Bản dịch Anh ngữ “Có nên quan tâm đến yếu tố tôn giáo trong hoạt động doanh nghiệp ở Việt Nam không?”.

LTS.Trong Hội thảo Quốc tế với chủ đề: “Thực trạng việc thực hiện trách nhiệm xã hội của doanh nghiệp ở Việt Nam” do Viện Hàn Lâm Khoa học Xã hội Việt Nam phối hợp với cơ quan Misereor (Cộng hoà Liên bang Đức) tổ chức tại Đồ Sơn, TP.Hải Phòng, từ ngày 11-12/11/2013, lm. Nguyễn Ngọc Sơn góp ý với đề tài: “Có nên quan tâm đến yếu tố tôn giáo trong hoạt động doanh nghiệp ở Việt Nam không?”. Sau đây là bản dịch Anh ngữ xin chia sẻcùng các bạn.

Academy of Social Sciences

Conference on the theme: “Status of the implementation of the social responsibility of enterprises in Vietnam”

Should we care about religious elements in business activities in Vietnam?

By Fr. Anthony Nguyen Ngoc Son

Translated by Mr. Luu Van Loc and Mr. Terry Nobin

Introduction
At this International Conference on the theme: “Status of the implementation of the social responsibility of enterprises in Vietnam” hosted by the Academy of Social Sciences in collaboration with Vietnam Misereor Agency (the Federal Republic of Germany) here in Do Son, Hai Phong City, from 11-12^th, Nov, 2013, I would like to share some thoughts on the problem: “Should we care about the religious elements in business activities in Vietnam or not?”

Discussing religion in business seems somewhat strange and ironic! It is strange, because this is a scientific conference while religion is an entity that concerns itself with many factors beyond science. It is ironic, since business activity is an activity governed by objective earthly factors, implemented by human beings using money, materials, technologies, engineering and marketing … while religious factors are related to the super-natural in a divine world of intangible things that cannot be tested and proven!

However, if we look at business as an active facet integral to the human family and if a member of this family decides to trade in real or counterfeit goods, or lie or be honest to customers or praise or dismiss his/her workers and employees for their contributions to society or just selfishly enjoy him or herself or  protect or destroy habitats,… then we cannot help but pay attention to the religious factors in business activities, especially in the context of economic recession and crises many businesses face today.

In this article, we would like to present the following points of view on the subject:

1. The status of  corporate degradation and the religious element

1.1. Current status of business activities in Vietnam

1.2. Crisis of Vietnam enterprises with regard to social responsibilities

1.3. Degradation: due to the decline in the moral culture of the Vietnamese people

1.4. That the moral degradation derives from cultural degradation, including religious factors

2. 2. Religious factors in the implementation of social responsibility of businesses

2.1. Religious composition of the national structure

2.2. Religious Entrepreneurs in Vietnam

2.3. Korean businesses and religious factors as one typical example

2.4. Proposed directions

Conclusion: Towards a civilization of love. 

1. The status of  corporate degradation and the religious element

1.1. Current status of business activities in Vietnam

Within the scope of the subject, we only pay attention to a few basic statistics about enterprises as follows. According the Department of Business Registration of the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam at a meeting on 10^th Sept.2013, Vietnam has 650,000 registered businesses, excluding dissolved enterprises (see. tapchitaichinh.vn).

In Vietnam, the business community of SMEs is the majority of enterprises and makes up most of the economy. Accordingly, these types of businesses play the most important role in creating jobs, increasing incomes for workers, helping to mobilize resources for investments in social development and in poverty alleviation … Specifically, their labor activities annually generate more than half a million new jobs, employing 51 % of society’s workers and contributes more than 40% of the GDP (see. tapchitaichinh.vn).

The Ministry also stated that in 2011, the total number of dissolved or decommissioned companies was 53,972, an increase of 24.8 %  compared to 2010. Number of enterprises registered to suspend implementation of their tax liability was 46 361, an increase of 26.6% over 2010 (cf. Virtual fact of business in Vietnam nowadays, http://www.thesaigontimes.vn /Home/doanhnghiep/quantri/102352/, dated 10^th  Sept. 2013).

