HEINEKEN continues to encourage public to protect water resources

Within the framework of HEINEKEN Vietnam’s program “1 minute less for one million smiles”, 100 manholes in the inner-city of Ho Chi Minh City have been decorated with lively and meaningful designs to encourage the community to protect the environment as well as water resources. 

Ho Chi Minh, March 19th 2018 – Today, HEINEKEN Vietnam (the brewer of leading beer brands, including Heineken, Tiger, Larue, Strongbow, Affligem, Desperados and Bivina) in collaboration with HCMC Urban Drainage Company Limited, officially implemented the program of decorating 100 manholes on Ho Chi Minh City’s main streets in order to spread the message and call for the community’s joint action on conserving water resources and protecting the environment.

Launched on October 2017 with a manhole-decorating contest on their fanpage www.facebook.com/1phuttietkiemtrieuniemvui, the program has been well-received particularly by youth who are keen on supporting environmental and social causes. The 10 best drawings were then chosen, based on the criteria of the Organization Board,  for  decorating the manholes on Alexandra de Rhodes Street, Le Loi and Pham Ngu Lao Street (23/9 Park), District 1, Ho Chi Minh city from 12 – 19/3/2018. This is a meaningful program that is well-supported by HCMC Urban Drainage Company Limited as well as volunteers from universities thoughout the city.     

This activity is a part of the clean water for community program “1 minute less for million smiles” organized by HEINEKEN Vietnam since 2011, with the aim to raise the community’s awareness of protecting water resources and taking action on saving water, while supporting the community, especially areas suffering from water shortage, or limited access to clean water.

Mr. Matt Wilson, Corporate Affairs Director at HEINEKEN Vietnam, actively participated in the painting program. He shared, “Despite the hot weather, we really hope to finish decorating 100 manholes on the main streets and expand the program to other areas. I think that this is a meaningful activity that HEINEKEN committed to implementing for the community’s benefits. We also hope that this program will help to start to change the community’s behaviour, especially in terms of thinking about the consequences of what goes down manholes and littering in general. The manholes should be kept clean in order to prevent drain blockages and to reduce water and environmental pollution. We are delighted to receive support and collaboration from our partner – The Ho Chi Minh City Urban Drainage Company Limited and a large number of young people as well as the media. Together we can spread the message of saving and protecting water resources in order to “Brew a Better Vietnam”.

For many years, HEINEKEN Vietnam has been an industry pioneer in embedding sustainability in its business strategy. “Protecting Water resource & community support” are two key areas of our sustainability agenda in Vietnam named “Brewing A Better Vietnam”. Via the “1 minute less one million smiles” program, we have been promoting water saving and providing clean water for at risk community for many years. Over the coming months, HEINEKEN Vietnam will hand over two more clean water stations to communities in Can Tho and Kon Tum, to increase the total number of clean water stations funded by HEINEKEN Vietnam up to 22, with a total investment  of VND13 billion via the “One minute less for a  million smiles” program. 

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About HEINEKEN Vietnam

HEINEKEN Vietnam comprises HEINEKEN Vietnam Brewery Company Limited and HEINEKEN Hanoi Brewery Company Limited. Originally established in 1991, HEINEKEN Vietnam Brewery Limited Company (formerly Vietnam Brewery Limited) is a joint venture between Saigon Trading Group (SATRA) and HEINEKEN. HEINEKEN - a family-owned business with a history of over 150 years, is one of the world’s leading international brewers that brews and distributes over 250 beer and cider brands in more than 180 countries. 

In Vietnam, the Company brews and trades Heineken, Tiger, Larue, Desperados, Affligem beers and Strongbow Cider. There are 6 breweries of HEINEKEN in Vietnam, in District 12 – Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Nam, Da Nang, Tien Giang, Vung Tau and Hanoi. 

Today, HEINEKEN Vietnam Brewery is one of the most long-standing and successful joint ventures in Vietnam. HEINEKEN Vietnam Brewery makes a significant annual economic contribution to Vietnam, approximately 0.88% of the nation’s GDP. The company focuses on using Vietnamese products wherever possible and adds nearly 200,000 extra jobs in Vietnam.

Please visit the link below to access HEINEKEN Vietnam’s 2016 Sustainable Development Report for more information:
www.heineken-vietnam.com.vn/en/sustainability 
1phuttietkiemtrieuniemvui 

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For more information, please contact:

Ms. Nguyen Van Anh 
Head of Communications 
Heineken Vietnam Brewery Limited Company 
Telephone: +84 28 3822 2755 
Email: NguyenVan.Anh@heineken.com