6.5.3. Off-campus water conservation support
University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) supports water conservation through community volunteering, canal clean-ups, preventing waste from entering waterways, and providing clean-water facilities in local communities. Under its 2021–2025 Multidisciplinary and Sustainable University Strategy and Green Campus Regulations, UEH undertook off-campus environmental initiatives in 2025, notably cleaning the Rach Lang Bridge canal area, organising community canal clean-ups in Ho Chi Minh City, and supporting water filtration equipment for schools in Vinh Long. Working with environmental organisations and residents, these initiatives helped remove waste, improve sanitation and promote responsibility for local water resources.
- Long-term policies and commitments to water resource protection
1.1. UEH Multidisciplinary and Sustainable University Strategy, 2021–2025, vision to 2030
UEH’s strategy integrates the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into five pillars: Education, Research, Operations, Governance and Community Engagement. Its Green Campus initiative promotes waste reduction, resource efficiency and environmentally responsible practices, while the Community Engagement pillar supports cooperation with local organisations and authorities on off-campus environmental projects.
UEH Sustainable University Strategy and Green Campus initiative.
Public evidence: UEH Green Campus Regulations.
https://gogreen.ueh.edu.vn/quy-dinh-thuc-hanh-dai-hoc-xanh
1.2. Green Campus Regulations under Decision No. 2059/QD-DHKT-CSVC
UEH’s Green Campus Regulations establish principles for waste management, resource conservation and sustainable practices. Article 2 identifies waste reduction, separation at source, recycling and reuse, and resource conservation, including water.
Article 2: Approaches to the Green Campus initiative.
Public evidence: UEH Green Campus Regulations.
https://gogreen.ueh.edu.vn/quy-dinh-thuc-hanh-dai-hoc-xanh
Article 12 defines responsibilities for implementing and evaluating the Green Campus initiative in 2023–2025, establishing a foundation for 2026–2030.
Article 12: UEH’s responsibilities.
Public evidence: UEH Green Campus Regulations.
https://gogreen.ueh.edu.vn/quy-dinh-thuc-hanh-dai-hoc-xanh
Together, the policy framework and community engagement strategy underpin UEH’s 2025 off-campus waste collection, canal clean-ups and environmental protection activities.
- Direct off-campus waterway clean-ups in 2025
2.1. GreenSync – Canal clean-up at Rach Lang Bridge
Location: Rach Lang Bridge, Ho Chi Minh City, outside UEH premises.
Period: March 2025.
Activity: Collecting waste, cleaning canal banks and clearing vegetation.
As part of the Green Sunday 2025 Campaign, UEH’s School of Accounting collaborated with environmental organisation Sai Gon Xanh to clean the Rach Lang Bridge area. Volunteers removed domestic waste from the canal banks and adjoining areas, cleared overgrowth and cleaned accumulated litter. Removing waste near the water helped reduce the risk of rubbish entering the canal.
UEH students and Sai Gon Xanh volunteers collect waste around Rach Lang Canal.
Public evidence: Highlights of Green Sunday 2025 – School of Accounting GreenSync (UEH Youth, 23 March 2025).
Reported outcomes: Waste collection and canal-bank cleaning were carried out; UEH volunteers worked with Sai Gon Xanh; accumulated waste was removed from the canal-side area.
2.2. Volunteer Saturday – Green Sunday: Cleaning canals in residential communities
Location: Canal and residential areas in Binh Hung Commune, Ho Chi Minh City.
Period: November 2025.
Activity: Waste collection, cleaning and clearing obstructed canal areas.
UEH volunteers participated in community environmental activities, collecting waste and removing obstructions from canal areas. The work addressed accumulated rubbish and helped protect local surface water and drainage systems.
Volunteers collect waste and clear canal areas in residential communities.
Public evidence: Learning from the People, Serving the People – Volunteer Saturday – Green Sunday (UEH Youth, 9 November 2025).
https://youth.ueh.edu.vn/tin-tuc/hoc-trong-dan-lam-vi-dan-dau-an-thu-bay-tinh-nguyen-chu-nhat-xanh/
Reported outcomes: Off-campus waste collection, cleaning and removal of obstructions around waterways.
2.3. “Vong Tay Gom Nang” – Waste collection near canals and residential areas
Location: Local canals and residential communities.
Period: May 2025.
Activity: Waste collection, cleaning public spaces and recycling.
The UEH Faculty of Law Student Association organised the “Vong Tay Gom Nang” volunteering programme. Under its environmental component, students collected waste from canals, older apartment buildings and residential areas and participated in recycling activities. Canal-side waste removal helped limit the potential movement of household litter into waterways.
Waste collection near canals in local residential communities.
Public evidence: “Vong Tay Gom Nang” Volunteer Programme – UEH Faculty of Law (UEH Youth, 10 May 2025).
Reported outcomes: Waste was collected from canals and residential areas; volunteers and communities were encouraged to protect their surroundings.
2.4. Green Summer 2025 – Canal-cleaning projects in Ho Chi Minh City
Location: Campaign sites in Binh Chanh, Vinh Loc, Hiep Phuoc and Nha Be, Ho Chi Minh City.
Period: 2–21 July 2025.
Activity: Planned canal waste removal and cleaning.
UEH’s 2025 Student Volunteer Campaign announced plans for three canal-cleaning projects in Ho Chi Minh City. The projects aimed to improve sanitation and reduce accumulated waste around community waterways.
