On the morning of October 30, at the National Convention Center (Hanoi), the Vietnam Association of Accountants and Auditors (VAA) held the 24th AFA Conference and the 141st AFA Council Conference with the theme "Green Accounting and Finance - Shaping a Sustainable Future". The event was hosted by Vietnam as President of the ASEAN Accounting Federation (AFA) for the 2024-2025 term, attracting more than 3,500 domestic and international delegates.
The conference was held in person and online, with 1,500 delegates attending in Hanoi and 2,000 delegates participating via the online conference platform.
Speaking at the Conference, Dr. Vu Duc Chinh - Vice President of the Vietnam Accounting and Auditing Association - emphasized that the green development trend requires the accounting and financial system to ensure transparent, reliable information, that can be compared and verified, and serve as a foundation for governance and investment decisions. He said that the focus of this year's forum is connecting data, standards and markets, towards a mechanism for connecting the green capital market, contributing to reducing compliance costs and promoting sustainable capital flows in the region.
Vietnam is demonstrating a strong commitment to perfecting the law on sustainability reporting, developing green bonds, green credit and building a capacity framework for the team of accountants and auditors - Mr. Chinh said - From this forum, we expect to have feasible resolutions, contributing to bringing green capital flow to the right place, right place, right target and right time, for the sustainable future of ASEAN and Vietnam.
According to Dr. Vu Duc Chinh, building sustainable accounting and reporting standards is an important foundation for transparent green finance, helping businesses improve accountability, while linking the quality of information disclosure with the effectiveness of market operations. In addition, sharing experiences in tools such as green bonds, green credit or green investment funds will help orient support policies, improve conditions and capital costs for sustainable development projects.
Mr. Chinh emphasized that technology and training play a key role in improving professional capacity. The application of artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain and cloud computing in accounting and green finance will help increase the transparency and reliability of information.
However, technology is just a tool, the decisive factor is still people, processes and standards - he said. He said that each country needs to build a green accounting and digital accounting capacity framework suitable to actual conditions, linking training, standards and service markets.
Dr. Vu Duc Chinh affirmed that the initiatives and recommendations shared at this conference will be a valuable source of documents for managers, businesses, training institutions and professional organizations in taking action towards sustainable development. The consistent goal is to ensure accounting and financial information is suitable for businesses but is still transparent, accurate and efficient, so that green capital flows to the right place, the right place, the right target and the right time, he said.
The AFA 2025 Conference also sent a strong message: "Green action, sustainable development - Go Green, Grow Sustainable", demonstrating the determination of the ASEAN accounting community in joining hands to build a sustainable future and global integration.
