A study by UNICEF and the Centre for Child Rights and Business assessed 109 companies listed on the Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi stock exchanges against 26 indicators. Vietnamese companies received an average score of 57 out of 260 across 26 disclosure indicators measuring the extent to which children's rights are addressed in corporate sustainability reporting. This was below the regional average of 77.7 across the nine Asian markets reviewed.
About 83 per cent of Vietnamese companies explicitly reported partnerships or social investments supporting children. None had adopted a formal, company-wide commitment to children's rights, while only 1 per cent explicitly identified risks to children or human rights as material business issues.
The disclosures provide substantially more information on community programs than on how companies identify and manage child-related impacts through governance, operations, and supply chains.
From community investment to operational accountability
The effects of core business activities on children extend across parents' wages and working conditions, supplier labor practices, product development and marketing, the use of children's data, and the employment effects of the low-carbon transition. Responsibility for these issues spans human resources, procurement, marketing, compliance, and risk management.
The study found that 86 per cent of companies referred indirectly to children through terms such as "communities," "beneficiaries," or "youth." Only 1 per cent explicitly identified children as a stakeholder group and reported engagement or consultation.
The reports offer limited evidence of how companies consult stakeholders, assess risks, or incorporate findings into decisions.
Child-related disclosure across business sectors
The digital-environment assessment included three technology, telecommunications, and media companies. None explicitly identified children as a stakeholder group in relation to digital services. One referred indirectly to online protection through a general personal-data policy and parental controls. Information on product safeguards and accountability mechanisms was limited.
The nutrition assessment covered seven consumer-sector companies. Two explicitly reported commitments related to protecting children's nutrition, while one mentioned responsible marketing to children. The reports gave limited information on how these commitments affected product formulation, labeling, advertising controls, or performance monitoring.
Climate-related reporting showed a similar pattern. Only 2 per cent of companies explicitly identified child-related risks in environmental assessments, while 5 per cent did so in low-carbon or climate strategies. Most disclosures addressed emissions, energy efficiency, and green growth, with limited reference to the effects of transition plans on workers, families, and children.
Environmental reporting is supported by established metrics for emissions, energy use, and resource management. Child-related social impacts are more frequently described through policies, activities, and expenditure, with less information on risk exposure, operational controls, and measurable outcomes. This reduces their value for comparative analysis.
Supply-chain disclosure remains limited
Thirty-seven per cent of companies explicitly reported a commitment to eliminating child labor. Only 1 per cent disclosed a commitment to remediate child labor cases among suppliers.
Assessing implementation requires information on supplier screening, audit coverage, grievance procedures, corrective-action plans, and access to remedy. The reports contained limited operational detail in these areas.
Living wages were largely absent from disclosure. None of the companies mentioned promoting living wages in their supply chains. Within direct operations, 87 per cent made no reference to a living wage, 12 per cent reported an explicit commitment, and 1 per cent referred to the issue indirectly.
Wage adequacy is relevant to child-related due diligence because household income affects access to nutrition, education, and childcare. It can also influence the risk of children entering employment before the legal working age. Wage practices and purchasing terms therefore form part of supply-chain risk management.
Only 10 per cent of companies explicitly committed to supporting parents returning to work after extended parental leave. Disclosure of flexible working arrangements, breastfeeding support, and childcare assistance was uncommon, particularly in supply chains. These policies are relevant to employee retention and workforce participation.
Implications for corporate philanthropy
Across the regional study, many child-focused community programs remained fragmented, focused on activities and beneficiary numbers, and disconnected from material business risks. Companies can begin by identifying where their operations, products, services, and supply chains affect children, then incorporating these impacts into assessments of the company's most significant sustainability risks and priorities. This would help businesses set priorities, assign responsibility, and establish controls proportionate to their exposure.
This review can provide a clearer basis for allocating social investment. Companies can direct funding toward the risks identified through due diligence and areas where their expertise and business capabilities are most relevant. A manufacturer, for example, could align education initiatives with measures supporting working parents and improving labor conditions across its supply chain. A technology company could connect digital-skills programs with stronger safeguards for children using its services.
Companies can also assess performance through outcomes rather than relying mainly on outputs such as the number of activities delivered or beneficiaries reached. Depending on the program, relevant indicators could include changes in school enrollment, nutrition status, or child-protection incidents. Aligning social-investment reporting with the company's wider processes for identifying, managing, and addressing child-related risks would provide clearer evidence of how community programs respond to its most significant impacts on children.
This approach would focus corporate philanthropy on the child-related risks linked to the business while directing resources toward areas where the company has the expertise and capacity to support measurable change.
The full Making Children Count: Sustainability Reporting across Emerging Asia report is available on the UNICEF website.
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