According to the General Statistics Office, as of 30^th Nov 2012, 48,473 companies were dissolved, suspended operations all over the country, in which 39,936 enterprises suspended operations and 8,537 enterprises dissolved. The Office forecasted that to the end of 31^st Dec 2012, the number of companies dissolved or  would have their operations suspended would be about 55,000 companies.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment said that for the first 9 months of 2013, 42,459 enterprises would be dissolved or have their operations suspended, which indicated that the economic situation would still be  very difficult. However, 11,299 enterprises would resume operations. (As on baodautu.vn on 26^th Sept. 2013). 

1.2. Crisis of Vietnam enterprises with regard to social responsibilities

During the present economic downturn, the implementation of corporate social responsibility in Vietnam is relatively low because, as the saying goes: “when hungry, the people eat on the sly; when indigent, the people take risks doing wrong things”.

– For the human resources of businesses: Corporate social responsibility to the workers who are not members of the enterprise involves ethics training, professional training to improve product quality, creating safe working conditions for physical health as well as mental health, paying  a fair salary, developing solidarity between workers and building confidence for long-term employment by the sustainability of businesses. But in fact many companies do not care about their social responsibility towards their workers: exploiting their labor, paying unfair salaries, not signing labor contracts or buying labor insurance for  their employees. Employees must sometimes work in environmental conditions which are unsafe, dirty, and lacking even minimal sanitary conditions. A few companies are still engaging in fraud, providing bad service and engaging in immoral practices that badly affect employees especially in the “sensitive” business sectors such as motels, lodgings, hotels, karaoke, bars, coffee shops, beer, wine, massage, tea rooms, Internet cafes, barber shops and cosmetic surgery salons. Many businesses do not think about their long-term business success by creating credibility with customers through improving the quality of the services; immediate profit is their pre-occupation through making money fast and if necessary suspending their business to open another company.

– For people in this society: They are consumers and customers and social responsibility requires companies to provide products and services with good quality, reliability and at a reasonable price. However at present, toxic products, counterfeit and fake goods are everywhere from noodles with tintoral, borax and formalin to agricultural products and seafood contaminated with  toxic chemical substances… Society now is horrified by dangerous beauty plastic surgery services, unsafe health services, by the many health care providers without medical ethics, and by  doctors who cause death to the patient but shirk responsibility. The increase in gas prices, electricity prices, the cost of 3G services from media companies prove that enterprises nowadays do not respect customers and lack social responsibility.

– For the homeland: Responsible companies pay their taxes but there are many companies finding ways to evade taxes. Many tax officials have abetted these enterprises in tax evasion through various forms of corruption. Thus, corporate social responsibility to the community not only is not fulfilled but also devastates the community, because if the taxation officials collect all taxes then more money will be available to the poor, the elderly, the weak, the orphaned and the  handicapped as social assistance/welfare.There would be a reduction in deprivation and disadvantages unlike the present. Many poor people are being pushed into the last resorts of selling themselves as commercial sex workers, drug addiction, participating in illegal lotteries, marriage to foreigners, finding ways to work overseas in the hope that it would be “life changing” in the face of economic recession and rising unemployment.

– For the living environment of the community: Businesses have the responsibility to protect and promote the ecological environment in Vietnam, but many companies, for example, do not have waste water treatment systems. So waste and various toxic emissions are dumped directly into rivers, lakes and ponds, isolated areas, or buried underground. Dangerous fumes or smoke are vented at night even in residential areas causing serious harm to the health of our citizens and destroying habitats. Hundreds of small and medium dams have destroyed primeval forests, causing severe flooding to the central part of the country, bringing heavy damage to lives, houses, fields and gardens of people in recent years- all the result of lack of overall planning and synchronization of the government as well as the greed of individuals, corporations and interest groups.

1.3. Degradation: due to the decline in the moral culture of the Vietnamese people

The degradation of the social responsibility of enterprises derives from multiple causes, including lax management at all levels of government, limited capital, scarcity of raw materials, currency devaluation, unpaid debt, poor production techniques, untrained, unprofessional labor force… However, if one understands that all enterprise activities derive from the people and is people-dependent then  we must realize that the deterioration of the economy, and businesses in particular, has in large part happened because the people of Vietnam have been severely degraded.

