Business Development Report: Comparing SDGs in Vietnam and New Zealand

This report analyzes the challenges and opportunities related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and 4 (Quality Education) in Vietnam and New Zealand. It examines the education systems of both countries, highlighting issues such as decentralized systems and human resource shortages in Vietnam, and ethnic school segregation and resource disparities in New Zealand. The report also discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and the economy, while also addressing the aging population and disease problems in New Zealand. Despite these challenges, the report identifies business opportunities in both countries, such as the growth of private education in Vietnam and the focus on primary care in New Zealand. The analysis references several academic sources, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state and future prospects of health and education in both nations, based on sustainable development goals.

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Currently the development goals of the United Nations member states are based on
the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by all UN members in
2015, aiming to bring a common human plan for peace and prosperity. This article mainly
analyzes business problems and opportunities related to goal 3: Good Health and Well-being,
and goal 4: Quality Education between New Zealand and Vietnam in the Asia-Pacific region.
Firstly, problems and business opportunities related to the quality of education will
be addressed. The issue of education is currently a matter of concern all over the world, due to
the development and change in education, there will be similarities and differences between
countries. In Vietnam, the education system is decentralized and transferred right from higher
organizational levels to lower levels, however, with limited understanding and experience in
leading change, the functions of systems are overlapped, and the lack of costs for change causes
policy to fail and impedes system decentralization. (Tran, 2014). Besides, Vietnam is facing a
big challenge in terms of quality in education, the shortage of qualified and skilled human
resources leads to the inability to meet international requirements and economic development. In
addition, the number of researchers with international experience is not much, making graduates
unable to meet job requirements (Phan, 2020). While in New Zealand, the education system
includes reform policies and special education (SE) services, which can help students with
special educational needs (SEN) have the opportunity to thrive develop and integrate in a normal
environment like other students. However, this leads to the challenge and unpredictable
consequences of this reform. Ethnic school segregation has occurred in a developmentalist
environment, and it has harmed priority students. In addition, Māori parents tend to be less likely
to put their children in the first school than Pākehā parents, and these Māori students are often
less profitable and face problems such as tuition and resources (Bolton, 2017). Besides, there is a
shortage of human resources and teaching aids, and no coordination and coherence in
educational strategy. That may reduce the quality of training and learners may not meet the
criteria of applying for jobs after graduation.
Aside to the problems New Zealand and Vietnam face in terms of education, there
are also development opportunities for the quality of education and business. Like the problem
Vietnam and New Zealand both face is the shortage of human resources and insufficient
qualifications and experience in training, but each country still has its own development
direction. Particularly in Vietnam, which is attracting foreign investment, the middle class tends
to prefer private schools over public schools due to better services. Therefore, it can promote
Vietnam to become a strong market for private businesses to invest in (Pham, Le, 2020).
Moreover, once investing in education, the next generations will be able to study with
international quality, improving the level of education in Vietnam and it is considered an
advantage that brings value to Vietnam in the future. Unlike Vietnam, New Zealand is
considered to have a high-quality public education system for most students. with high

enrollment among priority students, their early enrollment rates are increasing, demonstrating the
level of improvement in the quality of education, with the participation of priority groups of
learners in early childhood education preterm was also quite high, 91.2% for Pāsfika children
and 94% for Māori children. Another plus for the education system in New Zealand is that clear
goals have been established for priority audiences. Furthermore, the tendency to support students
through systems using student achievement data is seen as an encouraging signal (Bolton, 2017).
Secondly, problems and business opportunities related to the goals 4 of Sustainable
Development Goals will be addressed. In terms of the current aspect of being affected by the
covid 19 pandemic, in Vietnam and almost all over the world, the economy has been reduced,
leading to people's imbalance in life due to reduced income, encountered many difficulties. The
medical system is overloaded due to inadequate infrastructure and hospitals. However, the
Vietnamese government has increased its medical force to support and treat patients and built
more hospitals to solve this problem, making policies to help people feel secure and overcome
the pandemic together. Because of the epidemic, the quality of life is worse than before, leading
to a reduction in the sustainable development goals. Factors such as health, education, social
welfare, or the environment also decrease. While New Zealand is considered to have a very
strong health system, but it also faces challenges such as health services for the elderly over 65
as the country is prone to an aging population. For example, the problem of memory loss and
according to statistics, there are about 48,000 New Zealand’s people increasing to about 78000
people from 2011 to 2026. Besides, the disease problem also affects the quality of life of New
Zealand due to the increasing number of infections.
Although problems may hinder sustainable development goals, there is still
potential to develop opportunities to improve the quality of life of people in Vietnam and New
Zealand. Although affected by the Covid epidemic, in 2020, Vietnam still achieves a growth rate
of 2.91%, which is quite high compared to the world (Mallon, 2021). With this growth, when
income levels increase, people's living conditions and quality will be improved. As people age,
health care services need to meet their needs to ensure an improved quality of life as well as
improved health. Huong et al found that economy, finance as well as relationships are strongly
correlated with the quality of life of the elderly (Nguyen, Hoang, 2013). Meanwhile, New
Zealand focuses on preventing disease and developing long-term health conditions. One of New
Zealand's strengths is its strong primary care focus and health care focus that is widely advocated
(The New Zealand Health Strategy, 2018). As one of the factors that affect and create the
quality of life, good health is certainly the foundation for a good life.
In short, the Sustainable Development Goals are seen as the headline for developing
human and social issues. The two goals mentioned and analyzed above in the two countries,
Vietnam and New Zealand, have many similar factors and problems that affect that goal. In
addition to the problems, there are opportunities for improvement and development. Although
each country has its own solution depending on the customs and way of life, the overall goal is to

develop the country better, improve the lives of the people better, and become more complete
based on the sustainable development goals.
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