AmCham Vietnam Weekly eNewsletter - 37th Week of 2021

Weekly eNewsletter

37th Week of 2021 - September 19, 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 ,

We hope you are having a good weekend and staying dry. I have been trying to stay fit via online classes - mostly to enjoy sweets, like the delicious pastries now available again from AmCham member Maison Marou. And in between, as always, I love admiring flowers, including this beautiful photo of a lotus bloom at sunset, taken by a friend.

We have continued to stay extraordinarily busy this last week with advocacy to urge the need for a clear roadmap and date certain for reopening now. This included a Sept 14^th letter to HCMC People’s Committee Chairman Mai, meetings virtually and in-person with provincial leaders in Ba Ria - Vung Tau on Sept 14th and Dong Nai on Sept 18th, respectively, and a joint letter with EuroCham, KOCHAM, and USABC to the Prime Minister. We also shared policy recommendations with the Da Nang’s People’s Committee. At least one of our members joined a virtual meeting with MOT Minister Nguyen Van The. We have been asked to provide additional recommendations for consideration at a meeting that VCCI will organize with PM Chinh and business associations on Saturday morning, Sept 25th. Please see the Advocacy Report for additional information.

I look forward to welcoming new members at our New Member Orientation on Tuesday, September 21^st, at 4:30PM.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, China announced that it has formally applied to join the CPTPP, putting pressure on existing members to determine if it meets the criteria, as well as pressure on the U.S., which has remained on the sidelines since then President-elect Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw immediately after his election.

In other news, President Phuc is in Cuba now, en route to the UN General Assembly meetings in New York, where he also will meet with various foreign government and business leaders, including several AmCham members.

Perhaps the most efficient and still very constructive AmCham meeting with Vietnamese government officials this week was a 1 and 1/2 hr virtual dialogue with the U.S. business community on Tues, Sept 14, led by Ba Ria - Vung Tau Party Secretary and People’s Council Chairman Pham Viet Thanh, with People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Van Tho, and Vice Chair Nguyen Cong Vinh. Newly-appointed VCCI Chairman and President Pham Tan Cong also joined the meeting, and expressed his desire to hear concerns and help coordinate Government support for business during COVID.

PS Thanh shared his commitment to enabling reopening and recovery as we learn to live with the virus safely. U.S. Consulate Econ Chief Alex Tatsis and I shared the overall perspective of the U.S. government and business community respectively. One of my key messages, in addition to continued vaccine rollout, was the need to move beyond “3 on site” models and facilitate cross-provincial travel to enable manufacturing and supply chain operations and connectivity.

We were joined by SSA Marine VP Soren Pedersen, Ho Tram Grand CEO Walt Power, Wanek General Director Andrew Lien, and CMIT CEO Ky Nguyen, who shared their perspectives on the improving situation and need to maintain ports and existing operations and reopen safely, including for tourism. Andrew discussed the important role BRVT plays in supporting Wanek and Ashley’s furniture exports, and noted the $130 million new bonded warehouse it is building in BRVT, welcoming support to allow construction to continue.

The format allowed participation from others in the virtual audience, including AES, GE, and Nike, with convenient simultaneous interpretation on the zoom platform (supported by AmCham’s Events team!). Chairman Thanh held separate virtual meetings that day with the Japanese and European business communities. We think his private sector experience as CEO of Vietnam Airlines shows - and look forward to partnering to promote a safe reopening and economic recovery in BRVT.

I had a big adventure crossing provincial borders (PCR test required) to represent AmCham members at a Sat am (4.5 hr!) meeting in Dong Nai province, together with Nike External Affairs Manager Giang Vu, several Nike factory partners, and other foreign business associations and FDI companies. Many AmCham member companies located in Dong Nai, like Suntory PepsiCo, Onsemi, and others operating through partner factories, are struggling to maintain manufacturing operations with current COVID lockdown restrictions. Dong Nai Party Secretary Nguyen Hong Linh and People’s Committee Chairman Cao Tien Dung shared details of Dong Nai’s reopening plan and heard feedback from companies on implementation challenges, particularly with respect to cross-provincial border movement of goods and people; getting workers to and from factories with the complicated zone systems; and the need to streamline entry requirements for foreign experts, managers, and investors. PS Linh stressed the complicated situation and encouraged factory owners to share the responsibility of keeping their workers safe while reopening the economy.

Upcoming Events and Committee Meetings

Please join our Digital Economy & Technology Committee Meeting on Tuesday, September 21 at 9AM; and our Logistics and Supply Chain Committee Meeting on Wednesday, September 22 at 9AM.

Show you care! Please help save lives and do your part to help now through AmCham CARES, by contributing cash or in-kind for critically-needed ventilators and medical equipment via AmCham, or directly to our NGO members and partners providing COVID relief.

AmCham is invested in Vietnam's success. Last year, thanks to generous contributions from our members, AmCham donated 250,000 surgical masks, Thermo Fisher PCR testing and analysis systems, and a fully-equipped Ford ambulance to Vietnamese health authorities. AmCham now is carrying out another AmCham CARES fundraising campaign.

On Friday, September 24 afternoon, we will deliver four Medtronic ventilators, worth almost $200,000, as well as more than $170,000 of other urgently-needed medical equipment to support the Government's response. We would like to express our appreciation to Nike, Intel, Varian Medical Systems, Vets With A Mission, MSD, The Grand Ho Tram, First Solar, Cargill Vietnam, Saigon South International School, and many companies and individual members and friends for their generous contributions.

