Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City are turning environmental goals into daily routines. On August 20, 2026, the city's Department of Tourism held the first of three training courses on green and ESG standards. Nearly 200 people from hotels and other accommodation businesses attended. ESG stands for environmental, social and governance, a framework used to judge how responsibly a company operates. Deputy director Le Truong Hien Hoa said ESG should not be treated only as a checklist for certification. Instead, it should deliver practical solutions that cut costs and lift service quality.
At Novotel Saigon Centre, general manager Thai Phuoc Vu described changes that began small. The hotel swapped plastic room keys for wooden ones, replaced single-use plastic bottles with glass, and asked guests to reuse towels. Sorted kitchen waste goes to a partner, where black soldier fly technology converts it into chicken feed. Eggs from those free-range chickens return to the hotel's restaurants.