Donors at ACB’s Drive with Heart golf tournament contribute more than VND460 million to the Saigon Times Foundation’s scholarship program

On December 20, Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) hosted ACB Invitational 2025 – Drive with Heart, marking the third consecutive year the golf tournament has been maintained as a convening space for the business community and individual donors. The event was positioned not only around competition but also as a forum for dialogue, with sport serving as a point of entry for collective engagement around community initiatives.

The tournament followed December 18, 2025, when ACB signed three memoranda of understanding covering education, healthcare and environmental protection. The agreements reflect a shift in the bank’s approach to social responsibility—from time-bound support to a more structured model anchored in Creating Shared Value (CSV) and an ESG approach (Environmental, Social and Governance), under which environmental, social and governance considerations are integrated directly into core business strategy. Under these commitments, ACB pledged VND10 billion to the ACB – Saigon Times Foundation Scholarship: Pathways to Future-Smart Generations, supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds. A further VND10 billion was allocated to ACB – Journey of Hope, implemented through the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Supporting Poor Patients, to assist children undergoing cancer treatment and their families. These priorities continued to be reflected at Drive with Heart, where businesses and individual donors contributed nearly VND900 million across education and healthcare programs. Of this amount, more than VND460 million was directed to the ACB – Saigon Times Foundation Scholarship, adding resources to help students overcome barriers and continue their education on a more sustainable footing. Speaking at the event, Tran Hung Huy, Chairman of ACB, said sustainable development should be assessed through tangible improvements in people’s lives rather than financial indicators alone. From a strategic perspective, Pham Phu Ngoc Trai, Strategic Adviser on Sustainable Development at ACB, noted that the value of Drive with Heart lies in voluntary participation, where businesses and individuals choose to contribute to shared community goals. Similar combinations of sport and philanthropy can be seen at international golf tournaments where business leaders gather not only to compete but also to pursue social objectives, including the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in the United States, the BMW Charity Pro-Am on the Korn Ferry Tour and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in the United Kingdom. These examples illustrate how golf can function as a platform for mobilising resources and sustaining long-term community commitments. With ACB Invitational 2025 – Drive with Heart, philanthropy is expressed through concrete contributions made in an open and voluntary setting. When resources are mobilised transparently and linked to long-term objectives, philanthropic engagement becomes part of how the business community participates in broader social development.