Indeed, when people only know the material, when they think that the physical can solve all difficulties, then moral decadence will definitely follow, as was pointed out by the Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the afternoon of 29th July 2013 at the office of the Government of the Workshop in the first 6 months of 2013 of Steering Committee 138: “The recession, deterioration of social ethics, which gives prominence to the lifestyles of triviality, reduced awareness, disregard of the law on the part of people,… are matters of concern”. In just the first 6 months of the year, there were 28,482 criminal cases – 6,300 cases involving environmental protection issues, over 10,000 arrests for possession of drugs, human trafficking and drug trafficking. According to the initial investigations, there were a number of activities involving criminal gangs and security guards that took place because of the ignorance, or avoidance of irresponsible officials and local authorities (as Thanh Nien, dated 04th August 2013).

According to the assessment of Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Thuyet at a conference in Hanoi on 08th August 2013 that summarized the 15 years of implementation of Resolution 5 concerning construction and development of an advanced culture imbued with national identity: “Unfortunately, after 15 years, when we look back, I see the human construction as the most unsuccessful area of the failure in Resolution 5″,… “From ordinary citizens to those of  high intellect, all the time the government must beg and support. Familiarity with those positions, the people can’t be good ones. And it becomes harder for them to become better people morally.“ (As http://www.thanhnien.com.vn/pages/20,130,809/blender-use-the-player-van-hoa-la -cream-nhat.aspx ).

Prof. Dr. Hoang Chi Bao, Central Theoretical Council, said: “Our society is in a state of moral degradation– it can be said that it is very heavily damaged. We are concerned about the increase in crime, vices, the very acts that are strange to human nature… The lack of exemplary behaviour of adults within the family, in social interaction, and even among leaders, led to many expressing concern about people’s beliefs… For years now, society has faced many moral problems. We must develop solutions for ethics and ethical practices in the whole society from the Communist Party to the people to public organizations, …”.

(http://www.thanhnien.com.vn/pages/20130809/xay-dung-con-nguoi-van-hoa-la-kem-nhat.aspx ).

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said at the conference: “Ethics – personality – lifestyle – the culture of Vietnam somehow in many places we have not paid enough attention, right from school and family, just the self preservation of each individual. Alienation, lavish lifestyles, deceit and insensitivity tend to develop. Diseases and achievements in the form of cultural activities are increasingly widespread. The above weaknesses are not limited to the economic and social development, but also reflect a bad image of the country, the people and culture of Vietnam. In my opinion, this is the risk, even the biggest risk, in the context that we have to build and develop the country under conditions of a market economy and deeper international integration” (http://www. thanhnien.com.vn/pages/20130809/xay-dung-con-nguoi-van-hoa-la-kem–nhat.aspx ).

The moral degradation has extremely damaging consequences for all sectors, especially culture because culture is the overall general physical-spiritual values of human creativity through the history. If we recognize that the ultimate function of the aesthetic function of culture (Le Van Chuong, Vietnam Background Culture, Youth House Publisher, 1999, page 24) is the direction of human culture to all values, then  once the religious values ​​of truth, goodness and beauty are all removed, people will look to the false, cruel, and evil and that is what we see in society today.

Trafficking, selling toxic foods, agricultural products, seafood containing residues of hazardous chemicals are all widespread due to the desire to get rich by any means. Vices can weaken a nation, with all kinds of problems and diseases that can lead to destruction. The hotels, coffee shops, massage shops, prostitution disguised as massage abound throughout the cities, the towns and  countryside, creating conditions for people to behave in a depraved moral and spiritual manner.

1.4. That the moral degradation derives from cultural degradation, including religious factors

We have just talked about the comments made by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, the sociology of moral degradation situation and the awareness that the situation is “the risk of risks” which can ruin the bright future of nation, and can even put people onto the path of slavery and destruction.

All those who love the country are asking a key question: “How to revive the national ethos which is severely degraded?” The government, the society and education officials have confirmed the moral degradation of the Vietnamese ethos, but we need to specify the causes and courageously set out the solutions and plans to revive the new morality. That is what we need to do.

