Vietnam’s Local Standard for Corporate Social Responsibility: CSR Evaluation Practices by Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) 2015

The CSR has been critically managed in Vietnam since early 2000s. Vietnamese government has been actively involved in developing local CSR agenda and standard to take the CSR initiative in Vietnam. The CSI (Corporate Sustainability Index) 2015 made by VCCI (Vietnam Chamber of Commerce & Industry) emerged as a principal CSR guideline in Vietnam. The influence of VCCI gradually increases by evaluating CSR reports and selecting the well evaluated companies in Vietnam. So this study reviewed the structure of CSI 2015, and presented main characteristics of it with comparing GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) G4, a leading global standard. In result the relevance level between the performance indicators of CSI 2015 and GRI G4’s indicators was not so high but the coverage rates of CSI 2015 for GRI G4’s indicators were relatively higher than relevance level. As for CSI 100 firms of the year 2016 released by VCCI, this study looked into main business type and company type. As a result the joint stock companies (JSC) of Vietnam occupied over 50% of the 100 firms. However the CSR evaluation practices by VCCI rarely agree with the global practices due to three controversial issues; who evaluates the reports, how evaluates, and why evaluates. So it can be said that the evaluation practices by VCCI has a clear institutional purpose to promote the CSI 2015 in Vietnam.