AmCham Vietnam Weekly Update - 29th Week of 2020 - July 18, 2020
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Executive Director Update
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25th Anniversary of U.S.-Vietnam Diplomatic Relations - part 2 - and Return to Da Nang
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Colleagues, last week, we highlighted the 25-year anniversary on July 11, and the remarkable transformation of the U.S.-Vietnam bilateral partnership. The U.S. business community has played an important role in promoting normalization of relations and developing our economic partnership. We at AmCham are proud of the role our members continue to play driving innovation, contributing to sustainable growth, and promoting prosperity in both the United States and Vietnam. I have included a few more links below that provide more insights into how far we have come and the potential for our future partnership.
This week, part two to the McCain Institute's podcast:
LINK
LINK
to
Amb Green article and Amb Osius podcast
(shared last week)
LINK
to Stimson Center virtual event - now recorded
Return to Da Nang
This week, AmCham Vietnam- HCMC and Da Nang Chairman and Mekong Capital Partner Chad Ovel, Vice Chairman and EY Partner Michael Beckman, Healthcare Committee Co-Chairman and Pharmacity Co-founder and CEO Chris Blank, KPMG Director for Strategy and Regional Healthcare Luke Treloar, and HCMC BOG Member and Vietnam Waste Solutions Managing Director Kevin Moore, American Chiropractic Clinic Vietnam Founder and Director Wade Brackenbury, and I returned to Da Nang for various events with our AmCham Vietnam-Da Nang Chapter colleagues, Vice Chairman and Indochina Riverside Towers Director Chris Vanloon, and Universal Alloy Corporation Vietnam Director Liviu Lese.
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On Thursday, July 16, Chris Vanloon and I visited
Evergreen Labs and R4 (aka Reform Vietnam -reduce, reuse, recycle, reform) in Hoi An. Impressive work by founders Jan Zellmann and Kasia Weina to promote a sustainable circular economy through partnership with informal trash collectors and use of low-value plastic waste to produce building materials. Great discussions after in Hoi An’s Mango Mango about how to launch an AmCham Environment, Social, and Governance Committee to share best practices and promote polices and programs that align with corporate, founder, and personal values; create strategic impact; and enable sustainable economic growth. Interested in being a part? Let me know at mary.tarnowka@amchamvietnam.com
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Early Friday morning, several of us joined Pharmacity's Chris Blank and Co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer Thien Le and Da Nang People's Committee Vice Chairman Ho Ky Minh for the opening of the 400th Pharmacity store in Vietnam, its 20th in Da Nang. With an ambitious goal to have 600 stores by year-end and 1000 by the end of 2021, Pharmacity is opening at least one store per day, and is now the largest retail pharmacy chain in Vietnam, about 4 times the second largest chain. At the event, Chris Blank spoke passionately about Pharmacity’s commitment to provide safe, legitimate healthcare products to Vietnamese co summers at affordable prices.
Later that morning, we were
honored to meet Da Nang Deputy Party Secretary Nguyen Van Quang, People’s Committee Vice Chairman Ho Ky Minh and other Da Nang authorities together with AmCham Vietnam-HCMC and Da Nang Chairman and Mekong Capital Partner Chad Ovel, Da Nang Vice Chair and Director of Indochina Riverside Towers Chris Vanloon, UAC Vietnam Director
Lese Liviu
, and other members of AmCham Vietnam’s newly-established Da Nang Chapter. Both sides expressed commitment to working together to strengthen U.S.-Vietnam trade and investment ties; promote Da Nang as a destination for high-tech and high-value tourism investment; and create a positive business environment with efficient approvals and transparent, predictable policies.
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In the afternoon, Chris Vanloon, Liviu Lese, and Luke Treloar joined Da Nang Investment Promotion Agency Director Huynh Lien Phuong for what was described as a webinar to promote high-tech investments in Da Nang, only to discover they will be featured as well in a Vietnamese TV program.