The government has also been concerned about this issue for years. The State has assigned the Institute of Social Sciences of Vietnam to study a key program of the State for the period 2006-2010 which was: “Building human and cultural development of Vietnam in the reform process and global integration.” The Program Chairman: Prof. Dr. Duong Phu Hiep. Code: KX.03/06-10. Institute of Philosophy of the Academy of Social Sciences of Vietnam also participated in this research program with the theme: “The characteristics of thinking and the lifestyle of the  Vietnamese people today and the suitability of the current situation with innovation to take the opportunity for global integration.” Project manager is Prof. Nguyen Ngoc Ha. Code: 03.07/06-10.

As we learn about the psychosocial structure which constitutes the Vietnamese identity over the historical period and the influence of religion on that identity, then we can see that before the current moral decline, there could  be a new identity for the nation by proper religious training as a new culture. Indeed, the social problems can only be addressed effectively if we find out the root causes for  many Vietnamese people being divided, apathetic and reluctant to work and who are just engaged in  their own interests and benefits. Then we need to find strategies for repairing those defects.

The Vietnamese for thousands of years have believed in God as a sacred entity that controls all things and sees through human conscience to reward or punish all good and bad actions. This faith is the cultural identity of Vietnamese which will revive the present moral decadence for all of us, especially if the government supports forming of this identity. This is worth supporting for the formation in the souls of people but this is not to support the superstitions that some religions do to encourage their followers,

If culture is the sum of the value of physical and spiritual human creativity in a certain period of history, then most religions in Vietnam are now teaching and encouraging their followers to create a good life, ““Even in healthy eating“”, to stay away from the evil, to be responsible to his own conscience and not only responsible before the the law. All religions use prayer, rituals, rules, stoic actions, charitable activities and activities for everybody in order to urge the faithful to live according to the good values, to study, to seek divine salvation, and eternal happiness instead of seeking benefits for themselves and fleeting happiness. And so religions are working positively in the construction of a new culture of Vietnam.

The way to form a new culture should also start from raising social awareness, and create new habits for the society and after a few generations those good elements will form a new identity for the whole nation. This is what religious believers are doing through the daily bible reading, going to Mass every week for Christians or worshipping in the temples, shrines or monthly praying of devotees in Buddhism. These activities should be supported and helped by close collaborations at all levels of government, in partnership with the psychological, scientific, educational, social communities as well as the writers and artists communities. All these activities can be the yeast in the baking to resurrect the morality of the whole nation.

However, we must admit that the perception of religion as a culture is not received well by many components of society and the values and the contributions of religions to public life is still not recognized as acceptable. The period of hardship for all religions started in 1954 in the North and in the South from 1975 to the present. For a long time, the Vietnamese believed in God – Buddha, the tenets of Confucianism, the God of Christianity, ancestor worship. The lessons nowadays in textbooks, in the political classes and through social media refute idealism and promote materialism. The past 60 years seems to have been remarkably effective in removing religious beliefs among Vietnamese people. But when people lose a sense of the spiritual,  when they deny the presence of a supreme moral subjectivity as the foundation of morality, then people  would dare to do anything in deference to ambition and desire!

The law does not have the ability to discover all the mysteries of actions rooted in the human minds. So, when people believe in a supreme moral insight in his  heart (God has the eyes), people will live righteously and  in good conscience voluntarily and thus overcome the physical temptations and destructive passions to live ethically. From this fundamental morality, Vietnamese people can overcome these evils, such as deceit, corruption, bureaucracy and waste, even the waste of human life- abortion is rampant in society. Thus, ultimately, the presence of religions is essential to society. A few people have recognized this and are encouraging folk festivals or participating in religious ceremonies. But many people are unaware of this.

The question for us is how to build a social ethic to respect freedom of religion and the beliefs of people instead of debating idealistic – materialistic or atheistic – theistic, and uniting the followers of these religions in the national interest.

2. Religious factors in the implementation of social responsibility of businesses

2.1. Religious composition of the national structure

Firstly we learn the religious composition of the nation then we can infer from these statistics the number of businesses operated by those religious entrepreneurs.

