On the morning of 21.06.2022, representatives of the Shinhan Square Bridge Program, United Way WorldWide, and MSD Institute – United Way Vietnam paid a visit and worked with representatives of the National Economics University in Hanoi.
Participating in the meeting, representatives of the Shinhan Financial Group were Mr. Choi Hyuk – Senior Director and Mr. Jung Hyunsu – Director; on the side of the National Economics University was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Huy Nhuong – Vice President, Dr. Dao Thanh Tung, Head of International Cooperation Division; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Huong Lan, Deputy Director of the Center for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
On behalf of the United Way WorldWide was Ms. Hooyung Young – Vice President Southeast Asia, South Korea and Japan and Ms. Lee Chaewon, Regional Operations Associate. Representatives of the Management and Sustainable Development Institute (MSD) – United Way Vietnam were Ms. Nguyen Phuong Linh – Executive Director and Ms. Tran Van Anh – Program Director.
Speaking at the meeting, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Huy Nhuong emphasized the university’s interest in the field of science and technology and innovative startups. The National Economics University is considered to be the hub of entrepreneurship as many generations of students have been supported to start up and achieve numerous successes. In recent years, the university has also promoted the training of majors applying Fintech science, data science, and business analysis,… Hereby, the school wants to cooperate with Shinhan Group to build innovation startup hubs, train the young generation and create conditions for students to get employment and internship opportunities at the Group.
Mr. Choi Hyuk – Senior Director of Shinhan Financial Group thanked the school for accompanying the Shinhan Square Bridge program in Vietnam in the past time, especially with TECHFEST 2021. He also shared that the Group has supported the establishment and operation of a number of national innovation startup hubs in Korea, and Vietnam is the first country to be funded by Shinhan for the same model. 2021 is the first year that the Shinhan Square Bridge program was first implemented in Vietnam with the coordination of MSD Institute – United Way Vietnam, which has brought about positive feedback and social values through initiatives. Thanks to that, the second year of this model has been decided to launch in the near future.
Mr. Choi acknowledged the efforts of the National Economics University in building an innovative startup ecosystem and will pass on the university’s wishes to the Group’s senior leaders.
The delegation then visited the National Startup Support Center (NSSC) and had a discussion with Mr. Pham Dung Nam – Director of the Center and Mr. Le Toan Thang – Deputy Director. Mr. Pham Dung Nam said that the most important thing to develop the startup ecosystem is creative innovation right from the mindset. NSSC expressed its belief that the Center has favorable conditions for incubating startup talents. Together with the National Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Development (NATEC), NSSC plays an crucial role in promoting entrepreneurship in Vietnam.
On the part of MSD – United Way Vietnam, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Linh thanked Shinhan Financial Group, NATEC, NSSC and the National Economics University for accompanying Shinhan Square Bridge Vietnam. As a result, in 2021, the model helped 6 Korean startups to enter the Vietnamese market through 3 models: Quality job trainings and employment for youths, Barrier-free Smart Community for People with Visual Impairment, Tech-based school community for children in needs in rural area, bringing social value to more than 27,000 Vietnamese people. MSD/UW Vietnam would like to be able to attract more startups to Vietnam and have joint learning between startups in Vietnam and South Korea, and create opportunities to visit Shinhan Square Bridge models in South Korea, thereby promoting social innovation in Vietnam.