It is not too late to contribute. Please contribute NOW personally or for your company to support Vietnam and HCMC at this challenging time. AmCham CARES provides you a transparent mechanism to make contributions NOW for critically-needed medical equipment and supplies and know they will be delivered where in Vietnam they are needed most. We also welcome contributions from non-members and will ensure all donors are recognized. Contribute now: https://bit.ly/3i4FHRn to demonstrate AmCham CARES! If you have any questions, please contact AmCham Office Manager Cindy Tran at cindy.tran@amchamvietnam.com.

The highly transmissible Delta variant is causing extreme hardship for many Vietnamese people, especially disadvantaged groups such as migrants and informal workers. We know many of AmCham’s members and friends want to contribute to help, but don’t know how best to do so. In addition to contributing directly via AmCham CARES to donate critically-needed medical equipment to support the Vietnamese government, we provide information below about various AmCham INGO members’ COVID-19 relief programs in Vietnam, as well as links to some local NGOs vetted and supported by LIN. Contribute now personally or via your company. LINK.

We are happy to highlight COVID-related contributions from our member companies on our social media. Please email details, including photos, to Cindy Tran. We will also recognize contributions of our member companies to support the Vietnamese government’s COVID response, as well as other innovative and impactful Corporate Social Responsibility Programs or Environment, Social, and Governance initiatives at our November 18 “Giving Thanks Dinner”.

Many thanks to MasterCard and its partners for their contribution of $5,000 to support Food Bank Vietnam and Saigon Children's Charity for helping families in needs of food and necessary items in challenging time!

Recent Event

Key takeaways from our expert speakers at AmCham’s COVID-19 Virus, Variants, and Vaccines briefing on Wed, Sept 15th: USCDC Vietnam Country Director Dr. Eric Dziuban; HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Head of Training Dr. Leigh Jones; and Victoria Healthcare International Clinics President Dr. Mason Cobb.

The 14-day average of new cases in Vietnam has decreased slightly as have the number of individuals reportedly on oxygen or ventilators, perhaps indicating that the combined lockdowns and increased vaccinations are having impact. All the vaccines that are available in Vietnam now have been proven effective in reducing the likelihood of serious symptoms and death, and there is now more established practice globally of mixing at least some vaccines, so Vietnam’s current practice of a 2nd dose of Pfizer after a 1st dose of Moderna should be ok. Finally. If you think you may have COVID-like symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider. Many can assess your condition remotely and provide telemedicine support, including SpO2 monitors, as well as help you access additional care if your symptoms worsen.

AmCham Premium 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.

To support the HCMC People’s Committee’s COVID-19 control measures, AmCham Vietnam will continue to hold all 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 safe and healthy! It has been a very busy week for Da Nang. First, we would like to congratulate the City Government on its efforts to reduce Covid cases and community transmission in the past weeks. Clearly these efforts have been effective! I am so glad to update that we had no new cases reported as of Saturday, with the days leading up to then seeing significant reduction in numbers. The city has begun to reduce restrictions and many people in ‘Green Zones’ have been able to exercise again outside between the hours of 5 - 7 am and 5 - 7 pm daily. We look forward to further reductions to travel restrictions in the weeks to come.

We were honored to be asked to send official opinions and recommendations from our members on addressing obstacles and difficulties faced by enterprises during the COVID-19 epidemic, as well as suggestions and proposals in order to create favorable conditions for businesses to recover as part of the city’s economic recovery plan in the coming time. Thanks to all members who submitted their suggestions! We look forward to meeting with the city government this coming Friday, Sept 24^th,when the People’s Committee hosts the dialogue, “Da Nang Government with FDI Businesses”.

And finally, we would very much like to express our sincere thanks to the City Leaders who have made it possible this past week for several of our members companies to receive the first round of vaccinations. We look forward to seeing this continue in the coming weeks as vaccines are being distributed throughout the city through government agencies as well as through the district and ward levels.

As always, Stay Vigilant, Stay Safe, Stay Healthy!

COVID-19 Update from Healthcare Provider Subcommittee Chair

Dr. Mason Cobb and Andrew Meadows

Many Cures for the Same Malady

For more information, LINK (to COVID page).

Advocacy

AmCham Vietnam continues to be focused on COVID-19-related advocacy and support to our members, both at the Central and provincial-level. We joined two events organized by People's Committees of Ba Ria - Vung Tau on September 14 and Dong Nai on September 18, and submitted letters with policy recommendations to HCMC Chairman Mai, Da Nang Chairman Chinh, and the Prime Minister. We are also reviewing advocacy requests from our Healthcare, F&B, Energy, and Capital Markets and Digital Economy Committees.

If you have concerns regarding how to maintain manufacturing operations during COVID, please send to our Manufacturing Task Force, at MFGTF@amchamvietnam.com

See LINK for this week’s report. Please continue to share your feedback on policy challenges and recommended solutions to relevant Committee Chairs and advocacyaction@amchamvietnam.com

Committee Meetings & Activities (For AmCham Members Only)

September 21: Digital Economy & Technology Committee Meeting

September 22: Logistics & Supply Chain Committee Meeting

September 28: Tourism and Hospitality Committee Meeting

September 28: Women in Leadership 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.