Sustainability awareness in Vietnam’s higher education sector

Abstract

Sustainability is becoming more imperative all over the world, with many countries signing environmental agreement to prevent the issue from becoming worse. In November 2016, a number of international conferences on sustainability have been held in Marrakech, Morocco such as the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22), 12th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 12), and the first session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 1). The success of these conferences confirmed the commitment of Paris Agreement implementation and continued cooperation of many countries on the climate change issue. Vietnam is a developing country that has taken part in the implementation of sustainable development; however, there are still environmental concerns due to unawareness of the issue and the irresponsible behaviours of organizations and individuals. This study aims to examine the advantages and disadvantages associated with sustainability awareness in Vietnam’s higher education sector. Via an online questionnaire, 281 participants were surveyed. Results indicate that the three advantages of sustainability adoption are: improved efficiency and reduction in resource usage, fulfilment of investor expectations and differentiating achievements, and reduction of environmental impacts. The two disadvantages are the possibility that there will be breaches of regulations and compliance; and an increase in the number of scandals, crises and failures due to environmental problems, irresponsibility and disasters. Educators in Vietnam should consider the sustainability issue in their courses in order to raise the awareness of students. Additionally, to ensure the success of sustainability implementation, businesses should ensure that all staff at every level of the organisation is clear about sustainability and sustainability practices.