According to the Census of Population and Housing in Vietnam made ​​on 1^st April 2009, Vietnam has 13 national groups with religious believers as follows:

Thus, the number of people with religious affiliation in the country accounted for only 18.23% of the population with 15,651,467 people out of the total population of 85,846,997 as of 1^st April 2009. Of the 13 religions, we find Buddhists accounted for 7.92%, 6.61% Catholic, 1.66% Hoa Hao, Cao Dai 0.94% and 0.85% Protestant. The remaining number of religious adherents is very small. More than 81% of the population declared no religion. Only 30 people did not explicitly declare their religions (cf. Steering Committee of the Census, Complete Results, Statistical Publishing House, Hanoi, 2010, p. 281).

Among those who declared “no religion”, there may be a number of Communist Party members, a few million people, who choose the attitude “atheist” to satisfy requirements. But the vast majority of this 81% population, though declaring no specific religion, do have a strong faith, which they call belief, some saying that they follow the ancestral religion. We note that the declaration of the 2009 Census of religion does not include those religions. The number of “no religion” respondents, including the Communist Party members, also go to temples on special days such as Tet, the lunar month or the middle of the month, which makes people think that they are Buddhists. If they are asked about the being an atheist, many of these people will respond with “no”.

We should also note that if only based on these statistics, one can underestimate the role of religion in society as applying to less than 20% of the population.

In fact, the Vietnamese have a profound piety, most of them believe in a Supreme Being, who is called holy God, the heavens, God, his God, the Holy Allah, Cao Dai God,… This Supreme Being is adopted as the sacred foundation of human morality, to help them live justly, with integrity and kindness to each other. In literature as well as in everyday reality, many people still believe that “God has his eyes”, “God never forgives injustice”, “The evil man cannot escape from God’s power” , “Predestined affinity comes from God” … The children also sing rhymes like:

Oh Heaven give us rain
I have water to drink
To plow the fields
To get full bowls of rice
To get the straw for the kitchen…

To protect national morality and preserve the cultural identity of the nation, we need to pay attention to human beings – especially the young people in society today – and how they are educated about this belief. The moral degradation and the current culture also reflects a poor quality education that society is more interested in talking about last time. These textbooks in recent decades, especially since 1954 in North VN and 1975 nationwide, there are no moral lessons to support or guide the people, while the confidence who believe in this Sacred keep people survive and thrive in nation throughout history.

2.2. Religious entrepreneurs in Vietnam

Many entrepreneurs who are not publicly religious in their work, work under principles of the religion they follow and these people have a very good social responsibility. Of course, not all entrepreneurs are bringing religious principles into their business operations,  but when they are aware of their beliefs or religions, they all bring goodness to the society such as kindness, integrity in their businesses operations, not because of any medals or awards of any organization.

Outside observers can see the religious elements that are brought to the company through their names, logos, signs, colors, facility layouts, the interior design, and the social and charitable activities that enterprises participate in.

First of all, the use of religious names of some companies by implication guarantee the quality of their products or services. For example, many companies have taken name brands such as: Hoa Sen, Van Hanh Hospital, Dental Van Hanh, the basis of Enlightenment (Giac Ngo), Enlightenment Entertainment, Lotus, Impermanence, Boundless, Tam Hue,… all implying Buddhist beliefs. Then there are companies with names such as Marian Hospital, Clinic Thien An, Thien Phuoc, Thien Binh, Mai Tam facilities, Mai Khoi, Mai Hoa, Grace, Blessed,… all implying Catholic entrepreneurs. In the logos and signs, we also see many images of the Buddha, Guanyin Buddha, the lotus, the Cycle, flags of many colors … or the image of Lord Jesus, the Madonna (Mary), the  cross, Catholic roses … or the Bible.

Many manufacturing facilities display posters or statues of a religious nature. Some businesses also have prayer rooms for employees to use at the beginning of the working day or working session. Many activities are organized for religious workers such as catechesis about the way to work to help them realize that work is not just for making the  most profit but to glorify the Sacred as well as for the good of the whole family and the nation and should have everlasting value.

