Students supercharge SMEs in Visa and CCVSA’s Financial Literacy program

11/30/2022

 

Visa, the world’s leader in digital payments, has announced the three winning teams from its 10th annual Vietnam Financial Literacy program, with H2L taking home the first prize.

The Financial Literacy program is organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Students’ Association (CCVSA) and Visa to encourage students to learn and apply essential financial knowledge. Each year, the program reinvents itself with new themes and activities to upskill students in financial literacy. To mark its milestone 10th anniversary in 2022, a reality show style competition “The Finan-tastic Duo” was created for students to experience and solve issues facing real businesses.

The three teams H2L (partner with Langplus English Center), MTL Consulting (partner with Homestay Moc), TDT (partner with Urban Circular Space) were shortlisted as the finalists ahead of submissions from more than 300 university students looking to resolve challenges facing restaurants, hotels, traditional handicraft village, and many other industries.

 

 

In the Final, the three teams were provided with one-on-one mentoring by university lecturers specialized in business. Online training sessions in financial management and public speaking skills were also held for finalists to perform at their best in the Final Night. They received VND20 million to put their business plans to the test and the results are:

  • First prize: H2L (partner with Langplus English Center): Realizing the potential and challenges in the English education sector, especially in small provinces, the H2L team supported Langplus English Center to jointly develop better education for local people. Langplus English Center has gradually stabilized and has its own business orientation to continue developing in its local area.
  • Second prize: MTL Consulting (partner with Homestay Moc): MTL Consulting team has helped to build Moc Homestay as an ideal place to stay for domestic and foreign tourists every time they visit Cu Lao Cham, while maintaining the area's traditional resort atmosphere of being close to nature and its focus on environmental protection.
  • Third prize: TDT (partner with Urban Circular Space): The team rolled out a “3 Weeks to Supercharge UCS" strategy to provide the business with development potential in the Vietnamese fashion sector as well as building a sustainable society by reducing fashion-related waste, creating sustainable fashion products, and reusing clothing to extend its lifespan.

 

 

Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet, President of CCVSA said: “Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Financial Literacy Program. We would also like to thank Visa for their ongoing partnership over the past decade, making it possible for students across Vietnam to acquire key financial knowledge for life.”

Ms. Dung Dang, Visa Country Manager of Vietnam and Laos said: “Visa congratulates all three teams on the tremendous results and the quality of their presentations. Your efforts have brought into focus what this program is about: engaging a great audience by making finance and money management a joy to learn. We’re proud to have been running financial literacy programs for the past decade helping to uplift everyone, everywhere across Vietnam.”

The Financial Literacy program aims to inspire students to take a serious look at money management and acquire essential financial skills for life. It is based on Practical Money Skills, a digital repository of learning resources curated by the company’s experts over more than two decades.

This year, the competition was expanded with the perspective of SMEs, which make up the majority of businesses in Vietnam and the region. Students were invited to enhance their partner SMEs by applying skills learned from the Practical Business Skills platform. Utilizing freely accessible knowledge and tools, participants showcased the difference modern business acumen and digital technology can make to actual businesses.

The foundational concepts of money management are transferrable between personal and corporate finance. Understanding them can set one up for a life of security and stability both in their personal and professional lives. Throughout the training with contestants, Visa experts and trainers focused on the basics, which are available on Visa’s Practical Business Skills platform. The results achieved by the teams show how mindful spending and saving can generate tremendous impact.

Loc Nguyen, member of the winning team, shared: “The Financial Literacy program has been a wonderful learning opportunity for all of us at H2L. More than the valuable VND45 million first prize, we have learnt just how much a difference basic financial, business and communications skills can make in business. I think these lessons and the friendships we made along the way made all of us the winners this year.”

 

 

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.