In efforts to build a modern, sustainable, and community-responsible university, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) implements strategic activities to promote sustainable mobility for students, faculty, and staff. Encouraging the use of environmentally friendly commuting methods such as walking, cycling, carpooling, and public transport not only contributes to reducing emissions and protecting the environment but also improves health, commuting efficiency, and forms sustainable green habits. These efforts demonstrate UEH’s commitment to creating a civilized learning and working environment, accompanying Ho Chi Minh City toward a safe, modern, and sustainable city.

Green Campus Regulations

To realize the vision of becoming a sustainable university, UEH issued the Green Campus Practice Regulations in July 2023, applicable to all students, faculty, and staff across all campuses. This regulation lays the foundation for building a green UEHer community, with 3R principles – reduce, reuse, recycle – along with energy, water, and resource conservation. This serves as the legal basis and strategy for UEH to implement all environmentally friendly activities while raising awareness and individual responsibility within the community.

The regulations specifically focus on measuring, setting targets, and encouraging sustainable mobility forms, from walking and cycling to carpooling and public transport. These mechanisms help UEH record and evaluate the effectiveness of green behavior, form sustainable habits, reduce emissions, and simultaneously improve health and quality of life. Through implementing these strategic actions, each UEHer contributes to building a civilized, modern learning and working environment, accompanying Ho Chi Minh City toward a safe, green, and sustainable city.

UEH Spreads Green Awareness: From Sustainable Transport to Green Campus

UEH has long pioneered green transport behavior education, notably through the “Route2school Education” project in collaboration with the Institute for Mobility (IMOB) – Hasselt University, Belgium. The project combines virtual reality (VR) technology and gamification elements, helping students enhance their knowledge of traffic laws, train observation skills, identify hazards, handle real situations, and form safe, sustainable mobility habits. UEH proactively measures and establishes specific targets for green behavior, encouraging walking, cycling, carpooling, or using public transport. Integrating these educational platforms allows faculty and parents to monitor the learning process, evaluate effectiveness, and provide data to develop initiatives promoting green behavior within the UEHer community, toward a safe, modern, and sustainable transport environment.

On the morning of April 3, 2025, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) was honored to welcome a high-level delegation from the Kingdom of Belgium, including Minister of Communication & Brussels Ms. Cieltje Van Achter, along with representatives from Belgian universities, government agencies, and enterprises, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Belgium diplomatic relations. Within the visit framework, UEH collaborated with Hasselt University (Belgium) and the National Traffic Safety Committee to organize the seminar “United for Safer Roads: A Vietnam – Belgium Collaboration for Advancing Road Safety Through Virtual Learning and Research”. The program focused on exchanging solutions to enhance road safety through education, research, and virtual reality technology applications, while introducing practical models such as Route2School, VR platforms, and gamification. The event not only affirmed UEH’s commitment to international cooperation but also contributed to raising awareness, forming safe and sustainable transport behavior, accompanying the strategy of building a modern and green city for Ho Chi Minh City.

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UEH delegates welcomed the delegation of the Kingdom of Belgium: Ms. Cieltje Van Achter – Minister of Communications & Brussels; Prof. Dr. Bernard Vanheusden – Rector of Hasselt University; and representatives of the government, business sector and universities of the Kingdom of Belgium

Parallel to transport behavior education, UEH integrates Ho Chi Minh’s ideology on protecting nature and exploiting and using resources rationally into the Ho Chi Minh’s Ideology course and related subjects. Students are encouraged to apply knowledge into practice, from waste sorting and energy conservation to choosing green transport, creating direct connections between awareness, behavior, and social responsibility. Practical projects such as UEH Green Campus and Zero Waste Campus not only provide hands-on experience but also help students clearly recognize the impact of individual behavior on the environment and community. This combination creates a sustainable academic ecosystem, aimed at building a Green Campus where knowledge, attitudes, and environmental actions are connected, while realizing UEH’s sustainable development goals and those of the community.

