Weekly eNewsletter
16th Week of 2021 - April 25, 2021
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AmCham Vietnam’s Vision:
The most influential, strategic, and dynamic business association in Vietnam, that drives innovation and sustainable growth, and helps our members succeed. AmCham is a diverse, inclusive, business association and welcomes American, Vietnamese, and international companies that share our interest in enabling a fair, transparent, and predictable regulatory environment that values innovation. A community you want to join.
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Rainy season seems to have arrived in Saigon. Sometimes you just need to wait it out wherever you are - and enjoy the fresh air and flowers after… |
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We have some fantastic events this week, which I hope many of you can join. If you are in the Ag or F&B sector, register now for our Tuesday, April 27 afternoon F&B Committee Member-only Webinar on the Economic Impact of the Food Industry in Vietnam, jointly organized with Food Industry Asia, with Oxford Economic Asia Director James Lambert sharing results of a study on the agri-food sector’s impact on the economy, including ag production; F&B manufacturing: and F&B distribution.
We hope many of you will join our Tuesday aft Top Leaders’ Insights on Hard and Soft Leadership Skills event (in-person or virtual) at the Reverie with an all-star panel of experts, including experts from the diplomatic, corporate, and HR/entrepreneurial sectors: German CG Dr. Josefine Wallat, Mastercard’s Winnie Wong, TalentNet’s Tieu Yen Trinh, and our own Women in Leadership leaders Irene Ohler and Dr. Astrid Matarrita. Female and male AmCham members and friends welcome!
Later that evening, and again on Wednesday evening, please join Washington DC thinktank Center for Strategic and International Studies “Future of the U.S. Partnership” complimentary virtual events, sponsored by Samsung. Part 1 on Tuesday evening features Vietnamese Amb to the U.S. Ha Kim Ngoc as the keynote speaker, followed by a panel on the economic relationship with former U.S. Amb and now Google A/P Policy VP Ted Osius, FUV Lecturer Nguyen Xuan Thanh, and me. Part 2 on Wednesday features NSC Sr. Director for East Asia and Oceania Edgard Kagan, CSIS Sr. Associate Murray Hiebert, DAV Dean Viet Tuan Nguyen, and Verve Fellow Bich Tran, with both sessions moderated by CSIS Sr. Fellow for Southeast Asia and Director of Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative Greg Poling.
On Wednesday morning, we invite you to join a complementary in-person only event organized by the HCMC Investment and Trade Promotion Committee on “Opportunities to Enhance Trade and Investment Cooperation Between the United States and Vietnam Post COVID-19 Pandemic. I will moderate a panel with U.S. Consulate Economic Chief Alex Tatsis, Mazars Vietnam Managing Partner Jack Nguyen, and TDL International Law Firm Partner Ken Dat Duong. Register: Ngoc Linh at linhntn@itpc.gov.vn or Mobile: (84) 908 11 7702
Wed eve, we hope you will join our April 28 Connect & Cocktails at Hotel Des Arts Saigon (register now!) before part 2 of the CSIS series. And register now for our May 8 Cinco de Mayo Fiesta at District Federal!
Also, this week please join our Member-only Committee Meetings: Tourism and Hospitality Tues AM; Logistics & Supply Chain with Special Guest Speaker LOGIVAN Founder and CEP Linh Pham on Wed AM; and F&B and Healthcare Committee meetings Wed aft.
Please note the AmCham Office will be closed on April 30-May 3 for the Vietnam's Victory Day and International Labor Day.
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Thanks to everyone who attended or last Connect & Cocktail Event at 4P’s in Indochina Tower! Another fantastic event where so many people connected with new businesses as well as caught up with old friends. Wish I had more time to speak with you all! Special thanks for the Central Vietnam Delegate on Advocacy of EuroCham Vietnam, José Sánchez-Barroso González - Vice Honorary Consul of Spain for attending. We look forward to working closely together in the future. As well as Adam Sitkoff, Executive Director of AmCham Hanoi, great that you could make the event and see how well our new Chapter is developing. Click here for photo album.
Also like to say thanks to our Secretary Craig Meadows and his wife Sky on inviting me to the launch of their new endeavor, the International Pacific Institute for education. We wish you every success!’
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On Monday, April 26, the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) Board will meet with MPI Minister Nguyen Chi Dung to jointly agree on themes and areas of focus for 2021. AmCham VBF Rep and AmCham Hanoi BOG Member Eric Johnson will represent AmCham at the meeting.
Currently, our Advocacy Panel is finalizing the text of a joint letter with EuroCham and BritCham which we will send Pham Minh Chinh with recommendations for Enabling a Safe Reopening for Foreign Travel and Tourism. This letter builds on priority issue discussions from the March 27 Strategy Session with former Amb Kritenbrink and the U.S. Mission team at our AmCham National Conference in Da Nang and reflects joint input from our Healthcare and Tourism and Hospitality (T&H) Committees. We hope to be able to share the contents of that letter at our Tuesday AM Apr 27th T&H and Apr 28th Healthcare Committee meetings.
