Hanoi, 14 December 2024, at a ceremony held at Ho Guom Opera House, Coteccons Construction Joint Stock Company (CTD) was honored the 2024 Human Act Prize awards for their positive and sustainable contributions to the community through its “Building Tet” program.”
The prestigious Human Act Prize, initiated by Nhan Dan Newspaper with guidance from the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, in collaboration with VCCorp Joint Stock Company, celebrates individuals and organizations driving positive change in society. The award recognizes those who create lasting and sustainable impact through impactful community initiatives and projects.
The Gala Night at the iconic Ho Guom Opera House (Hanoi) showcased 32 of Vietnam’s most inspriring and impactful community-focused projects. The judging panel comprised distinguished experts, journalists, social activists, and influential artists with deep expertise in their respective fields.
The 2024 Human Act Prize recognizes contributions across seven key categories: Community Initiative, Timely Project, Promising Project, Persistent Project, Inspiring Project, Sustainable Project, and the coveted Human Act Prize of the Year. The overarching criteria for all awards encompass commitment, sustainability, innovation, impact, and the potential for dissemination and inspiration of the initiatives/projects.
Mr. Nguyen Chi Thien, General Director of Coteccons Business Unit 02 (pictured right), proudly accepted the Human Act Prize for the Community Initiative category
Coteccons’ ” Building Tet” program, developed and implemented over the past three years, was honored in the “Community Initiative” category, which celebrates projects with feasible implementation plans aimed at helping communities overcome challenges or driving positive shifts in public perception towards sustainable development.
In addition to meeting all general award criteria, winning the Community Initiative award required demonstrating the project’s potential, practicality, ability to engage with local authorities, and capacity to secure funding for implementation.
“Building Tet” emerged victorious from a pool of 128 impressive entries, securing a place among the top 32 finalists. This achievement followed a rigorous application process, including detailed submissions and comprehensive documentation. Journalists conducted in-depth interviews with both Coteccons’ leadership and beneficiaries to highlight the meaningful impact and values that the “Building Tet” project brings to the community.
This steadfastly implemented program displayed impressive results, measured by compelling data, and demonstrates significant potential for further expansion and increased impact in the near future.
The program’s sustained implementation has yielded remarkable results, with over 27,000 workers receiving Tet gifts and free health check-ups in its first two years. In the third year, “Building Tet” further expanded its reach, distributing 18,500 Tet gifts and offering free health services, professional photography, and haircuts to tens of thousands more.
The “Building Tet” 2025 program marks a new milestone with a partnership with Nhan Dan Newspaper and Saigon Economic Times to offer scholarships to workers’ children, to be awarded post-June 1st, following the release of student academic results.
The Human Act Prize 2024, themed “Building Community,” continues to seek out and honor the dedication and commitment of individuals and organizations across the nation. “Building Tet” exemplifies this spirit perfectly.
Vietnam’s construction and real estate industries have navigated significant headwinds in recent years. The workers, who are already in a vulnerable position, have been disproportionately affected by the market downturn. Amidst the pressures of development, the Construction industry often overlooks the human element, leaving construction workers among the most vulnerable and marginalized. Many workers lack job security, essential benefits like health insurance, and a safety net for when hardship strikes. Some contractors, when rushing to recruit employees, offer attractive promises only to change course within three to six months, leaving workers unemployed or facing sudden income reductions, resulting in precarious and unstable lives.
Coteccons, striving to be recognized as an industry leader driving Vietnam’s construction sector forward, recognized the need to take concrete action to create an impact on the entire industry and society. Coteccons launched “Building Tet” as a proactive effort to uplift the construction workforce and foster a more sustainable and equitable industry. The project aims to empower workers, facilitate collaboration among stakeholders, restore trust, create stable employment, and ensure the resilience of the industry’s value chain.
The program has resonated widely, attracting the support of over 1,000 investors and subcontractors, 2,000 engineers, 1,500 volunteers, and 100 doctors in its first two years. In 2025, the project will continue to expand its network of partners, including renowned brands like Boss Coffee, Chocopie, Coop Mart, and Suntory Pepsico, etc.
“Seeing other companies adopting similar initiatives for their workers after we launched ‘Building Tet’ is truly gratifying,” shared Ms. Nguyen Trinh Thuy Trang, Deputy General Director of Coteccons. “This demonstrates the powerful impact of our message: acknowledging the invaluable contributions of the often-overlooked workers who are the backbone of our economic development. Receiving the Human Act Prize 2024 further fuels our commitment to enhancing the well-being of these essential individuals”.
Under the theme of “Building Dreams” in 2025, “Building Tet” will focus on empowering the next generation by providing scholarships to workers’ children. This decision, while extending beyond our direct employees, reflects our commitment to supporting the broader community and raising industry standards.
Firstly, every individual deserves the chance to pursue their dreams, and for workers, their children are their greatest motivation. Their burden is not only providing food and clothing for their children but, most importantly, helping the younger generation realize their dreams. Coteccons helps them share this burden by awarding scholarships to encourage and motivate workers’ children to study and pursue a brighter future. These scholarships also provide a significant boost to the workers themselves, reinforcing their value and demonstrating that their employer is invested in their families.
Secondly, caring for workers is how Coteccons conveys a message to partners and subcontractors about the role and position of workers. They are small and vulnerable but directly build large-scale projects, creating wealth and material value for society. Caring for them is the responsibility of every business.
Lastly, in the Construction industry, attracting skilled workers is a competitive advantage. Through “Building Tet”, Coteccons affirms that the company, while not making extravagant promises, offers the highest salaries in the industry, stable income, care, and humane and equitable treatment.
This precedent sets a new standard for talent acquisition in the construction industry, shifting the focus from short-term salary competition to holistic care and support for workers, empowering them to build a stable foundation and pursue their dreams.
Widespread adoption of this approach would undoubtedly lead to significant positive changes in the social landscape. “Building Tet” is therefore actively participating in the national endeavor of building sustainable development.
As Ms. Trang emphasized, “If other businesses recognize that investing in vulnerable workers is not merely a charitable act but a powerful driver of competitive advantage, they will be inspired to implement similar initiatives, creating positive ripple effects not only within the construction sector but across the broader social landscape.”.
