Even within fast-growing Asia, Vietnam attracts special attention for its amazing development. Yet, due to historical weaknesses in industry and pockets of underdeveloped infrastructure, many areas of Vietnam have struggled economically.

Cao Thuong village, for instance, lacked the resources to provide textbooks to all of its elementary and junior high school students. But thanks to the efforts of Canon and the goodwill of people around the country, Cao Thuong's fortunes changed with the arrival of 4,000 textbooks.

Eyes agleam, children opened the books right away. It was a special moment for them, and Canon, too. Named the Canon Green Library for Kids, it marked a crowning achievement in Canon CSR.

Canon launched the Green Library as an environmental project in which people in cities could exchange their old books for eco-friendly shopping bags. The initiative yielded some 59,000 books, which have been distributed in lots of 4,000, along with bookshelves, to ten schools. Raising children's environmental awareness is another of the Green Library's aims. To that end, Canon distributes small photo books depicting Vietnam's beautiful natural scenery.

Indebted to the local communities in which the company operates, Canon expresses its appreciation through its CSR activities. In Vietnam, the focus is on the younger generations. Canon CSR activities also include support for the building of schools, volunteer projects in which the company's employees help repair school facilities and plant trees, and donations of school supplies.

At the heart of Canon CSR is the hope that the company's ongoing efforts may help nurture the next generation of leaders.