The Center for Research, Training and Consultancy on Local development (STG) is a local non-governmental organization established on inheriting and promoting the legacy of the Center for Educational Exchange with Vietnam (CEEVN), an international NGO operated in Vietnam for 30 years. The origin of CEEVN has been founded by Mrs. Minh Kauffman and Mr. Fred Kauffman in 1989 under the name of Educational Exchange Center (EdEx) in Bangkok, Thailand with the initial purpose of assisting Vietnamese citizens to participate in professional training opportunities abroad, thereby building human resources for Vietnam towards social justice. Since its establishment, CEEVN has collaborated with the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), to work with the Harvard Institute of International Development (HIID) to recruit Vietnamese students to study in the USA under Fulbright Scholarship Program managed by ACLS.

In 1993, after 4 years of operating in Thailand, EdEx moved to Vietnam and registered under a new name: Center for Educational Exchange with Vietnam (CEEVN), and placed in Hanoi

Since then CEEVN has managed 2 major graduate exchange programs  funded by the US government including:

- 1993-2000: Fulbright Scholarship Program by the U.S Government.

- 2001-2013: International Fellowships Program (IFP)  by Ford Foundation, U.S.A

In addition, CEEVN also operates many programs to support academic exchange and improve professional qualifications such as the DEF Program; Program to improve foreign language proficiency - IFP Vietnam alumni scholarship support fund (IVASF); Program to preserve the intangible culture of Vietnam….

The generations of young Vietnamese have been selected by CEEVN with the criteria that they will study abroad and come back to serve the community, have a passion for social change, and make a difference in their communities. Therefore the fields of study were rather diverse including health, education, economics, community development, cultural conservation, and environment protection…There are about 2,000 alumni studying abroad via CEEVN’s fellowship programs who have returned home and are now living and working all over the country, serving different communities and contributing to social change.  The IFP Program alone has created opportunities for 267 Vietnamese from 42 provinces and 21 ethnic minority groups to participate in Master's and Doctoral programs abroad and return to Vietnam to serve the country. During its operation, CEEVN has continuously supported a number of alumni to implement projects carried out by themselves and their communities to maintain and preserve local culture through various types of activities such as: Collecting and publishing the Epics of Jrai, Raglai, Cham; Collecting and publishing folk tales of Cham ethnic groups, Bru Van Kieu, Paco; Teaching Jrai brocade weaving, making Jrai wooden statues for tombs, making Jrai wind chimes, teaching how to create and learn to play some musical instruments of the Jrai ethnic group as well as the Khmer (An Giang)...

The year 2006, marked an important milestone in the development of CEEVN when the organization cooperated with Coady International Institute, Canada to bring the philosophy and approach of Assets-based Community Development (ABCD) into Vietnam to equip its alumni with a new approach to apply it in their life and work in order to mobilize local assets for sustainable community development. Up to now, CEEVN has trained many alumni in this approach, as well as developed a team of trainers  to be able to replicate and spread the approach to many local communities throughout the country. During nearly 15 years of introducing and developing this approach in Vietnam, CEEVN and its team of experts have supported hundreds of individuals, organizations and dozens of localities to apply the approach to various fields: agricultural and rural development, conservation of natural resources, conservation and promotion of local culture, local economic development and sustainable livelihood development for low-income people, especially vulnerable groups such as ethnic minority people, women in difficult circumstances and people with disabilities.

     At the beginning of 2020, STG took over the Center for Management Development Consultancy of an IFP alumnus and restructured the personnel apparatus and supplement business fields that the center is expected to inherit from CEEVN when itends its operation in 2020.

       After nearly 30 years of operation in Vietnam, CEEVN officially closed its representative office in Vietnam in mid-2020 and transferred the entire office and database on the alumni network to the Center for Research, Consulting and Training on Local Development (STG). This is an important moment and a turning point for CEEVN to give its mission to a local non-profit government organization to maintain and promote these missions in new and more creative directions. 

      Before transferring CEEVN's legacy to STG, Mrs. Minh Kauffman shared: “Up to this point, CEEVN's mission has been completed. Many of our alumni and colleagues will continue our mission and perpetuate the legacy we have built. They will strengthen each other, spread enthusiasm and strength to the community. We feel that CEEVN can end and leave Vietnam with joy filled with happiness, contentment and hope.”

STG was born to continue the great mission of CEEVN organization of accompanying and supporting CEEVN alumni, connecting their knowledge and resources in order to contribute to social change for the better, towards fairness, equality and sustainability. STG will also apply ABCD approach to community development throughout the process of promoting CEEVN's values ​​and heritage to build and develop its organization. The Center will also take this approach as the North Star for planning its development strategies and areas of activity in the future.