EuroCham launches Give Back to Vietnam initiative, starting with home-based marts for Agent Orange-affected families

The initiative was presented at the High-Level Roundtable between Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and leaders of major European and Belgian businesses during his official visits to the European Union and Belgium.

The first partnership of Give Back to Vietnam was introduced through the exchange of a memorandum of understanding between EuroCham and the Aquitara Philanthropic Fund, witnessed by the top Vietnamese leader and European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu.

800,000 Agent Orange victims still suffer

The collaboration will support An Vui Mart, meaning 'peace and joy,' working with the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin to help affected families establish neighborhood shops at home.

Shop ownership, practical support, and business coaching will give families an opportunity to earn an income while continuing to care for loved ones.

“More than fifty years after the war, around 800,000 recognized victims of Agent Orange still live with its consequences, mostly in rural areas,” said Elisabeth Leysen, director of the Aquitara Philanthropic Fund.

“In many families, caring for a loved one means giving up paid work.

“An Vui Mart offers a way to earn an income without leaving home or stepping away from that care.

“A shop of their own gives families something they can build on through their own knowledge and effort, creating the possibility of greater independence, choice, and confidence in the future.”

Giving back as part of growing together 

EuroCham called this a meaningful starting point for partners with a shared entrepreneurial foundation: SMEs represent 99.8 percent of EU enterprises and nearly 98 percent of active enterprises in Vietnam.

The initiative expresses a conviction shared by many European businesses: growing with Vietnam also means contributing to the lives and communities around them.

"Many of our members came to Vietnam to invest and grow, drawn by the opportunities the country offers,” EuroCham Chairman Bruno Jaspaert said. 

"Over time, many have also made Vietnam their chosen home.”

Twenty-three percent of the respondents to EuroCham’s latest Business Confidence Index (BCI) survey look beyond 20 years when planning their operations in Vietnam.

“Our members are here to make their businesses successful, but they are also well aware that, as foreigners, we have a responsibility to give something back to the country that has welcomed us,” Jaspaert added.

As part of EuroCham’s IMPACT 2030 strategy, Give Back to Vietnam will connect European expertise and networks with the knowledge, strengths, and aspirations of Vietnamese communities.

It will encompass distinct projects responding to local priorities, from practical assistance to livelihood opportunities and longer-term community development.

With offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, EuroCham Vietnam boasts a substantial membership base comprising over 1,400 companies, solidifying its position as one of the largest foreign chambers operating in Vietnam.

It unites eight prominent national European business associations in Vietnam, which include: Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (Beluxcham), Central and Eastern European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (CEEC), Dutch Business Association Vietnam (DBAV), French Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vietnam (CCIFV), German Business Association (GBA), Italian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (ICHAM), Nordic Chamber of Commerce Vietnam (Nordcham), and Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (SCCV).