AmCham Vietnam Weekly eNewsletter - 7th Week of 2022

Weekly eNewsletter

7th Week of 2022 - February 14, 2022

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 have adjusted well to the Year of the Tiger! We know many parents are delighted with the return to in-person school! I am enjoying my favorite shops reopening post-Tet, particularly all the plant shops. I may have gotten a little carried away again…

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper officially presented credentials to President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on February 11!

We look forward to welcoming Ambassador Knapper in HCMC soon. It looks like it may be on March 3 for a special AmCham Welcome Dinner. Please SAVE THE DATE. We may also have a special Chair’s Circle event in partnership with Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) that afternoon for members of our Board, former Chairs, and Diamond and Gold sponsors just before – stay tuned!

Members of AmCham Vietnam’s Chair’s Circle enjoyed insightful discussions with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs/soon-to-be Ambassador to the United States Nguyen Quoc Dung and U.S. Consul General Marie Damour on February 10, just days before Ambassador-designate Dung departs for Washington DC on February 15^th to assume his new role.

We share a commitment to strengthen our bilateral trade and investment partnership and seek ways to make our comprehensive partnership more strategic. We have partnered through the pandemic, maintaining supply chains. We are proud of and grateful to the U.S. government for its donations of 24.6 million doses of vaccines that are helping enable the reopening and economic recovery taking place now – and to the Vietnamese government for its impressive vaccine rollout! We want to work together to enable a safe reopening for foreign travel and tourism March 31 or before. We want to build the physical and digital infrastructure for sustainable development. And we want to partner to develop a globally competitive workforce in Vietnam. We are invested in Vietnam and its future.

AmCham 101. New members and those wanting a refresher are invited to join our AmCham 101 orientation in person or virtually on Tuesday, February 15 at 4:30PM. Please contact Membership Manager Sam Hoang for more details and to register.

CanCham Crystal Ball. AmCham is happy to co-host CanCham’s annual Crystal Ball, luncheon on Thursday, February 17, featuring many of our joint members, including former AmCham Vietnam Chairman and Baker McKenzie Vietnam Founder and Former Managing Partner Fred Burke, with their forecasts of what to expect in 2022.

Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) 2021 February 18 Technical Session and February 21 VBF Forum with Prime Minister. Although in-person participation is strictly limited in Hanoi due to COVID concerns, we are delighted to provide information about how to join virtually – see our Advocacy Section!

March 8 Inter-chamber Launch of HCMC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Network. We are thrilled to be hosting the first 2022 inter-chamber HCMC DEI Network event, featuring the Panel (not manel) Pledge and launching the HCMC DEI Network on Tuesday, March 8, International Women’s Day. Join for an insightful discussion and a follow-on networking session!

AmCham Spring Gala. New date new venue/new theme! Save the date of March 19 !! We heard you and the desire for more social events. This will be an elegant, more exclusive event which will complement our December Governor’s Ball – stay tuned for more details!!

Upcoming Committee Leadership Opportunities and Meetings

Committee Meetings. We were delighted to welcome members to join our Capital Market and Financial Services Committee (CMFSC) Meeting on Monday, February 14 at 4PM with guest speaker Christina Ameln, Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN)'s Vietnam Advisor. Members are also invited to join our Legal & VBF Liaison Committee Meeting on Wednesday, February 16 at 5PM; our Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee Meeting on Thursday, February 17 at 4PM; and Agriculture Committee Meeting on Friday, February 18 at 9AM.

Leadership Opportunities. Many committees are now soliciting interest from potential candidates interested in serving in leadership positions. Elections for most committees will take place in February or March, if they haven’t already. If you are interested in serving in a leadership role, please contact existing Committee leaders, Board Liaisons, or Events and Committees Manager Lily Nguyen at lily.nguyen@amchamvietnam.com. While several committees have canceled early January meetings for the holidays, Committee meetings that take place are now open to both in-person (for fully-vaxed) and virtual participation. Please register in advance. All AmCham Vietnam members are welcome to join.

AmCham Membership Renewal. For many of you, it's time to renew your membership for 2022 and continue your involvement in AmCham, with opportunities for professional networking, business intelligence, advocacy to improve the business environment, and promotion of your business. We have been sending out 2022 Membership Renewal notices via email. We hope you all will renew promptly and that many will consider upgrading to become Premium Members! If you haven’t yet received your renewal notice, please contact Membership Manager Sam Hoang.

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 benefits, and exclusive VIP access. Customized packages are available. To learn more, see LINK or contact Office Manager Cindy Tran.

Thank you for your continued support – let us know how we can do better at team@amchamvietnam.com! Regards, Mary

Greetings from Da Nang and I hope you all had a great Tet holiday with family and friends!

In other exciting news, one of our members, Evergreen Labs, is organizing a large-scale donation project called “Give for Good” with the aim to support local schools, orphanages, elderly homes, and more with supplies and furniture. Currently, the project has over 30 recipients from 8 provinces across Vietnam. If you are interested in learning more, getting involved, or donating, please contact our AmCham Da Nang Vice Chair, Dr. Kasia Weina (kasia@evergreenlabs.org). Additional information can also be found here.

AmCham Da Nang and our members and friends are always committed to charitable causes and ideas. So I am sure we will help support this imitative!

COVID-19 Update from Healthcare Provider Subcommittee Chair

Dr. Mason Cobb and Andrew Meadows

Come Fly with Me.

For more information, LINK (to COVID page). We are incredibly grateful to Victoria Healthcare’s Dr. Mason Cobb and City Hospital’s Andy Meadows for their informative COVID! We don’t want to jinx the situation, but plan for this to be the final week of regular reports. We will recommence if needed. Let’s give Dr. Mason and Andy a warm round of applause for their reports which kept us informed and safe!

Advocacy

We were delighted to host MOFA DFM/soon-to-be Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dzung and Consul General Marie Damour a lunch on February 10. Copy of our key points is HERE.

Representatives of Intel Products Vietnam, Nike Vietnam, Suntory PepsiCo, AES, Pacifico Energy, The Grand Ho Tram, MSD/Healthcare Committee, and Baker McKenzie/Digital Economy also shared top concerns and opportunities.

We are excited that the 2021 VBF will finally take place. We are still finalizing our AmCham participation list. See links for draft agendas (Feb 18 and Feb 21). Please register directly if you want to join via zoom. Physical participation is strictly limited this year due to COVID.

We plan to co-host an interchanger 2021 briefing and 2022 outlook shortly after the VBF. Stay tuned!

This report and prior Advocacy Reports are available on AmCham’s Advocacy page. 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 and Supply Chain Task Force, at MFGTF@amch amvietnam.com

Committee Meetings & Activities (For AmCham Members only)

February 14: Capital Markets and Financial Services Committee (CMFSC) Meeting

February 16: Legal & VBF Liaison Committee Meeting

February 17: Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee Meeting

February 18: 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.