Social Enterprises in Viet Nam and Ireland

Within this book, you will find inspiring stories from Viet Nam and Ireland of inspiring individuals, who undertook amazing initiatives to provide positive solutions to challenges that they faced. While the contexts are very different, these social entrepreneurs and social enterprises show a common commitment to improving quality of life, especially of the disadvantaged, empowerment and sustainable development. These stories need to be celebrated and shared, which is precisely what this book achieves.

We welcome this volume that is the culmination of a two-year collaboration between the National Economic University in Hanoi and Trinity College Dublin. The value of such collaborations is not only in the end result, but also in the relationships formed along the way that open up new ideas and new connections between researchers.

The two research centres involved: The Centre for Social Innovation and Enterprise (CSIE) at the National Economics Universityin Hanoi, and the Trinity Centre for Social Innovation (TCSI) in Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, both play the important role of advancing research and teaching of social innovation and engagement with social enterprise, and have shared ideas and knowledge on how to advance their work. These Innovation Centres, in both Hanoi and Dublin, ensure that social enterprise and innovation are embedded in the curricula of their respective universities, and is advanced nationally and internationally. 

The National Economics University is Viet Nam’s first and leading university in business and economics. Established in 1956 National Economics University chairs a network of more than 40 universities in economics and business administration and is a leading research center. CSIE was established in 2017 under the Direction of Founder, Associate Professor Truong Thi Nam Thang. CSIE conducts research, policy advocacy, incubates and provides support to the ecosystem for social innovation and entrepreneurship in Viet Nam.

Trinity College Dublin is Ireland’s leading university, ranked first in the country, and founded in 1592 by Royal Charter. Trinity Business School has EQUIS and AMBA accreditations putting it in the top 1% of business schools worldwide. The Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) is co-Directed and co-Founded by Professors Gemma Donnelly-Cox and Mary Lee Rhodes in 2017, and grew out of the former Centre for Nonprofit Management. The CSI brings together over a dozen professors who research, teach and engage with social innovation and social enterprise.

On behalf of the National Economic University and Trinity College Dublin, we congratulate all those involved in this initiative: the authors, the contributions made by students at the two research Centres, and the social enterprises themselves, which contributed time and effort to be part of this book.

Finally, this book is an example of the excellent and worthwhile initiatives funded and supported by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, through Irish Aid.

Social Enterprise in Viet Nam and Ireland