An employee’s religious conscience will allow him to voluntarily work with a high sense of responsibility in difficult and dangerous environments, ready to contribute to social and charity activities. In those businesses, there is solidarity, sharing and love between the workers and the executive board of directors than the other businesses. These are not religious employers who exploit the workers such as the boat workers during the time of Karl Marx (1818-1883) and  Friedrich Engels (1820-1895), but these are people who willingly carry out their work according to their religious principles.

Religious organizations for entrepreneurs are present throughout almost all the country, in public and on the social media, especially the 3 major religions: Catholic, Protestant and  Buddhist.

Catholic Entrepreneur organizations are present in almost all 26 dioceses in Vietnam, but is most active in Ho Chi Minh city with about 300 business people involved. The union in Ho Chi Minh city was established in 2003. Members gather monthly to learn about topics related to business life, help each other in businesses, share experiences and advice about operating businesses. They show very good social responsibility offering 200 scholarships for poor students every year regardless of religion for 8 years now. There are also the charitable programs of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City, taking care of patients who are underprivileged, teaching evening classes for immigrant workers, providing shelters for orphans, the disabled, people with HIV, and for single mothers,and, in collaboration with a group of Catholic medical doctors, pay regular visits to the remote areas. They are guided by ” A Summary of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church”, a booklet to guide people in activities in the field of human and social rights, family, labor, economy, civil society, the international community, environmental protection and the promotion of peace.

Buddhist entrepreneurs also have practical lessons for application in business operations.  The Venerable Thich Tri Quang taught entrepreneurs: “For thousands of years, through his wisdom ,Buddha realized the important role of entrepreneurs in the development of society, so he gave practical and useful teachings in the trading world. According to Buddhism, a good business must satisfy an authentic life for families and contribute to the prosperity of society. In addition, they must know how to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil. So, to become genuinely rich, entrepreneurs need to comply with the law, express the moral principle which is typically honest virtue such as advertising samples to show the quality of goods sold is up to standard so as to better retain their prestige and progress. We can confirm that the business is not only thinking of the current benefits in accordance with Buddhism but also of the long term benefits for future generations, which should never be allowed to lie or engage in  wanton exploitation. In addition, Buddhist entrepreneurs must know how to share the results achieved with the help of his colleagues for those who are less fortunate and to contribute to the benefit of society.

Nowadays, amid the market turmoil, price fluctuations, fierce competition is often expressed as a battle field, a new world displaying the red flag for economic crimes. While the Buddha thousands of years ago, with perfect insight, admonished laypeople guilty of extremely dangerous activities such as human trafficking and trading in poisoned alcohol .” (Increased branch II, chapter 5, the South lay, the traders, VNCPHVN published, 1996, p.646 ) – (Source: giacngo.vn).

2.3 . Korean businesses and religious factors as one typical example

We would like to give a typical example of the growth of Korean companies guided by religious practices so that the community can pay more attention to religion in Vietnam. In their histories, both countries have many similarities, such as having been colonized by China for centuries, being influenced by the three Eastern religions: Buddhism – Confucianism – Taoism, and being  heavily influenced by the ideological war between Communism and Capitalism. Both countries were also divided.

In 1949, followers of Christianity in South Korea were only about 1% of the population, while the majority were Buddhists or non-religious. In 2005, 46.5 % of the population of South Korea was non-religious, 22.8% Buddhist, 18.3% Protestant, 10.9% Catholic and 1.5% other religions (www.wikipedia.org / wiki / religion -in – South – Korea). As of 7/5/2013, 12% are Catholics and 18% Protestants (http :/ / askakorean.blogspot.com). Christians have contributed quite a lot to the significant economic growth of South Korea though few people are aware of this issue. The way Christians live and work has been accepted by Koreans and has rapidly changed the face of South Korea within a few decades.

” 30 years ago, the Korean economy was devastated after the conquest and war, resources were not much, domestic sources of capital were of extremely low, the national income per capita (GNP) of the early 60s in Korea was only $80, GDP was on par with that of the poorest countries in Africa and Asia. Now the South Korean GDP ranks 10th in the world, income per capita is about 16.000USD. Korea is also one of the leading countries in trade. According to the most recent analysis by Goldman Sachs in 2007, South Korea will become the 3rd richest country in the world by 2025, with a GDP per capita of 52.000USD and in the next 25 years it will surpass all countries, except the United States, to become the second richest country in the world, with GDP per capita of 81.000USD (http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinh_te_Han_Quoc).

