AmCham Vietnam Weekly Update -
49th Week of 2020 - December 6th, 2020
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Executive Director Update |
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Colleagues, we hope you are getting out and enjoying the cooler (for Saigon) weather! We took a break after our Thursday Board of Governors meeting to thank our Governors for their volunteer leadership throughout the year – and enjoy the beautiful sunset views - at Banana Mama’s in D1. |
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We are delighted to share the news that Membership Manager Sam Hoang delivered a baby boy weighing 3.6 kg on Wednesday, November 25. Both mother and baby are doing well. Well wishes can be sent to the AmCham Office and we will forward to Sam. In the meantime, Ruby Nguyen will act as Membership Services Assistant to cover for Sam while she is on maternity leave.
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Speaking of Membership – please be on the lookout for 2021 Membership Renewal notices which you should receive early this week. Please renew promptly, and if you don’t receive your renewal notice, let us know! In these uncertain times, we hope you find AmCham’s support to you and your companies more valuable than ever. And with new audio-visual equipment, we are ready to support you through virtual and hybrid meetings and events, wherever you are in Vietnam – or the world!
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As most of you are aware, Vietnam experienced a new case of COVID-19 community transmission last week, and once again, has implemented broad-sweeping contact tracing and testing to prevent another outbreak. More details from Dr. Mason Cobb below in our COVID update. As of today, Sunday, December 6, we still expect to be able to hold our Governors Ball on December 12 – see notice below.
“We request that anyone who is not feeling well stay home. We will conduct temperature checks and have hand sanitizer available on entry, and throughout the venue. We also will have special commemorative masks available for use when participants are not eating or drinking.
We will continue to monitor the situation and will make our decision whether to stay with the December 12th date on Tuesday. If we are unable to hold the event on December 12th, we will reschedule the Ball to Saturday, January 9, with a late Santa’s Breakfast on January 10. We will send out any postponement notice via email, Facebook and LinkedIn, and on our website.
Thanks to all for your patience and flexibility. If some of you now feel uncomfortable attending, please advise events@amchamvietnam.com soonest. We still have a waiting list of potential participants and you may be able to cancel without penalty.”
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Message from AmCham Vietnam - Da Nang Vice Chair Chris Vanloon
Greetings from Da Nang. Another cold wet week has passed us and we look forward to the last month of 2020! Our partner and Board Member for the Da Nang Chapter – Evergreen Labs has just begun fit-out of their new sustainable glass water bottling facility at Indochina Riverside Tower. The newest project from the Evergreen Labs team aims to minimize negative impact on the environment by using local water sources to limit transport emissions and implementing a refill system to create a fully circular, zero-waste model. This project’s mission is to balance consumption and nature for a cleaner future. Furthermore, it hopes to become a showcase for sustainable business in Da Nang to inspire social entrepreneurs and change-makers. We look forward to their success in providing sustainable, zero-waste drinking water throughout the city as well as future, purpose-driven activities from Evergreen Labs.
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We wanted to inform you of the two notices published last week in the Federal Register about upcoming virtual hearings that USTR will hold on December 28 and 29, respectively, on its Section 301 investigations of Vietnam timber and currency issues. The deadline to submit requests to appear at either hearing (with a summary of testimony) is December 10 at 11:59 pm EST. Full details in the attached ( timber and currency hearings)
AmCham plans to submit requests to participate, likely with submissions similar to the comments we filed earlier (links to timber and currency submissions). We welcome any suggested additions or modifications by COB Tuesday, December 8th. We also encourage affected companies to submit requests to testify directly.
Our FAS Vietnam colleagues also shared that on November 24, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health (MOH) issued Official Communication 6487 on strengthening measures on prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. FAS Vietnam is currently in communication with MOH, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Vietnam Customs on this developing issue, conveying the concerns at a high level. FAS Vietnam will continue to work to avoid any disruption to trade as a result of these or related regulations. Please advise us if you are experiencing any new disruptions.
Regarding the Annual Dialogue with the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee leadership, it has now been rescheduled to Q1/2021 in the light of the City leadership changes, the upcoming National Party Congress, and the ongoing Covid-19 situation in the City. Stay tuned and we will surely keep you all updated.
