Vietnam’s SIPCO wins global award in Dubai for large-scale clean water innovation

Vietnam’s Sustainability Investment Promotion and Development Joint Stock Company (SIPCO) has been named first runner-up in the Innovative Projects Award (Large Projects category) during the fourth cycle of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award. The award, with a total prize pool of USD 1 million, is supervised by the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia UAE) under the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. It honours scalable, sustainable solutions powered by renewable energy to tackle water scarcity.

SIPCO was honoured for its large-scale ceramic coating nano-silver pot filter (CSPF) programme, a high-impact initiative aimed at delivering safe drinking water to vulnerable schools and communities across South-east Asia. The clay-based filters, infused with nano-silver to improve antibacterial and antiviral performance, remove bacteria, viruses and sediments from contaminated sources such as rivers, wells and rainwater.

Capable of filtering two to three litres an hour, each unit is designed for household and school use and lasts up to 10 years with periodic replacement of the clay pot component. The filters are manufactured in a high-capacity automated facility capable of producing 120,000 units a month. SIPCO’s programme has so far delivered over 1.8 million units, benefitting 13.7 million people, including 1.7 million households and 6,000 schools, and generating an estimated 23.15 billion litres of clean water annually.

Moreover, the project has contributed to a reduction of 1.8 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions and generated verified carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism and Verified Carbon Standard frameworks. SIPCO works in partnership with organisations such as the Red Cross and engages local communities in the production, distribution and maintenance of the filters, creating sustainable economic opportunities in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

“The water crisis is a serious threat to human health as it leads to the spread of disease. Addressing this challenge requires collective action. No single individual, company or organisation can solve it alone. We must come together and work in unity to find sustainable solutions. Receiving this award has been a powerful source of encouragement, boosting my confidence to continue my research and develop new innovations and technologies that can help tackle water scarcity,” said Hoang Anh Dung, Chairman and CEO of SIPCO.