AmCham Vietnam Weekly eNewsletter - 47th Week of 2021

Weekly eNewsletter

47th Week of 2021 - November 28, 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 enjoyed your Thanksgiving holidays! We know this was a particularly difficult year for Vietnam, as well as many of our member companies, our teams, and families. And yet, there is much for which we can we thankful as well as we adjust to this new normal of living safely with the virus. I look forward to celebrating (safely) with many of you at our “Giving Thanks Dinner” on Thursday evening. Today, I want to thank all of you for your support throughout the year. And I especially want to thank our hardworking AmCham team who do so much every day to support our members and try to help you succeed in these challenging times. We had a mini-celebration in the office with some all-American apple pie made by a Nebraskan (no, not former Ambassador Dan Kritenbrink).

AmCham was honored to cohost with MOFA and the U.S. Mission in Vietnam on Nov 23rd, “Meet the USA: Partnering for Reopening, Recovery, and Rebound in the Southern Economic Region”, with VFM To Anh Dung and Charge Marie Damour joining virtually from Hanoi, in-person participation in HCMC with leaders from HCMC, Binh Duong, and Long An, and Acting Consul General Robert Greenan, together with provincial leaders from Da Nang, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa and 10 other provinces joining virtually.

In a panel discussion moderated by FUV Sr Lecturer Nguyen Xuan Thanh, provincial leaders discussed steps they are taking to respond to business concerns and enable a safe reopening and recovery. AmCham shared results of a recent member survey, demonstrating the recovery underway and the overwhelmingly positive views of AmCham members about investment opportunities in Vietnam, as well as the importance of consistent policies of living safely with the virus throughout Vietnam, and the need to streamline foreign expert entry requirements to enable both expansion by existing investors as well as new investment.

In a second panel discussion, AmCham leaders from Intel, First Solar, Suntory PepsiCo, P&G, Coca-Cola, Wanek Furniture, Becamex, Pharmacity, Cai Mep International Terminal, The Grand Ho Tram, and VinaCapital shared their positive perspectives on prospects for investment, resiliency, and sustainable growth on Vietnam.

Our special thanks to AstraZeneca, Coca-Cola, Intel, Mekong Capital, Suntory PepsiCo, The Grand Ho Tram, VinaCapital GE Energy, First Solar, Pharmacity, Wanek Furniture, YKVN, Cai Mep International Terminal, and Canadian National Railway for supporting our event!

And check out the results of our Nov 15-17 member survey – Prospects for Reopening, Recovery, and Rebound in Vietnam LINK - more details to come in a special email on Monday, Nov 29. Both the event and survey are getting plenty of media coverage – some of it in English. LINK

Other Upcoming Events and Meetings

Join us in person at the New World Hotel or virtually for "Improving Supply Chain Efficiency Through Women Workers' Wellbeing" on November 30th at the New World Hotel. One of Vietnam’s competitive advantages compared to some of its neighbors is the ability to maintain ethical and responsible supply chains here. Learn from experts in government, international organizations, NGOs, and the business community why maintaining women worker’s wellbeing is not just the right thing to do; it is required by law in many exporting markets, and it is good business. It can also help you improve your bottom line and supply chain efficiency. Simultaneous interpretation will be available in both English and Vietnamese. Register now. LINK.

The time for planning budgeting salary & bonuses is coming. Please register to join our Labour Trends webinar “Key Highlights of 2021 Talentnet-Mercer Total Remuneration Survey” on December 2nd to see how the market reacted to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and how companies would plan for their salary increase in 2022 as well as their variable bonus for this special year 2021! LINK

Please register now to join our AmCham’s “Giving Thanks” Dinner and AmCham CARES 2021 COVID Relief and Recovery Awards Ceremony on December 2nd at The Reverie Saigon. Please join us for the dinner whether you are competing for an award or not – it should be a festive and fun celebratory Thanksgiving evening! Senior U.S. and Vietnamese government officials and members of the media will also be invited. Turkey and non-turkey options available! LINK

Committee Meetings. Committee meetings are now open to both in-person (for fully vaxed) and virtual participation. Please register in advance. All AmCham members are welcome to join;

Tourism and Hospitality Committee Meeting on Tuesday, November 30 at 2PM with guest speaker from Horwath HTL Nikhom Jensiriratanakorn who will provide an overview on supply trends and an in-depth view of Vietnam & Thailand, two key markets on their journey to reopening;

Education & Training Committee Meeting on Wednesday, December 1 at 9AM. Join for industry updates: K-12, Higher Education, Online learning; Committee Leadership 2022; Implementation of Digitization of Education; and Project Sharing – Developing a Globally Competitive Workforce.