Our official Da Nang program concluded with our first post-launch Da Nang Connect & Cocktails for members and potential members, generously sponsored by Vice Chairman Chris Vanloon and El Gaucho, with some amazing lucky draw prizes. We look forward to many new members! Our next Da Nang C&C will be Friday, August 14, venue TBD. AmCham members and friends from throughout Vietnam are welcome - make your travel plans now and enjoy the beautiful beaches, and cultural heritage sites in Hoi An!
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Other Recent and Upcoming Event
At Taxing the Digital Economy in Vietnam on July 16, KPMG Tax Partner Dean Rolfe shared expert insights on how these rules are likely to work in practice .
We believe our recent advocacy on travel of foreigners was reflected in the issuance of new guidance by the Office of Government on travel by foreigners to Vietnam.
LINK
We will be featuring several AmCham Member Discount Partners at our July 30 Connect & Cocktails at the Equatorial Hotel in HCMC. Please join, meet new friends and colleagues, and support your local businesses!
AmCham is partnering to support AusCham's 2020 Golf Scramble in Da Nang, HCMC, and Hanoi and encourage our AmCham golfers to join. And let us know if you are interested in more golf events in addition to our Thanksgiving Golf Shoot.
Although July and early August typically are slow periods for AmCham, this year, many more of our committees are meeting regularly and we will continue to hold events to support you. We will, however, try to avoid scheduling activities during the week of August 2 (except a PPP event already scheduled for August 7) to encourage our team to take some time off to rest and recharge. I also will try to set a better example:) We hope you will also make time to take a break and recharge. Meanwhile, we welcome your feedback at
team@amchamvietnam.com
to let us know how we can serve you better, including what topics you would like to see covered in upcoming events.
Mary Tarnowka, Executive Director
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Stay Informed- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak
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AmCham Vietnam wants to provide a safe environment for events and business networking. We recognize that there is always a risk of a second outbreak, particularly if measures liberalize with respect to international arrivals. We also know that we all have different comfort levels with respect to the changing situation.
[LINK]
In response, AmCham has begun a rating system for all of our events, explained below. We hope this is useful to you in making your own decisions about which events in which you would like to participate. As always, we welcome your feedback at
team@amchamvietnam.com
.
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Some additional tips below from Dr. Mason Cobb, Vice-Chair, and Dr. Andy Meadows, of AmCham Healthcare Committee’s Medical Providers Subcommittee:
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on in much of the world, we see progress in better understanding this complex disease. More importantly, there is better understanding of how to treat it and develop the “Holy Grail” of a vaccine. Although the statistics are not totally clear, it appears that the death rate compared to total cases may be dropping.
This week brought hopeful news for another vaccine candidate. The Phase 1 study that Moderna conducted was published in the
New England Journal of Medicine
in its fully peer reviewed form, with all data including side effects. All 45 patients enrolled in the trial produced antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 like patients who recover from COVID-19 disease. Side effects from the vaccine were encountered in several patients, usually fatigue, chills, muscle pain, headache, and fever (milder symptoms of the disease, itself). These side effects were not severe, so Moderna will advance to Phase 3, the final testing phase. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine may go to Phase 3 trials at the end of September. Production of vaccines is already underway for some promising candidates, in hopes that the trials will allow them to be licensed and distributed to the pubic quickly.
In the face of this very contagious pandemic, the debate whether to do face-to-face schools will continue to rage. With no current community spread of COVID-19 here in Viet Nam, the impact is not direct. However, the considerations involved should weigh in if local cases recur.
Six months into this pandemic, the risk children face is still uncertain, but more defined than in the beginning. Research shows that children with underlying health conditions such as immune suppression, obesity, diabetes, seizures, developmental delay, or chronic lung disease have much greater risk. Parents and schools should carefully consider these children. Conversely, children also face social and developmental risks and challenges if they do not attend school, so the trade-offs are not easy. Parents must make their own best decision for their children. We know these decisions are particularly challenging this year for many of you with children enrolled in overseas schools, including in the Inited States.
