In the context of the 4.0 industrial revolution taking place very strongly in all countries, to develop sustainably and have a competitive advantage in the global value chain that the 4.0 revolution brings, the requirements for Vietnam's small and medium-sized enterprises are not only profitable, but also must be focused on enterprise social responsibility (ESR). The implementation and maintenance of ESR will help businesses develop more comprehensively, contribute meaningfully to socio-economic development, create business identity and competitive advantage in regional integration and gender. The paper examines some typical ESRs of Japanese enterprises, thereby drawing out some "suggestions for Vietnamese SMEs in the industry 4.0 era.