vegetables like sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and eggplants, the company has established a strong presence in demanding markets like Japan and Korea. "Even a single hair in food can lead to permanent contract cancellation in Japan," shared Mr. Nguyen Duy Da, Director of Vien Son company.

Strict market requirements have led Vien Son to recognize the importance of sustainability throughout the value chain. Therefore, Vien Son cooperates with farmers, providing training on safe cultivation practices and reducing chemical usage, while ensuring fair purchasing prices. Internally, Vien Son focuses on training, ensuring equal learning opportunities for employees, and is gradually implementing a gender equality assessment toolkit. The company also invests in semi-automatic technology to improve working conditions for workers.

“Sustainable and responsible business is the future of business. This has been our vision from the very beginning, so when the SFV project introduced international standards and new practices, we caught on swiftly and achieved BRCGS certification in just one year, paving the way for exports to Europe,” Mr. Da shared.

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BRCGS is an international certificate for food safety, widely recognized around the world and a mandatory requirement of many European buyers. This is one of many international standards that the "Enhancing the Export Competitiveness of Vietnamese Small and Medium Enterprises in Spice, Fruit and Vegetable Sub-Sectors" project (SFV-Export) supports small and medium-sized enterprises to achieve, through specialized courses and in-depth consulting sessions. Not only does it improve production capacity, SFV-Export also promotes socially responsible business and ensures fairness for actors in the value chain.

Vien Son is one of 7 businesses accompanying the SFV-Export project from 2022-2024, having demonstrated success in pursuing a responsible agricultural production business model, towards a fair and sustainable value chain. The project is funded by the European Union, implemented by Oxfam in Vietnam and Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).