The ongoing classroom debate also must include the voice of the classroom’s other participant a– teachers and other staff. The risk for this group varies widely based on underlying health conditions such as age, obesity, etc. Thus, we cannot make any quick comparisons of Viet Nam schools to other countries, with the disease epicenters in Western countries and South America. Sporadic reports from these regions have shown that educators have experienced costly health impacts and death from their selfless work. According to
Education Week
as of 1 July, at least 353 teachers and staff have sacrificed their lives in USA during this dreadful time. Our teachers and their staff are among the heroes in this war: their selfless devotion needs to be recognized and their safety also considered.
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6:00-8:00pm, Sedona Suites, 67 Le Loi Blvd., Dist. 1
AmCham is pleased to co-host the 2020 Joint Chamber Grand Networking Night alongside our fellow chambers CanCham, BBGV, HKBAV, MBC, and SBG.
The last Joint networking event brought together more than 250 attendees from different chamber for a truly diverse and enjoyable night. This year we look forward to more people, more diversity, and more fun!
Join us from 6-8pm on Tuesday, July 21st at Sky 28 for another fun evening of snacks, drinks, prizes, and networking, of course! See you there!
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6:00-8:30pm, Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City, 242 Tran Binh Trong St., Dist. 5
This month's
Connect & Cocktails will feature several of our AmCham Discount Partners. Come network with AmCham members and other professionals in an informal after-work setting over a glass of wine, beer, or a cocktail. Support local business and get a chance at our Lucky Draw!
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8:30-10:30am
, Venue TBD
Event Level Rating: II
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5:00-7:00pm, New World Saigon Hotel, 76 Le Lai Street, District 1
Event Level Rating: II
Learn more from the experts about Vietnam's new PPP law and how it can help facilitate investment in critically-needed infrastructure.
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5:00-7:00pm, Venue TBD
Event Level Rating: II
You can join us virtually or physically.
For physical attendees, please register in advance to reserve your seat.
For virtual attendees, please register to receive the Zoom link.
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5:30-7:30pm, Venue TBD
Event Level Rating: II
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Evidence is always critical in litigation and it plays a large part in determining whether you will win or lose a case. However, coming from a common law country like the US, you may not be aware of how different the rules of evidence are in Vietnam. In this insight, we will outline some of the distinct rules of evidence in civil litigation in Vietnam, and how you can adapt your business practices to protect yourself and your organization.
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Committee Meetings & Activities (For AmCham Members Only)
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9:00-10:00am, Please register to get the link for virtual attendance.
Event Level Rating: II
Monthly meeting to discuss 2020 priorities.
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9:00-10:30am,
AmCham Vietnam HCMC, Suite 323, New World Saigon Hotel, 76 Le Lai Street, District 1
Event Level Rating: II
- Market update, 2nd half 2020 Outlook
- Guest Speaker Christian Khanh, Business development at CMA CGM Vietnam on sustainability in container usage and ‘Smartlog’
- Upcoming Events
- Others
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4:00-5:00pm, Please register to get the link for virtual attendance.
Event Level Rating: IV
Monthly meeting to discuss 2020 priorities.
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8:30-10:00am, Please register to get the link for virtual attendance.
Event Level Rating: IV
Monthly meeting to discuss 2020 priorities.
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9:00-10:30am, AmCham Vietnam HCMC, Suite 323, New World Saigon Hotel, 76 Le Lai Street, District 1
Event Level Rating: IV
Monthly meeting to discuss 2020 priorities.
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5:00-6:15pm, Please register to get the link for virtual attendance.
Event Level Rating: IV
Regular monthly meeting of the committee to review upcoming events, discuss and prepare positions on key issues, laws and regulations relating to trade and investment between Vietnam and the United States.
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AmCham Premium Membership
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The AmCham Premium Membership 2020 is a leadership-level membership for companies contributing strategic support for AmCham's mission and programs. Our Premium Membership comes with a range of exclusive benefits. One all-inclusive Premium Membership's annual billing simplifies your businesses' sponsorship efforts.
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We love our AmCham members! Do you know all the benefits you get with your membership? Maybe you only remember the ones you've used recently, but there are many ways even our basic level members benefit at AmCham.
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The American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam
New World Hotel Suite 323
76 Le Lai Street, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Phone: +84 28 3824 3562
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