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We have a number of interesting events and committee meetings coming up. – check links below! |
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16:30 PM - 19:00 PM, December 8, 2020, the Reverie Saigon Hotel
Paul Khoa, Vice President of Vietnam Logistics Business Association, Founder & Owner of T&M Forwarding, and Owner of DTK Logistics Solutions, will provide a briefing on the Vietnam logistics situation for 2020 and the outlook for 2021, including key findings in a recent report by the Ministry of Industry and Trade: Vietnam Logistics Report 2020- Cost Reduction and Optimization. After a Q&A session, there will be a joint networking event coordinated by AmCham’s Logistics & Supply Chain and Manufacturing Committees. Don’t miss this chance to get informed and connect! Register via this link.
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And it’s time to vote for AmCham’s Board of Governors! If you are an AmCham Vietnam voting member, you already should have received your online ballots. Voting online now through Thursday, Dec 10 at 11:59PM with results announced at our Annual General Meeting on December 15.
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A Global Generosity Movement
In this time of uncertainty, there’s a fundamental truth that gives us hope – together, we can do extraordinary things. Join us on #GivingTuesday and let’s make a real impact in Vietnam by donating to some of AmCham’s NGO member organizations! You can also contribute before and after GivingTuesday as well as a true gift for the holiday season.
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Committee Meetings & Activities (For AmCham Members Only) |
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AmCham led its first-ever Healthcare Doorknock in Hanoi on December 2, organized by the AmCham Vietnam Healthcare Committee in partnership with the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council. In meetings with Minister of Health Dr. Long, Vietnam Social Security, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Healthcare Committee members representing leading U.S. healthcare companies shared AmCham's 2020 Healthcare Whitebook. They expressed gratitude for Vietnam's impressive management of COVID-19, and discussed key areas of cooperation and concern to ensure continued access of lifesaving drugs and medical devices, and ways to partner to develop world-class healthcare here in Vietnam. AmCham looks forward to following up on eight specific areas of potential cooperation identified by Vietnam Social Security, and exploring MPI's idea of a joint healthcare cooperation working group with MOH. Healthcare Committee members also valued the opportunity to meet with Vietnamese officials from MOH, OOG and VSS, together with Ambassador Kritenbrink and members of the Embassy Commercial and Economic team at an evening networking reception. As our MPI colleagues kept saying, we see this as just the beginning of a much closer AmCham-Vietnam Healthcare Partnership. Many thanks to Healthcare Committee leadership and sponsors for making the 2020 Whitebook and Doorknock possible!
To learn more about what AmCham Healthcare Committee members already are doing in Vietnam, top challenges, and opportunities for further growth and partnership, check out our AmCham 2020 Healthcare Whitebook – to be released soon on our website!
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Everyone had an exciting morning on December 2, joining Commercial Dispute: Case Studies (Part One) delivered by Le &Tran. We hope everyone coming out of this session can gain more knowledge and insights into the very fine details of a commercial dispute as well as get well-prepared to avoid an arduous legal battle, and to protect against potential business losses. Link to photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/97616168@N03/sets/72157717139511948/
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On Thursday, December 3, AmCham’s Agriculture Committee hosted a meeting with U.S. Embassy Vietnam Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Area Director Dr. Conrad Estrada and Attaché Joseph Vukovich to discuss phytosanitary issues with regards to imported plant products and the impact on trade. This was a chance for Committee members to raise outstanding issues and concerns directly with APHIS representatives. |
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COVID-19 Update from Healthcare Provider Subcommittee Chair Dr. Mason Cobb |
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Viet Nam and Ho Chi Minh City is dodging another bullet. We know the tale of the now infamous flight attendant who violated home quarantine and had 2 negative COVID-19 tests after foreign travel. He then infected a friend, who then infected 2 others with COVID-19. All 4 finally tested positive.
SARS-CoV-2 is the ideal predatory virus, in its insidious biologic behavior. It is very highly infective, silent during its spread, and not so lethal that its victims cannot live to spread it further. The rate of false negatives (an infected person tests negative) on testing can be as high as 37%. This means that multiple tests must be done to thoroughly exclude infection. So careful case tracking and fail-safe quarantining are the weapons in this war. CDCVN has used these weapons extensively and effectively, as in these recent cases.
With a massive, intense effort, CDCVN has tracked contacts, tested 2241 people, and quarantined a total of 3100 people in camps or designated hotels. Now the community outbreak seems confined to those 4 people. The Prime Minister and the health authorities issued new decrees urging extremely strict compliance with the principles already in place. For the record: 1365 cases in Vietnam, including 660 community cases, 35 deaths.