Campaign documentation on two water filtration units for Vinh Long and three canal-cleaning projects in Ho Chi Minh City.
Public evidence: UEH Student Volunteer Campaign 2025: Continuing the Journey of Sustainable Values (UEH Portal, 2 July 2025).
Reported information: Three projects were included in the published plan. The campaign’s 577 volunteers participated across two regions; this is not the number specifically involved in canal-cleaning.
- Supporting local access to clean water and reducing waste
3.1. Green Summer 2025 – Water filtration equipment for schools in Vinh Long
Location: Campaign areas in Cai Nhum, Tan Long Hoi and Nhon Phu, Vinh Long Province.
Period: July 2025.
Activity: Supporting water filtration equipment for local schools.
The campaign’s initial plan included donating two water filtration units. Its closing report on 21 July 2025 confirmed that UEH supported water filtration equipment for schools in Vinh Long, helping improve access to treated water for school communities.
UEH supports water filtration equipment for local schools, helping improve access to treated water.
Public evidence: Closing Ceremony of UEH Student Volunteer Campaign 2025 – Vinh Long (UEH Portal, 21 July 2025).
https://www.ueh.edu.vn/cuoc-song-ueh/tin-tuc/le-hoi-quan-chien-dich-tinh-nguyen-sinh-vien-kinh-te-2025-8211-mat-tran-tinh-vinh-long-khep-lai-hanh-trinh-tu-hao-khai-mo-tri-thuc-va-khat-vong-cong-hien-74494
Reported outcomes: The closing report confirmed water filtration support; the initial plan specified two units.
3.2. Volunteer Saturday – Green Sunday by the UEH Faculty of Economics in Binh Chanh
Location: Binh Chanh, Ho Chi Minh City.
Period: 2025.
Activity: Collecting household waste, plastic bottles and bags, and cleaning local roads.
UEH Faculty of Economics volunteers collected litter and cleaned public spaces in Binh Chanh. Removing plastic and household waste helped reduce accumulated rubbish and the risk of waste reaching nearby drainage systems.
Volunteers collecting and disposing of waste during the campaign.
Public evidence: Volunteer Saturday – Green Sunday 2025, Faculty of Economics (UEH Portal, 19 May 2025).
This activity provides supplementary evidence of preventing potential water pollution from solid waste, rather than direct waterway restoration.
3.3. “Trao Yeu Thuong – Trong Hy Vong” – Environmental clean-up in Qui Duc Commune
Location: Qui Duc Commune, Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.
Date: 30 March 2025.
Activity: Collecting plastic waste, cleaning roads and public areas, and planting trees.
UEH student organisations from the School of Business Information Technology organised Green Sunday activities in Qui Duc. Following tree planting, 11 volunteers cleaned local roads and public spaces, removing plastic waste, leaves and household litter.
Students collect waste and clean public areas in Qui Duc Commune.
Public evidence: Review of Green Sunday 2025 – “Trao Yeu Thuong – Trong Hy Vong” (UEH Green Campus, 31 March 2025).
Reported outcomes: Eleven volunteers carried out local clean-up activities. This was land-based pollution prevention; the public source does not establish a direct effect on a specific waterway.
- Community awareness of water resource protection
4.1. “Children Working Together to Protect Clean Water”
Location: Off-campus community activities during the city’s student volunteering programme.
Period: 2025.
Activity: Water conservation education for children.
UEH student volunteers introduced clean-water protection messages to children, encouraging awareness of the importance of water and environmentally responsible behaviour.
“Children Working Together to Protect Clean Water” programme.
Public evidence: UEH Youth Participates in the City’s Student Week Supporting Two-Tier Local Government (UEH Youth, 6 October 2025).
Reported outcomes: Community education on clean-water protection and encouragement of responsible habits.
4.2. “For a Sustainable Mekong” – Knowledge exchange on resource protection
Location: UEH Mekong, Vinh Long Province.
Period: April 2025.
Activity: Academic exchange and sustainability awareness.
The programme brought together international ISB students and UEH Mekong students to discuss sustainable development challenges in the Mekong Delta. Topics related to resource protection, ecosystems and water management strengthened participants’ awareness.
Participants at the “For a Sustainable Mekong” talk show.
Public evidence: UEH Hosts an Exchange between ISB International Students and UEH Mekong Students (UEH Portal, 15 April 2025).
This is supplementary educational evidence, not a direct off-campus water conservation intervention.
- Implementation outcomes and highlights in 2025
UEH continued off-campus activities to protect local water environments and reduce waste in 2025. First, GreenSync, Vong Tay Gom Nang and Volunteer Saturday – Green Sunday mobilised volunteers for canal-side waste removal and community clean-ups. The Green Summer campaign also announced three canal-cleaning projects in Ho Chi Minh City.
Second, Green Summer 2025 supported water filtration equipment for schools in Vinh Long, helping school communities access treated water. Third, waste collection in Binh Chanh and Qui Duc improved public sanitation and reduced potential pathways for solid waste to enter drainage systems, although direct effects on waterways were not documented for those activities.
Finally, children’s water conservation outreach and sustainability knowledge exchanges reinforced environmental awareness. Together, these initiatives demonstrate UEH’s cooperation with environmental organisations, local communities and volunteers in supporting off-campus water conservation and SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation.