AmCham Vietnam Weekly eNewsletter - 27th Week of 2021

Weekly eNewsletter

27th Week of 2021 - July 11, 2021

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 and inclusive business association. We welcome American, Vietnamese, and international companies that share our interest in enabling a fair, transparent, predictable, and efficient regulatory environment that values innovation. A community you want to join!

www.amchamvietnam.com

Dear ,

I may be far away, but am still thinking often about my friends in Vietnam and wishing you strength to get through the next few weeks. Will be joining you soon in quarantine! Meanwhile, am enjoying the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest after a week-long college visit road trip. I also was reminded of the close trade ties between the United States and Asia and the global container shipping issues as we observed the large container ships parked waiting for port access in Seattle outside our friends’ idyllic home on Whidbey Island. They were particularly intimidating when we saw one moving up close and personal while kayaking…

Partnering with Vietnamese Government on COVID-19 Response and Vaccines

Partnering with the Vietnamese government to support its efforts on COVID-19 and vaccines plus is AmCham’s current top priority. We were glad to see the U.S. donation of two million doses of Moderna’s Covid-19 through the COVAX program arrive in Hanoi early Saturday morning, part of the 80 million doses that President Biden has pledged to donate to various countries, in addition to the 500 million doses he committed at the G-7 Summit. Three days before, we were also happy to see the first shipment of 97,110 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines arrive at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, the first shipment of a 31 million-dose commercial contract that the Ministry of Health signed for delivery this year.

On July 6, AmCham met virtually with HCMC leaders, together with foreign missions, international organizations, and other foreign business associations based in HCMC to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and sharp increase in cases in HCMC, HCMC’s planned response, and areas for partnership and collaboration. Chairman Chad Ovel represented AmCham; several of our Board members and corporate partners were also able to join. More details of discussion at Advocacy LINK.

Please contribute now to support AmCham donations of medical equipment and supplies to support the Vietnamese government’s response. We are committed to partnering with Vietnamese, HCMC, and potentially other provincial authorities to support the dual goals of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and promoting sustainable economic growth. We want to partner to protect the health and safety of those of us living or working in HCMC and neighboring provinces, as well as maintaining business operations and supply chains, and enabling a safe reopening and economic recovery.

Next week, we will launch a formal appeal for contributions to support donation of medical equipment and supplies for use by the HCMC Department of Health (DOH) in managing its response to COVID-19. AmCham and our Healthcare Committee currently are working with DOH to identify top priority needs as well as access among our members. We will ensure we conduct due diligence to obtain the best value and a transparent process for your donations. If you are able to contribute to this important cause, please contact Office Manager Cindy Tran for additional information.

We also are happy to highlight any COVID-related contributions from our member companies on our social media. Please email details, including photos, to Cindy Tran.

Upcoming Programs and Events

Many of you may be working from home, but we have an exciting range of virtual events this week!

Please join our two virtual Flash Business Intelligence Briefings on July 13, a complimentary for members COVID-19 Outbreaks - HCMC and Beyond at 8:30AM to learn from a panel of medical experts, including Country Director of Centers for Disease Control, Vietnam, U.S. Embassy Hanoi Dr. Eric Dziuban, Country Manager & Chief Representative of Pfizer Vietnam John Paul Pullicino, Clinic Research Fellow in Viral Hepatitis, Covid-19 (Vietnam) Dr. Barnaby Flower, and Medical Director, Medical Services and Assistance of International SOS Vietnam Dr. Truong Hoang Phu Phi, about updates on Vietnam’s and HCMC’s current COVID-19 outbreaks, vaccine availability and rollout plans, and how to protect yourselves, your families, and your employees. Join again at 10:15AM for Maintaining Manufacturing Operations During COVID-19 to learn best practices managing positive cases and emergency planning to avoid shutdowns from AmCham manufacturing industry experts, including Vice Chair, Board of Governors of AmCham Vietnam, Director of Public Affairs of Intel Vietnam and Malaysia Uyen Ho, HR Director of Coca-Cola Vietnam Truc Huynh, General Director of Diversatek Vietnam Jonathan Moreno, Sustainability Manager of Nike Vietnam Cuong Luong, and Managing Director, Strategy Group, National Head of Healthcare and Life Science of KPMG Vietnam Luke Treloar.

