AmCham Vietnam eNewsletter - December 21, 2022

AmCham eNewsletter

December 21st, 2022

AmCham Vietnam’s Vision:

We strive to continue to be the most influential, strategic, and dynamic business association in Vietnam.

AmCham welcomes American, Vietnamese, and international companies that share our interest in enabling a fair, transparent, predictable, and efficient regulatory environment that values innovation.

We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as environment, social, and governance values and aim to be a community you want to join.

www.amchamvietnam.com

Dear AmCham colleagues and friends,

It has been wonderful to see so many of you in our year-end events, including our December 10th Governors’ Ball, December 11th Santa’s Breakfast, and our December 15th Annual General Meeting.

I am proud of all we have accomplished together this year, and over the last 3 and 1/2 years whole I have had the privilege and honor of serving as your Executive Director.

Together, we re-energized our Committees and made them more strategic. We came together during COVID and beyond to partner with the U.S. Vietnamese government to protect lives and livelihoods and create an enabling environment to drive sustainable growth and innovation.

With strong volunteer leadership from our Boards of Governors and Committees, so many of you, and the dedication of our AmCham professional team, we lived up to our vision. AmCham now is the most influential, strategic, and strategic business association in Vietnam. AmCham also is the most diverse and inclusive business association and we live our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Environment, Social, and Governance values. AmCham and our member companies are Invested in Vietnam and Invested in the Future.

I look forward to seeing AmCham strengthen its corporate governance and representation of member interests with the new Unity Charter. And I look forward to AmCham growing its professional team to better support our growing membership.

As I depart to move back to Washington, DC to be closer to family, I will not say goodbye or farewell, but rather - until the next time! I love Vietnam will always consider it one of my homes. I will seek to find ways to stay connected and continue to contribute to the U.S.-Vietnam bilateral comprehensive partnership. I will be cheering AmCham and you all on from afar!

If you wish to leave wishes to be compiled in a special video/ebook for me by Chair Winnie Wong and the AmCham team, please send to LINK.

But before I go…

2023 Business Outlook Survey and 2022 Member Feedback Survey. To guide our advocacy and events and improve our member services, please complete the survey at LINK to let us know your expectations of challenges and opportunities in 2023 and beyond, and your feedback on member services in 2022. This information also will be critical to informing our 2023 Boards of Governors from HCMC and Da Nang at their January 14th 2023 Board Strategy Session.

Recent Events

We were delighted to see so many AmCham Vietnam members at our 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) on December 15! U.S. Consul General Susan Burns spoke about the close partnership between the U.S. Mission and AmCham during Executive Director Mary Tarnowka’s leadership, and the hopes for an even closer partnership with a more unified AmCham in 2023. She also praised AmCham’s diverse and inclusive leadership and the strength of its active grassroots-led Committee structure. Chair in HCMC Winnie Wong highlighted key accomplishments and events of 2022 LINK, and thanked outgoing Governors for their service:

Chair Winnie Wong also reported a key result from our AGM voting - 86% of members who voted supported the proposed Unity Charter. She also highlighted the key role played by AmCham’s professional team, led by ED Tarnowka and AmCham’s dedicated team, including Office Manager Cindy Tran, who celebrated her 25-year anniversary with AmCham Vietnam this year. ED Tarnowka thanked the AmCham team and AmCham’s volunteer leaders for their support during her tenure, congratulated the new Board, and said she looked forward to an even stronger and more unified AmCham in 2023.

Many thanks to AmCham event sponsors: Grant Thornton, Intel Products Vietnam, Allianze Partners, CN, TTI Techtronic Industry, Crowne Plaza Phu Quoc Starbay, Alba Wellness Valley by Fusion, Fusion Original Saigon Centre, Maia Resort Quy Nhon by Fusion, Dzine Food Solutions, Rada Vietnam, Hera, Penworld Joint Stock Company, and Lovepop.

We were delighted so many of you were able to join and celebrate a glamorous evening with AmCham friends and colleagues at our Governors Ball, The Roaring '20", while also supporting our AmCham scholarship programs. Special thanks to our Sponsors, Donors, and the Ball Committee, MC Greg Ohan, Auctioneers Justin Gisz, AmCham Scholarship Alumni, and our dedicated AmCham team for making it possible! And thanks to all who supported our scholarship program through your purchase of raffle tickets, and bids at the Silent Auction and Live Auction! Photos LINK

AmCham Breakfast with Santa 2022. Many thanks to all who joined AmCham’s Santa’s Breakfast - a community celebration of Christmas, with our friends from Loreto! Special thanks to our wonderful sponsors, especially ISHCMC, tiNiWorld, Logical Moves, and our organizer extraordinaire Chris Byrne, Anh Vo, Astrid Vienney, MC Stacy McCandless, and Santa’s helpers! And thanks to Santa who came so far to visit us!! LINK for photos.

AmCham Membership Renewal. It’s that time of year to renew your AmCham membership for 2023! Please be on the lookout for 2023 Membership Renewal notices. Please renew promptly, and if you don’t receive your renewal notice, please contact Membership Manager Sam Hoang! In these uncertain times, we hope you find AmCham’s support to you and your companies more valuable than ever. Our AmCham team has been working harder than ever this year to deliver value and support you, our members, particularly through our Committees, Business Intelligence events, and Advocacy. 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 benefits, and exclusive VIP access. Customized packages are available. To learn more, see LINK or contact Office Manager Cindy Tran.

Wishing you all the best for the holidays and a healthy, prosperous, and happy 2023!

Season Greetings from AmCham Da Nang! We would like to send our sincere thanks and gratitude to the over 250 guests who attended and contributed to the Christmas Networking Charity Event on Thursday 15th of December at the Furama Resort Danang, Co-Organized by AmCham Danang & the Young Entrepreneurs Association of Danang to raise money for the Rotary Club of Danang. It was a fantastic evening of networking, entertainment and prizes. So thankful to all of our sponsors – Danang Helicopter Tours, the InterContinental Resort, Banyan Tree Lang Co, Hoiana & Hoiana Golf, Furama Resort Danang, Anantara Resort, Red Apron, APU, Streets and Vun Art for all their contributions to the evening.

This was the first time since we signed an MOU with YBA in October that we were able to collaborate on two of the three main points of our MOU, Charity & Networking. We look forward to working together closely in 2023 to follow up on those two points as well as our third which is shared advocacy for SME’s with the Danang Government!

Through our associations and friends we were able to raise 110,000,000 vnd at the event for Rotary! So proud of you all!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Advocacy

Significant changes on the procedures to apply for foreign labor demand and Work-permit for foreigners working in Vietnam have recently been applied at provincial levels. AmCham Vietnam, HCMC, together with Vietnam Business Forum would like to raise the mentioned challenges to relevant Government agencies for their consideration to remove the barriers for enterprises who employ or assign foreigners in/to Vietnam. LINK

Executive Director Mary Tarnowka was honored to spend the morning of her last day at work at the HCMC People’s Committee - at a Dec 16th workshop hosted by Vice Chairman Vo Van Hoan with local and foreign business associations to launch a new District and Department Competitiveness Index (DDCI) in HCMC early in 2023. Read more at LINK.

Meanwhile, we welcome your feedback on these and other issues to ensure we are aware of your top concerns. 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 and advocacyaction@amchamvietnam.com

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.