ED Mary Tarnowka represented AmCham and raised concerns of our members (coordinated by our HR Committee) on Work Permits for Foreigners at HCMC’s ITPC and DOLISA’s Apr 20 Dialogue with enterprise. DOLISA provided welcome clarification that Decree 152 does not create a four-year limit on foreigners having work permits, but rather creates a need to file a new application vs. renewal. Many other restrictions remain and appear to need MOLISA guidance. AmCham submitted comments on Work Permits for Foreigners on April 22 for a joint VBF letter to MOLISA. Please contact advocacyaction@amchamvietnam.com if you need the details of AmCham comments.
AmCham Digital Economy and Technology Vice-Chair and Baker & McKenzie Partner Chung Seck presented AmCham high-level concerns about Personal Data Protection regulation at an Apr 16 MPS Dialogue. AmCham Vietnam also submitted a Position Papers on the draft PDP Decree to VBF on March 31 as well as to MPS on April 6. If you need a copy of our position paper to MPS, please contact advocacyaction@amchamvietnam.com
In his role as VBF Trade and Investment WG Co-Chair, Chung will also participate in a small group workshop with MPS on the draft PDP Decree on Wed, Apr 28.
VBF now is seeking comments on MOF’s new (Apr 15th) Draft of Insurance Business Law by Tuesday, Apr 27 COB. If you have any comments or recommendations, please send ASAP, but no later than COB, Monday, Apr 26th to advocacyaction@amchamvietnam.com
AmCham F&B Committee is still collecting the comments on the Draft Amendment of Decree 43 on goods labelling. Please send to fnb@amchamvietnam.com no later than end of April if you have any comments and/or recommendations. This issue will also be discussed at the Apr 28th meeting.
AmCham’s Healthcare Committee’s Medical Device Subcommittee is collecting comments and recommendations on the MOH Draft Decree on medical devices for joint venture, rental and other mechanisms in public hospitals. If you have any comments, please send to healthcare@amchamvietnam.com
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Committee Meetings & Activities (For AmCham Members Only) |
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This event is a webinar. Please register to receive the Zoom link. |
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Venue: The Reverie Saigon, 22-36 Nguyen Hue Boulevard, Dist. 1 |
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Venue: Saigon Kitchen at Hotel Des Arts Saigon, 76-78 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Dist. 1 |
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This event will be a Webinar, |
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Venue: District Federal, 84 Xuan Thuy Street, Thao Dien, Dist. 2 |
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Venue: New World Saigon Hotel, 76 Le Lai, Dist. 1 |
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Venue: Riverside Apartments, 53 Vo Truong Toan, An Phu, Dist. 2 |
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COVID-19 Update from Healthcare Provider Subcommittee Chair
Dr. Mason Cobb and Andrew Meadows
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If it feels like we are treading water on COVID-19 in our Vietnam bubble of safety, you are right. Our questions remain: when will Viet Nam be able to deliver vaccines and vaccine safety and risk?
Vietnam still has not announced a timeline for widespread vaccination. This is worrisome as regional cases have skyrocketed, particularly in Cambodia with its porous border with Vietnam. Even with no current community cases, the Vietnam Covid Steering Committee has doubled down on continuing the 5 Ks: masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds, good hygiene, and registering. And travel remains severely restricted.
Vietnam currently has a total of 910,000 Astra-Zeneca (AZ) vaccine doses and has administered about 110,000 as of Tuesday. It is stepping up the schedule so doses do not expire by the end of May for the 2-shot series. Priority is for front-line workers in high-risk regions. Next are military, teachers, diplomats, and police.
"Vaccine Nationalism" may be affecting Vietnam, among other countries. WHO's COVAX program, aiming for 3 billion vaccines for the world by the end of 2021, is woefully behind. Many economically developed countries have good supply and high vaccination rates. The USA, where some 66% of seniors have been fully vaccinated and disease and hospitalization rates have plummeted, also has full vaccination supplies with enough to export to other countries with urgent need. Currently, the United States is sending vaccines and emergency supplies to India, where there has been a massive surge of cases - almost 350,000 on Sunday.
Both Astra-Zeneca (AZ) and Johnson & Johnson (one-dose vaccine) now have the greenlight to restart vaccinations. The benefit of preventing COVID-19 far outweighs the exceedingly rare severe blood clotting risk (0,00022%) seen in younger women. AZ and Pfizer vaccines are 65% effective after one dose and much higher against severe disease. Breakthrough infections after vaccination are rare, accounting for 0.045% and even fewer hospitalizations and deaths.
The history of vaccines is interesting. The original vaccine against smallpox from 1770 carried a 10% mortality. The Cutter polio vaccine in 1955 gave polio to 40,000 people with much death and disability. There have been at least 10 vaccines causing complications since 1955. Fortunately, these have been limited, quickly discovered, and improved vaccines offered. The current vaccines are well-tested and are both effective and safe. We eagerly await them in Vietnam.
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If you want to become an AmCham member, register here. If you have already renewed for 2021, you should have received your membership card already. If you haven’t, please let us know. If you haven’t yet renewed or settled your payment, please do so soonest so you can keep enjoying the benefits of AmCham membership!
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AmCham’s Member Discount Program supports local businesses that contribute to our quality of life, and also offer benefits to you, our members. For more information on participating businesses, or if you want to become an AmCham Member Discount Partner, click here.
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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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