Social isolation and lockdown measures are taking their toll on all of us. Join us Wednesday, July 14^th for a DIY healthy lunch and virtual event, WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH: Wellness & Selfcare for Body, Mind and Workplace, with an inspiring panel of speakers, including President at Victoria Healthcare International Clinics Dr. Mason Cobb, Psychologist of Saigon Psychology & Co Dr. Astrid Matarrita, OD & People Analytics Lead of Sanofi Asia Mai Phuong Huynh, Corporate Fitness Manager of UPFIT Caleb Lee, and CEO of American Chiropractic Clinic of Chiropractic America (ACC) Dr. Wade Brackenbury.

Please join us Wed, July 14 at 3PM to learn about Business Benefits of Gender Equity Vietnam from an expert panel, including Vice Chair, Board of Governors of AmCham Vietnam, Director of Public Affairs, Intel Vietnam and Malaysia Uyen Ho, Director, Wardhaven Capital, Jonathon Waugh, Chairwoman of Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) at VCCI, Founder of ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Network (AWEN) Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, and Financial Analyst of Wardhaven Capital Thao (Sherry) Nguyen.

Finally, please join this free The Asia Foundation event Thursday evening, July 15th (9AM ET, 9PM ICT) to learn more about the new book by former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius. Register at the LINK!

Committee Meetings & Activities (For AmCham Members)

AmCham members, please also join this week’s Energy Committee meeting on Tues, July 13 at 3PM with invited guest Mark Watson, Country Manager, Environmental Resources Management, who will share information on Meeting the Environmental and Social Challenges of New Power Developments in Vietnam; our Legal & VBF Liaison Committee meeting on Wed, July 14 at 5PM, and HR Committee meeting on Th, July 15 at 9AM.

AmCham Celebrates Wellness and Self-care: With social distancing measures extended, it is more important than ever to practice wellness and self-care. AmCham kicked off a Wellness social media campaign to celebrate Wellness, kicking off on June 12th, Global Wellness Day, continuing through July 24th, International Self-Care Day. As part of this effort, on Facebook and Instagram, we are featuring one of our members or friends, with a few words and photos about how they practice wellness. We would love to feature you! Send photos of your wellness efforts, with your company name and title, and a short description of your approach to wellness@amchamvietnam.com. Remember that wellness can take a variety of forms: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, financial, vocational, and social.

https://www.amchamvietnam.com/sports-wellness-and-selfcare/

On the occasion of WHO’s Self-Care Month (June 24th-July 24th) and International Self-Care Day July 24th, the Global Self–Care Federation (GSCF) is putting the spotlight on the benefits of self–care ahead with theme “#SelfCarePromise”. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted just how fragile our global health systems are. Adopting good self–care habits beyond the pandemic is one of the best ways we can continue to protect ourselves, our communities, and our healthcare professionals. A dedicated site https://selfcarepromise.org was launched on June 24th to highlight stories, activities, and the #SelfCarePromise pledge to ensure the well-being of individuals and communities around the world.

Recent Events and Developments

With so many foreign experts trying to get to Vietnam, and others hoping to travel home and return, last week’s event, What to Expect in Foreign Expert Travel (and Return) to Vietnam: a Nitty Gritty Practical Guide, provided lots of useful tips.

With the COVID-19 situation and related rules constantly changing, we will likely hold this event again. Let us know what questions you want covered!

AmCham Premium Corporate Membership offers the opportunity for qualified companies to highlight their status as business leaders and their strategic support for AmCham Vietnam’s mission and programs. Premium Membership offers a range of discounts, benefits, and exclusive access. Customized packages are available. To learn more, see LINK or contact Office Manager Cindy Tran at cindy.tran@amchamvietnam.com.