2021 Board of Governor Elections. Please take a few minutes and vote now!! It’s time to vote for AmCham Vietnam's Board of Governors in HCMC! If you are an AmCham Vietnam voting member, you already should have received your online ballots. Please click the LINK to see our impressive slate of candidates for the 2022-23 term, together with their biographic information and “Vision for AmCham.” Nine governors will be elected in on-line secure voting, ending at 11:59PM Sunday, December 5. Election results will be announced at our Annual General Meeting on Thursday, December 9, starting at 6PM at the New World Hotel.

Save the date for this year’s 2021 Annual Vietnam Business Forum, tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, December 15 or Thursday, December 16, with the theme, “Restoring Supply Chains During COVID”.

AmCham began our Thanksgiving celebrations early Thursday morning organizing the Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot Golf Tournament and Lunch at the Vietnam Golf & Country Club. This is the 21st year we have hosted this fun event. Our special thanks to Le & Tran, Manulife, Titleist, SOL E&G, GreenSpeed, Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, Anantara Qui Nhon Villa, InterContinental Phu Quoc Resort, Lighthouse Group Indochina, Vietnam Trade Alliance for Budweiser, Ly Gia Vien/Torani, Dan On Food, Soteria, Coca-Cola, Suntory PepsiCo, Red Apron, Hotel Equatorial, Flying Pig Saigon, and Simrans for supporting our event!

Although Vietnam’s impressive vaccine rollout has resulted in a significant drop in hospitalizations and deaths, COVID and related lockdowns caused 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 help, but don’t know how best to do so. In addition to contributing directly via AmCham CARES to donate medical equipment to support the Vietnamese government, we provide information about various AmCham INGO members’ COVID-19 relief programs in Vietnam, as well as links to some local NGOs vetted and supported by LIN. LINK. We are happy to highlight COVID-or other CSR-related contributions from our member companies on our social media. Please email details, including photos, to Cindy Tran.

AmCham Membership Renewal. It’s that time of year to renew your AmCham membership for 2022! We have begun sending out our renewal notices. Our AmCham team has been working harder than ever this year to deliver value and support you, our members, during these challenging times, particularly through our Committees, Business Intelligence events, and Advocacy. We also have a number of important, high-prolife events coming up before the end of the calendar year! We look forward to your continued support, and welcome new members. As you join or renew your membership, please consider becoming a Premium Member.

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

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

Happy Thanksgiving from Da Nang! While we are always hoping to hold larger events in Da Nang, we were fortunate enough to be able to hold a Board Thanksgiving Dinner with families at Olivia’s Prime Restaurant on Friday evening. Thanks to everyone who attended! In particular, thanks to Olivia & Scott for organizing the event, Sunrise Potential Partners for donating the organic vegetables for our dinner, and Red Apron for sponsoring the delicious wines and Champagne! We all greatly enjoyed the evening celebrating together.

Also would like to thank the Danang IPA and the Da Nang People's Committee Vice Chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim Yen, for inviting us to join her in-person at the Da Nang People's Committee for the conference with other Southern Provinces entitled “Meet the USA: Partnering to Promote Reopening, Economic Recovery, and Rebound in the South Region” on Tuesday afternoon, November 23rd, co-hosted by AmCham Vietnam, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Mission in Vietnam. It was a great discussion and especially the comments of Ms. Yen.

We would also like to congratulate Mr. Hai of Green Global who was elected Chairman of the Da Nang Young Entrepreneurs Association at its 7^th Congress for the term 2021 – 2024 that we were invited to attend, also on Friday this past week. We look forward to continued partnering with YEA on developing Da Nang City and wishing you every success!’

COVID-19 Update from Healthcare Provider Subcommittee Chair

Dr. Mason Cobb and Andrew Meadows

Keep On Keeping On.

For more information, LINK (to COVID page).

Advocacy

We continue to focus our advocacy on Enabling a Safe Reopening and Recovery. Your survey responses were critical for our advocacy at the November 23^rd event, “Meet the USA: Partnering for Reopening, Recovery, and Rebound in the Southern Economic Region”. We also expect to continue to focus advocacy on the new Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8), Digital Economy regulations, and Environmental Protection Regulations. See Advocacy Report for more details. LINK. Please send your feedback on what is working, what issues remain, and recommended solutions to relevant Committee Chairs, advocacyaction@amchamvietnam.com, and our Manufacturing Task Force, at MFGTF@amchamvietnam.com.

Committee Meetings & Activities (For AmCham Members Only)

November 30: Tourism and Hospitality Committee Meeting

December 1: Education & Training 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.