1. Full name of PhD student: Do Van Toan                     2. Sex: Male

3. Date of birth: December 27, 1983.                               4. Birthplace: Nam Dinh province

5. Admission decision number: 4618/QĐ-XHNV; dated February 29, 2016 by Headmaster of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

6. Changes in academic process:

Decision No. 4961/QD-XHNV on extending the training period for PhD students in the course no. QH-2016-X; dated December 31, 2019 by Headmaster of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

Decision No. 2380/QD-XHNV-ĐT on extending the training period for PhD students in the course no. QH-2016-X; dated November 27, 2020 by Headmaster of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

Decision No. 2919/QD-XHNV-ĐT on adjusting the PhD students’ thesis topics, dated December 23, 2021 by Headmaster of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

7. Official thesis title: “The impact of microfinance activities on sustainable livelihoods applying the approach of social work with community (case study in Duc Trong district, Lam Dong province)”.

8. Major: Social work.                                                    9. Code: 9760101.01

10. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dang Canh Khanh

11. Summary of the thesis’s new findings:

Firstly, the study applied the "bottom-up" approach and assets-based community development approach in analyzing the results and findings while considering capitals in sustainable livelihoods as a reliable resource to enhance the implementation of community development activities towards sustainable development. That means focusing on recognizing the community’s strengths instead of its existing problems; on exploring the impacts rather than assessing them.

Then, the study focused on analyzing the impacts of human capital, social capital and financial capital on sustainable livelihoods; centered around the beneficiaries of the welfare policies (members of the village savings and loan associations). We explored the linkages of social capitals (with human capital as the main resource) in the approach of social work with the community. With it, we pay attention to how different capitals contributed to the development of groups members’s capacity as well as the community’s resources towards benefiting for the beneficiaries of the welfare policies.

Next, we in-dept studied the directions to promote the effectiveness of microfinance through the Village Savings & Loan Associations, based on the beneficiaries’ actual insights (members of Village Savings & Loan Associations). These directions are drawed from the findings related to the community’s strengths and achivements rather its shortcomings, weaknesses or problems.

More importantly, the study results demonstrated the importance of social work with the community approach as well as the need of on-field social workers in organizing and managing the activities of the village savings and loan associations to develop community’s capacity, capitals, self-reliance and sustainability.

12. Possibility of practical application:

At first, the results showed the impacts of microfinance to the development of capitals in sustainable livelihoods. It has helped local officials and leaders take practical measures to promote microfinance activities ever growing stronger; and provide them a  practcal vision on how to ỉmprove the life quality of poor people as well as how to promote the community’s capacity and self-reliance.

At the same time, the findings also help policy makers and experts to see how an social work approach (sustainable livelihood) can matched with microfinance acitivities; then take action to promote social work in the community as well as develop microfinance sector within Vietnam.

Also, this study can serve as a basis to evaluate the impact of a microfinance activity by its social aspects along with its economic aspects and how the acitivy contributed to the community’s sustainable development.

Further, the study indicated the role of social workers in the organizing and managing microfinance activities as well as the need to promote social work in rural communities today.

Finally, this model can be replicated and implemented in other communities where there are similar microfinance activities (organized in groups) so that the community can develop toward a self-reliance and sustainable manner.

13. Further study directions:

Impact of microfinance activities on community capacity development.

Model of community capacity development through microfinance activities.

Model of sustainable livelihood development through microfinance activities.

14. Thesis-related publications:

Do Van Toan, Nguyen Dinh Nghiep, Ngo Van Huan (2021), “Impacts of microfinance activities on social capital development regarding the relationships between members of village savings and loans associations”, Social Science, Humanities and Sustainability Research. Vol. 2 (4), pp. 1-13.

Do Van Toan, Nguyen Dinh Nghiep, Ngo Van Huan (2021), “The impacts of microfinance activities in developing human capital for sustainable livelihood in Duc Trong district, Lam Dong province, Vietnam”, International Journal of Sustainable Development Research. Vol. 7 (4), pp. 76-84.

Do Van Toan (2021), “Solutions to improve the operational efficiency of village savings and loan associations towards sustainable community development", Journal of Science, Hanoi University of Education, Vol. 66 (3), pp. 194-203.

Do Van Toan, Nguyen Dinh Nghiep, Ngo Van Huan (2021), “Capacity building for members of village savings and loan associations through microfinance activities”, The Journal of Social Siences Manpower (7), pp. 61-68.

Do Van Toan, Nguyen Dinh Nghiep, Ngo Van Huan (2021), Social work in sustainable livelihood development through village savings and loan associations for natural disaster and epidemic prevention in the community, Proceedings of the International Conference: “Impacts of climate change and pandemic on families, women and children – Interventions from Psychology and Social work”, pp. 295-305, Ho Chi Minh City National University Publishing House.

Do Van Toan (2021), “Increasing financial capital through activities of village savings and loan associations (study in Duc Trong district, Lam Dong province)”, The Journal of Social Siences Manpower (11), pp. 60-67.