Support Local Businesses: It is harder under Directive 16 to support local businesses. But please do what you can with the few retail businesses still open. And be prepared to do your part when things reopen – please support the local businesses that contribute so much to our quality of life, but are incredibly hard hit by lockdown measures! Especially our AmCham Members and Discount partners!! LINK. And if you want to become an AmCham Discount Partner, please contact us at LINK.

For the week and 1/2, I will be trying to minimize my time working to spend time with my daughters on a college tour-road trip before my older daughter’s wedding on July 17th. I expect to be back in HCMC on July 22, and return to work remotely from quarantine. My email and text replies may be delayed and I regret I will not be able to join many of your mid-day and afternoon meetings. But our wonderful AmCham team, led by Office Manager Cindy Tran and Events & Committees Manager Lily Nguyen, will continue to keep things running to support you, even though they like many of you, are currently mostly working from home, and our events will be entirely virtual.

To support the HCMC People’s Committee’s COVID-19 control measures. AmCham Vietnam is holding our meetings and events at a Level IV rating this week – all virtual. Please see https://bit.ly/ACEventRating for more information about AmCham’s COVID-19 event ratings. All members of the AmCham team are following a Work from Home (wfh) policy. Our team is still working hard to serve you. We regret our home wifi is not as strong as at the New World Hotel.

We welcome your feedback at team@amchamvietnam.com to let us know how we can serve you better. We wish you a safe and healthy week ahead! Mary

Greetings from Da Nang and I hope you are all healthy. This week it was my great honor to join our Member Sunrise Potential Partners (SPP) Founder and CEO Ms. Nguyen Thu Ha as she donated 100 kilos of all kinds of fresh vegetables certified standard VIETGAP and OCOP to citizens of the city that are in isolation zones or quarantined. Special thanks to Ms. Phuong and Ms. Yen from the Danang IPA who quickly assisted in organizing this charitable donation by connecting us to Mr. Nghĩa of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front of Da Nang City and Mr. Hoang – President of Vietnamese Fatherland Front of Thac Gian Ward. Through their swift action, SPP and Ms. Ha were able to deliver the vegetables straight from the farmers to the Thac Gian Ward People’s Committee to be distributed to 168 households in need. Thanks again to everyone involved, especially Ms. Ha. It is wonderful to see our members contributing during this epidemic. If there are any members which would like to do something similar in Da Nang, please feel free to contact me directly at chris.vanloon@riversidecenter.com.vn or Office Manager Cindy Tran at cindy.tran@amchamvietnam.com. Together, we will get through this and begin again stronger than ever! Stay Safe, Stay Healthy!

COVID-19 Update from Healthcare Provider Subcommittee Chair

Dr. Mason Cobb and Andrew Meadows

HCMC Locks down as COVID-19 Cases Explode, and Millions of Vaccines Arrive

For more information, LINK (to COVID page).

Advocacy

AmCham advocacy this week focused on HCMC’s COVID Response, Special 301 tariffs, and regulatory concerns of our Healthcare and F&B Committee. We are also working on advocacy to request the Vietnamese government expand its focus beyond HCMC as nearby provinces like Binh Duong also experience COVID outbreaks, and to seek approval for imports of self-test kits. Please see discussion at LINK. If you have interest in these or any other advocacy matters that require AmCham support, please contact relevant Committee leaders and/or advocacyaction@amchamvietnam.com. If you have interest in HCMC’s COVID-19 response, please also join our Tuesday, July 12, 830AM Flash Briefing.

Committee Meetings & Activities (For AmCham Members Only)

July 13: Energy Committee Meeting

July 14: Legal & VBF Liaison Committee Meeting

July 15: HR Committee Meeting

July 20: Digital Economy & Technology Committee Meeting

July 21: Healthcare Committee Meeting

July 23: Agriculture Committee Meeting

Key Media Updates

Stay informed about key developments affecting your business by checking frequently – updated regularly on weekdays. On weekends, stay informed and connected through AmCham’s Facebook, Linked IN, and Instagram. LINK to our Key Media Updates.