Sustainable Transport – Toward a Green Future for Ho Chi Minh City and the UEHer Community

Air pollution in Ho Chi Minh City is becoming a serious issue, with most emissions arising from personal transport vehicles. In this context, promoting electric vehicles as a choice for Gen Z not only carries environmental strategic significance but also contributes to forming sustainable consumption habits. Research by UEH students indicates that consumer attitudes, awareness of electric vehicles, price factors, and warranty services are key factors influencing electric vehicle usage intentions. Raising awareness about environmental benefits, developing charging station infrastructure, and government incentive policies will help increase motivation to switch to green vehicles while contributing to global sustainable development goals such as SDG 7, SDG 12, and SDG 13.

Besides electric vehicles, green public transport also plays an important role in building sustainable cities. The UEH Shuttle Bus service was launched with dedicated routes for UEH students and staff, providing safe, fast, economical, and environmentally friendly transport. In 2025, UEH Shuttle Bus updated its new route, adding stops connecting directly with Metro Line 1, helping UEHers save commuting time while increasing convenience and modernity for travel between campus locations. With flexible schedules, modern amenities, and reasonable fares, UEH Shuttle Bus not only reduces single-occupancy vehicles, saves energy, and reduces emissions, but also forms sustainable commuting habits while connecting educational experiences with practicing green lifestyles within the UEH community.

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UEH Shuttle Bus updates new route from 2025

To reduce the burden of commuting costs, UEH implements preferential fares of only 5,000 VND per trip, with total subsidies of nearly 1 billion VND in 2024, serving over 74,000 student trips. Additionally, the university applies various preferential policies for students facing financial difficulties, ensuring everyone can access safe, convenient, and economical services. UEH Shuttle Bus is not only a means of transport but also a financial support tool, raising environmental protection awareness and encouraging green commuting habits, contributing to forming a dynamic, healthy, and sustainable student community.

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UEH Shuttle Bus

Beyond improvements to the UEH Shuttle Bus route, UEH students also experienced Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien), connecting directly with Shuttle Bus stops. This experience program not only helps students travel conveniently and quickly but also provides practical insights into modern and sustainable public transport. Through real journeys, students clearly recognize the role of using green vehicles in reducing pollution, saving energy, and improving urban quality of life. These experiences simultaneously encourage UEH students to form green mobility habits, contributing to building a civilized, modern learning community and heading toward smart, sustainable cities.

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UEH students participate in experiencing Metro Line 1 Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien

Green transportation not only protects the environment but also improves quality of life and promotes economic development. Forms such as public bicycles, electric buses, personal electric vehicles, and pedestrian streets help reduce emissions, save energy, improve health, and create friendly public spaces. When the UEHer community participates in choosing green vehicles, supporting sustainable transport policies, and experiencing services like Shuttle Bus, each small action contributes to creating significant change. This forms the foundation for a green, modern, and sustainable future for Ho Chi Minh City while spreading the green living spirit within the UEH community.

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Green Transportation Trend

Sustainable Steps

In the context of increasing urbanization and accelerating lifestyles, walking is not only an environmentally friendly means of transport but also contributes to improving quality of life. Recognizing this importance, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) implemented the “Project on Developing an Intersectional Equity Framework to Encourage Walkability”, collaborating with prestigious universities within and outside the region to survey and analyze difficulties and needs of pedestrians, especially vulnerable groups in central Ho Chi Minh City. The project provides practical data on infrastructure, safety, and public spaces, thereby offering practical solutions to improve walking experiences while raising community awareness about the health and environmental benefits of walking in modern cities.

Not stopping at research, UEH also realizes solutions encouraging environmentally friendly physical activity through UEH Green Campus Calories Stair “Power-Up Steps”, a practical initiative encouraging students to use stairs daily. Each step on the staircase not only helps improve personal health but also contributes to reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions from elevator use. With a simple yet meaningful message: each step is a source of energy for health and the environment, the project creates motivation for UEHers to form active, green lifestyles – protecting themselves while contributing to the community and sustainable urban environment.

