HCMC - Danish Ambassador to Vietnam Kim Højlund Christensen and Nguyen Thi Kieu Vien, executive director of Towards Transparency, a Vietnamese non-profit consultancy company, on December 9 signed an agreement to start a one-year project to enhance the role of the young in the fight against corruption and promote a culture of integrity in Vietnam on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day.

With a grant of US$100,000 from Denmark, the project will help the Government strengthen its integrity education and improve teaching materials and methods on integrity education. Ambassador Christensen said, “The Embassy of Denmark is happy to cooperate with Towards Transparency to carry out this project. This is part of our long-term commitment to support anti-corruption efforts in Vietnam with both State and non-State organizations. Focusing on improving integrity education for the youth, the project will support empowering young people who are agents of change and can actively play a role in creating and promoting an integrity culture in the country now and in the future.” Since 2009, the Vietnamese Government has piloted a formal anti-corruption program to tackle corruption and promote integrity among the youth. In 2013, the then Vietnamese prime minister decided to integrate anti-corruption content into the teaching programs of education and training institutions. The cooperation between the Embassy of Denmark and Towards Transparency will support the Government’s anti-corruption efforts by delivering an innovative Integrity Training Guide to improve teaching materials and methods on integrity education. Vien said the Integrity Training Guide would serve as a practical tool for Vietnamese teachers, graduates from Towards Transparency’s Vietnam Integrity School as well as other interested stakeholders to disseminate integrity and anti-corruption knowledge among their schools and wider communities. According to Towards Transparency’s Vietnam Corruption Barometer 2019, corruption is an increasing concern among Vietnamese citizens and was ranked fourth among their biggest concerns, after poverty reduction, food hygiene and security. Building a generation of young leaders and agents who uphold integrity and have knowledge, skills and the courage to demand greater transparency from State agencies and the society will be a sustainable approach to mobilize the support and participation of the Vietnamese youth in the national fight against corruption. Towards Transparency was founded in 2008 to contribute to the fight against corruption. In March 2009, it became the official national contact of Transparency International, a global movement with more than 100 national chapters worldwide.