What factors have led to South Korea’s quick recovery in all aspects leading to the miracle of economic development known as “The Han River Miracle”? There are many logical reasons for Korea’s rapid economic development but here we mention three main drivers:

1. The government plays a crucial role

The South Korean government has identified long-term and short-term goals to suit each stage of development of the country’s economy.

2. Human factors contribute to the miracle

The nation is poor in natural resources, but the  Korean people are very diligent and hardworking and know how to make use of available resources and prepare for economic development. The Koreans are motivated in their work and lifestyle. For a long time, South Korea has had proper awareness about the importance of education to the future prospects of the country. Nor can we ignore those elements of traditional culture such as respect for teachers and morals, upholding nationalism, working hard  and having  a will of steel. They also display national pride.

3. Foreign elements

Finally, we would like to mention one more epochal factor. Korea has taken advantage of its advantages to draw benefits from foreign sources. In particular, due to the historical context, Korea has enlisted a great deal of financial support from the US  through the Vietnam War, compensation from Japan and loans from the World Bank (http :/ / vi.wikipedia.org / wiki / Kinh_te_Han_Quoc).

From lessons about the Korean economy, religious businessmen in Vietnam can learn from Catholic Koreans and apply solutions in the economy. Catholic supermarket owners in South Korea, for example, link up with each other to purchase agricultural products directly from Catholic farmers at high prices, on the condition that the products are of good quality with no pesticides or rapid growth chemicals. To help farmers, the largest Catholic Korean companies send advisors and experts to the countryside to teach peasants planting techniques, fertilizer use and offer them low-interest loans to buy plants and fertilizers to increase productivity and product quality. Many farmers who are not Catholics see the benefit and would like to affiliate with the Catholic organizations and this gradually raises their interest in religion. In addition, agricultural products of these farmers are sold cheaply to supermarkets because there are no intermediaries and their high quality has helped them gain a good reputation with the public. Therefore, the number of Korean Catholics is increasing and the Korean Catholic Church has resolved and predicts an increase in the number of Catholics to 20 % of the population by the end of 2020.

2.4. Some proposals

After analyzing the religious elements in the implementation of corporate social responsibility, we strongly recommend the following to society, especially local authorities and social organizations in Vietnam:

1. Build religions as a new culture to restore human integrity and honesty in business activities.

2. Encourage religious entrepreneurs in implementing social responsibilities.

3. Encourage healthy competitive activities among business enterprises operating with religious principles.

When we are seen to encourage the cultural values ​​of religion, some non-religious people may get upset because they think we are looking to take people back to the status of “alienation”, the loss of oneself, which was caused by religions, a few centuries ago.

In fact, we just want to invite all those who love the country to take Vietnam as a reference point for their operations in order to show that religious faith can help people overcome the dead-end  situation  brought by the cult of materialism which is very popular in Vietnam  and  find their noble, true selves.

Noble because the human is the subject of all conscious actions and freedom in relation to other humans, to all things, to oneself and to the Divine which our ancestors called Heaven. True, because people will develop fully ​​in the areas of the physical and spiritual,the inner and the external world, the natural and supernatural, the individual and collective, which are all areas that culture aspires to. That is, we are building a culture of “humanity” with people-oriented principles The Catholic Church wants to build a true and human solidarity. (Episcopacy of Vietnam, Summary of Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, No. 1-19, No. 20-59, No. 105-159).

Conclusion

In learning about the religious elements in business activities in Vietnam, we feel the need to promote a civilization of love. In this civilization, we take love as the foundation for building every human relationship, and as the standard to judge all human acts and as an ultimate destination that human activities are moving towards.

This love is not temporary human affection, limited by physical space and time, but stems from a metaphysical, eternal and boundless entity that our ancestors have always believed and worshiped. Indeed, only when each of the Vietnamese people love their fellow citizens, the mountains, rivers and the country with a pure and generous love with help for each other, then we will certainly banish the moral decadence, build the nation and develop national sustainability. Love has to start right here and right now.