SINGAPORE, 19 October 2023 - Mapletree Investments signed a 3-year commitment with Passerelles Numériques (PN), a French non-governmental organisation (NGO) operating in Da Nang, Vietnam since 2010.  A strong supporter of education as a means of empowerment and social mobility, Mapletree is committed to investing in communities in which it operates, such as Vietnam, through its Corporate Social Responsibility efforts. PN in Vietnam trains disadvantaged youth through a 3-year vocational programme in digital education. PN Vietnam’s mission is to help young people, who had no prior access to education due to socio-economic barriers, secure jobs, develop careers in the Information Technology (IT) sector, and respond to the country’s need for skilled tech workers. PN Vietnam assures a brighter economic future for disadvantaged youth while adding to the local economy.

This commitment includes financial support of over US$50,000 for six students through the Mapletree-PNV Scholarships, from their first year of study until their graduation – a period of 3 years. 

“As a long-standing advocate for access to quality education, Mapletree has supported students from lower-income backgrounds through various initiatives over the past decade. While we continue to deepen our presence in Vietnam, we are proud to alleviate the financial burdens of these students by benefiting from PN Vietnam's programme. We look forward to seeing them build outstanding and meaningful careers after graduation,” said Mr Edmund Cheng, Chairman, Mapletree.

“Partnering with Mapletree allows these dedicated youth, who had no access to higher education, to become web developers and business analysts, to find real careers. Not only does their support lift these youth and their families from poverty, it also responds to the high demand for skilled IT workers in Vietnam,” Phuong Do, Executive Director, Passerelles Numériques. 

Growing digitalization, especially in Vietnam, creates job opportunities in the IT sector. The demand for recruitment in this industry continues to increase. According to the Tech Hiring 2022 report from IT recruitment platform TopDev, Vietnam still has a shortage of 150,000-195,000 programmers and engineers annually to cover 2022-2024. Beyond these opportunities, technology is changing the skills needed for work. PN Vietnam works to fill this digital void by training around 150 students annually to become web developers, app testers and analysts. These students, who come from economically vulnerable households, will graduate to find quality jobs that help meet the local demand and are no longer caught in the cycle of poverty. 

Mapletree’s presence in Vietnam has been growing in tandem with the country’s economy and urbanisation over the past 18 years. Since starting out in 2005, Mapletree has become one of the largest Singapore real estate companies in Vietnam with asset under management of over S$1.68 billion comprising logistics, mixed-use, office, retail, residential and serviced apartment properties as at 31 March 2023. The Group has 26 assets across Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Binh Duong Province, Hung Yen Province and Bac Ninh Province. Some of the notable assets are Saigon South Place, a 4.4-hectare integrated mixed-use development comprising Grade A office buildings including the 17-storey Mapletree Business Centre, SC VivoCity shopping mall and two residential towers. Another is mPlaza Saigon, a prime mixed-use asset in Ho Chi Minh City's CBD which comprises a 21-storey Grade A office building, a 32-storey serviced apartment tower, a 21-storey hotel and a retail podium with food and beverage offerings. Mapletree has also recently completed the development of several logistics assets, namely Mapletree Logistics Park Hung Yen (Phases A and B) and Mapletree Logistics Park Binh Duong (Phases 4 and 6), both achieving healthy occupancy from international companies.