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UEH Green Campus Calories Stair “Power-Up Steps”

Compared to 2024, 2025 marks a strategic advancement in UEH’s approach to building a green community and promoting sustainable behavior. While 2024 focused primarily on encouraging students to use UEH Shuttle Bus and walk, emphasizing personal experience and public transport convenience, 2025 expanded the scope with more multidimensional solutions. UEH not only integrates sustainable mobility forms such as cycling and carpooling but also directly connects practical projects such as UEH Green Campus Calories Stair and Metro Line 1 experiences. This development demonstrates not only the formation of green mobility habits but also emphasizes the connection between individual behavior and the goal of building smart, sustainable cities. From awareness to practice, 2025 reflects a clearer strategic vision and the ability to transform green initiatives into practical impact on the UEHer community.

The green steps that UEH initiates are not merely individual behaviors but part of an overall strategy to build a sustainable university and smart city. From measuring and setting targets to implementing sustainable mobility forms, practical projects, and real experiences, UEH has created an education-action ecosystem connecting awareness, attitudes, and environmental behavior. These efforts contribute to shaping green lifestyles within the UEHer community, improving quality of life, protecting the environment, and heading toward a modern, civilized, and sustainable Ho Chi Minh City – while affirming UEH’s pioneering role in spreading the sustainable development spirit to the broader community.

Open related links

1. Route2school Education – https://future.ueh.edu.vn/en/chi-tiet-knowlege/podcast-route2school-education-smart-online-traffic-safety-education-system-project/

2. Welcome a high-level delegation from the Kingdom of Belgium – https://ueh.edu.vn/cuoc-song-ueh/tin-tuc/ueh-tiep-don-phai-doan-cap-cao-vuong-quoc-bi-va-toa-dam-hop-tac-viet-nam-bi-tang-cuong-an-toan-giao-thong-duong-bo-qua-dao-tao-va-nghien-cuu-thuc-te-73764

3. Ho Chi Minh’s Ideology – https://future.ueh.edu.vn/en/chi-tiet-knowlege/research-contribution-applying-ho-chi-minhs-ideology-on-environmental-protection-in-environmental-education-for-students-towards-a-green-university/

4. Research by UEH students – https://gogreen.ueh.edu.vn/en/podcast/podcast-the-affecting-factors-on-generation-zs-intention-for-electric-vehicles-use-in-ho-chi-minh-city

5. UEH Shuttle Bus updated its new route – https://ueh.edu.vn/cuoc-song-ueh/tin-tuc/ueh-shuttle-bus-don-nam-moi-voi-lo-trinh-moi-73245

6. Reduce the burden of commuting costs – https://dsa.ueh.edu.vn/tin-tuc/ueh-lan-toa-gia-tri-nhan-van-dong-hanh-cung-sinh-vien-co-hoan-canh-kho-khan-nam-2024/

7. Experienced Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien) – https://ueh.edu.vn/cuoc-song-ueh/tin-tuc/sinh-vien-ueh-trai-nghiem-tuyen-metro-so-1-ben-thanh-suoi-tien-73000

8. Green transportation – https://ueh.edu.vn/en/news/the-trend-of-green-transportation-towards-a-sustainable-future-73221

9. Project on Developing an Intersectional Equity Framework to Encourage Walkability – https://future.ueh.edu.vn/en/chi-tiet-knowlege/podcast-project-on-developing-an-intersectional-equity-framework-to-encourage-walkability/

10. UEH Green Campus Calories Stair “Power-Up Steps” – https://ueh.edu.vn/en/news/launching-ueh-green-campus-calories-stair-power-up-steps-every-step-is-a-source-of-energy-for-the-environment-and-health-73045