There are values of a founder that do not lie in the past. They continue to be present in the way an organization chooses its development path, in the people nurtured by that organization and in the values given to the next generation. For ACB, one of such values is trust in people.
Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ACB) and Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics (UEH) officially signed a cooperation agreement to implement the ACB - Tran Mong Hung Scholarship Program.
This is one of the first steps of the long-term program initiated by ACB and Mr. Tran Mong Hung's family, aiming to accompany education and open up more development opportunities for young people with capacity, will to rise up and aspirations to contribute to the community.
Named after the founder of ACB, the program continues a belief that has accompanied the bank from the early days: "People are the most important".
People are the most important
Before laying the foundation for ACB with his colleagues, Mr. Tran Mong Hung studied banking at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and spent years standing on the podium. Later, from the founding generation to many generations of ACB leaders, officials and employees, the connection with this school continued to be extended.
Therefore, the first phase of implementation of the ACB - Tran Mong Hung Scholarship at UEH has a special meaning: a generation that went from the UEH lecture hall to contribute to building ACB; today, ACB returns to that lecture hall to jointly nurture the next generations.
Throughout his journey, Mr. Tran Mong Hung upheld the philosophy "People are the most important".
The spirit of studiousness, integrity, transparency, responsibility to the community and persistent faith in people are also the values that ACB and Mr. Tran Mong Hung's family want to preserve and impart through the program named after him.
Starting at UEH, towards a long-term journey
ACB - Tran Mong Hung Scholarship is built with the orientation of long-term companionship with education, not limited to a training institution or a certain period.
Depending on the period, the program can be implemented with schools, training institutions and appropriate educational partners, targeting learners who have the will to rise up, have development potential and need more conditions to continue their learning journey.
UEH is one of the education partners in the early stages of this journey. Within the framework of cooperation signed on September 9, ACB allocated initial implementation resources worth 3 billion VND for the ACB - Tran Mong Hung Scholarship Program at UEH.
This is a resource for the current cooperation phase, not limited by the scale or time of the entire program. More importantly, financial resources, ACB and UEH aim for a companion model between universities and businesses, connecting knowledge - practical experience - capacity - career opportunities.
Accordingly, students can participate in experiential programs, practical semesters and internships at ACB; access training activities from leaders and experts; and have more career development opportunities for suitable candidates. The two sides also plan to jointly research, share knowledge and organize activities related to Fintech, digital banking, sustainable economic development, green transformation and ESG.
The cooperation framework between ACB and UEH is developed in five directions including Co-Education; Co-Research & Knowledge Transfer; Co-Talent & Career Pathways; Co-Innovation; and Co-Investing & Giving - from jointly developing learner capacity to jointly researching, innovating and investing in the future.
Thereby, a scholarship is not the end point of support, but may be the starting point of a longer development journey: from learning opportunities, practical access to professional competence and the ability to create value for society.
Mr. Tran Hung Huy - Chairman of ACB's Board of Directors - shared: "I am fortunate to have grown up in an environment where the founders and previous generations of leaders always put people at the center. Learning directly from that generation helps me understand that inheritance is not about keeping what has been, but about taking responsibility for making good values continue to grow and more suitable for a new era.
After more than 12 years of holding the role of Chairman of ACB, I am increasingly convinced that the sustainable value of an organization is not only in its scale or business results, but also in the people that the organization contributes to developing. ACB Scholarship - Tran Mong Hung is our way of expressing gratitude to the previous generation; and reminding us of the responsibility to continue the values that have been given back. And the most meaningful way of continuing, in my opinion, is to continue investing in people - creating more opportunities for young people to learn, experience, grow up and later create value for others.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Quang Hung - Director of UEH said: "The cooperative relationship between UEH and ACB has been long-lasting from the early days of formation and development. When expanding cooperation with business partners, UEH always aims for a "common ground to create value for each other" approach, not stopping at mere cooperation.
Through the official signing ceremony, the two units will jointly invest in widely deploying key contents: from designing training programs closely linked to practice, research - consulting cooperation, developing an open innovation ecosystem, to accompanying in nurturing talents and career orientation for students right from when they are still in the lecture hall.
From the values that were laid to how ACB creates value today
Investing in people and education is not a new choice for ACB. The bank was formed by founders who originated from an educational environment; over more than three decades, the spirit of learning and developing people has gradually become a part of the organization's culture. Education was therefore once called a part of the "DNA of ACB" by ACB Chairman Tran Hung Huy.
Mr. Pham Phu Ngoc Trai - ACB Sustainable Development Advisor, who has been attached to Mr. Tran Mong Hung for many years - shared: "Mr. Tran Mong Hung and I have known each other since we were young, both started businesses, both have ambitions and share many life values. Looking back after many years, what I cherish about Mr. Hung is still his belief in people, in knowledge, integrity and responsibility to the community.
Therefore, the meaning of the ACB Scholarship - Tran Mong Hung is not only to remember the founder of ACB, but more importantly to continue the values he has pursued by creating more opportunities for young people. Our generation will pass; but if those good values are still preserved, continued and passed on to the next generation, that is probably the most valuable and meaningful thing.
That spirit is today continued in ACB's Sustainable Development Strategy 2026-2030. According to the Creating Shared Value - CSV model, ACB identifies education, health and environment as three priority areas; gradually shifting from individual support activities to long-term programs, where the bank's capacity, resources and ecosystem are connected to the real needs of society to create sustainable impacts.
In education, that approach is not only about the question "how many scholarships will be awarded", but more broadly: What additional conditions can ACB create with educational partners for a young person to develop and go further?
It could be a scholarship at the right time. But it could also be a mentor, a first professional experience, an opportunity to experience the real environment, a new direction of research, or a career door that is opened at the right time.
In that spirit, the ACB - Tran Mong Hung Scholarship is oriented not as a single sponsorship activity, but as a long-term investment journey in people - where the values that the founder laid the foundation for are continued by ACB today creating common value for businesses and society.
So that good values continue to be given
The legacy of a founder can be seen in a brand, an organization or the achievements built over many years. But perhaps another form of legacy is even more sustainable: people who grow up from the values that previous generations have sown down.
With the ACB Scholarship - Tran Mong Hung, ACB and his family wish to continue to nurture the spirit of studiousness, integrity, responsibility and aspiration to contribute - values that have been present from the early days of the bank and are still meaningful to ACB today.
Because heritage is not just what one generation leaves behind.
Heritage is also what the next generation can do from that foundation.