We have a schizoid reaction to COVID-19 at this moment. We experience a heightened fear of being infected: for example, Quang Nam Province will quarantine any HCMC arrival from the affected areas of the city. On the other hand, with only 4 isolated cases and the government’s predictably capable control, life goes on with loose adherence to safe, infection-avoiding principles. Facemask use is spotty, there is hugging and shaking hands, large crowds, bars, clubs, karaoke, etc.
The case of the flight attendant is instructive. Negative tests during the incubation period, false sense of safety, and spread of the disease, as with the person that he then infected. The heroic efforts of the CDCVN to contain it successfully saved us from a third wave. However, it is easy to get pandemic fatigue and let down our guard. It is important not to get complacent – keep those masks on whenever possible in public places and your guard up.
Amidst the complicated developments of the current Covid-19 outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City, I hope you all strictly comply with guidance and instructions from relevant authorities so that we can soon expect a return to normalcy in this bustling city. Everyone, please adopt Covid-19 safety and protection measures and stay safe!
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According to a recently published database on foreign courts' judgements and foreign arbitral awards in Vietnam from 2012 to 2019, only 49% of said judgements and awards were recognised and enforced by the Vietnamese Court. Our insight explores and explains in depth the reasons for the Vietnamese Court’s non-recognition, the legislative differences between the jurisdictions, the effect international treaties have on the matter. Any questions, please contact us at info@letranlaw.com. Read more articles on our LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/le-&-tran.
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It’s critical that you have a plan in place to stay up and running during an unexpected event like Covid-19. How embracing right digital technology platform and solution can improve productivity, reduce operational costs, protect your business against security risks, increase profits and ultimately transform the way your business grow?
Join our free, half-day “Business For Better” Summit to learn from industry experts and discover how our partners and Microsoft solutions can help to keep your people productive and collaborative - anytime, anywhere.
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The case for augmented healthcare solutions leveraging the use of AI, blockchain technology, virtual reality, 3D printing, and robotic applications, has been growing. COVID-19 is clearly an accelerant. There are no restrictions on foreign investment in technology. This means there is no foreign ownership limit on healthtech companies. A foreign investor can establish a 100% foreign invested enterprise to provide healthcare technology services. The opportunity for growth in the space is clear - Vietnamese and foreign investors are taking advantage.
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Organized within the framework of Vietnam International Travel Mart VITM Hanoi 2020 from 18-21.11.2020 at the Viet Xo Labor Culture Palace, the Ceremony rewarding businesses and individuals with outstanding achievements in tourism & hotels in 2019 hosted by the Vietnam Tourism Association at Trade Union Convention Center, 1A Yet Kieu, Hoan Kiem Ward, Hanoi on 18.11.
At the ceremony, Becamex Hospitality was honored to receive 05 prestigious awards
• Typical Hotel Director Award in 2019 for Dr. Cheah Kuan Yean
• Hotel with unique architecture & design in 2019 for Becamex Hotel New City
• Top MICE Hotels in 2019 for Becamex Hotel New City
• The leading 3-star hotel in Vietnam in 2019 for Becamex Hotel Thu Dau Mot
• Top Hotel serving Korean guests in 2019 for Becamex Hotel Thu Dau Mot
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We’re constantly monitoring and adapting to the latest travel information and restrictions, and we remain dedicated to getting you where you need to be. For passengers wanting to travel to Ho Chi Minh City, please contact us via email: reservation@cathaypacific.com or telephone: +84 28 3822 3203 for further flights information.
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This merry time of the year, Caravelle welcomes you to stay at our cosy rooms, try out our festive cuisines including delightful high tea or tapas portions at Café de l’Opera, a savouring of Reflections’ signature craftsmanship and the hearty buffets at Nineteen Restaurant. For those who love to celebrate with a bang, be sure to mark on your calendar of our festivities high above at Saigon Saigon Rooftop Bar & Rooftop 26th Floor.
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Please join us to welcome new AmCham members of this month!
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Let’s support local businesses. If you have any questions regarding our program, please contact Membership Services Assistant Ruby Nguyen at membership@amchamvietnam.com
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AmCham Premium Membership |
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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