I feel privileged to have served as AmCham Vietnam Executive Director here in HCMC since I took the position in August of 2019, shortly after ending my posting as U.S. Consul General. I accepted this position because I love Vietnam – the country and the people – and I believe there are incredible opportunities here for a deeper U.S.-Vietnam partnership. I had worked closely with AmChams throughout my diplomatic career, served as Honorary Board Member of large and dynamic AmChams in Seoul and Shanghai, and have tremendous respect for the critical role that AmChams play in representing the interests of the U.S. and broader business community. Accepting this job meant my daughter Zofia could complete high school at ISHCMC, where she was thriving.
With leadership from our Boards of Governors and Committee leaders, dedication by the AmCham team, and support from so many of you, we have transformed AmCham Vietnam into a leading chamber in Vietnam, and the region. In 2020, we used the motto “Invested in the Future, Investing in the Future” as we added new capabilities, and sought new ways to provide value to members. We set a goal to “Make AmCham Vietnam the most strategic, influential, and dynamic business association in Vietnam - that drives innovation and helps its member companies succeed in Vietnam. A community you want to join.” We launched AmCham Da Nang in June of 2020 to support our growing membership in Central Vietnam. And kept it going through COVID outbreaks and typhoons! We renovated our offices, added a conference room, and later, more audio-visual equipment to host both in-person and virtual meetings during COVID and beyond, supporting our members throughout Vietnam, the region, and even those in the United States who could manage the time zones. And we strengthened our Committees, Business Intelligence Events, and Advocacy. We formalized our Women in Leadership Committee to demonstrate our commitment to gender equality, launched an Environment, Social and Governance Committee, and contributed $220,000 of COVID-related medical equipment, supplies, and a fully equipped ambulance to support Vietnamese government efforts. We held our first “Giving Thanks Dinner” to express gratitude to our Vietnamese Government partners who had kept our workers and families safe and businesses operational, and at the same time, recognized innovative and impactful CSR program and ESG initiatives. We increased our membership and sponsorship, held more Business Intelligence events, and launched a Chair’s Circle for exclusive VIP Invite-only events.
In 2021, we identified our RISE values and committed to living them. We stated our intent to be a diverse, inclusive business association which welcomed U.S., Vietnamese, and international companies that shared our interests. And we committed to continued efforts to strengthen our Advocacy, Committees, and Events, and to grow our Organizational Capacity. We held our first AmCham-U.S. Mission National Weekend in Da Nang, with the largest turnout ever, and developed joint strategic priorities. We worked 24/7 to support our members through the pandemic to protect both lives and livelihoods. We held regular Virus, Vaccines, and Variants events and offered a Weekly COVID-Update to provide expert authoritative updates. We established an AmCham CARES program, which with generous member support, facilitated transparent donations of $380,000 of medical equipment for COVID relief and recovery. We raised $10,000 to support NGOs caring for the most vulnerable in our communities- and highlight “recipes for revival” from our favorite chefs. We advocated for U.S. vaccine donations to Vietnam, and are immensely grateful for, and proud of, the 42 million doses the U.S. Government delivered. And we partnered with the Vietnamese Government at the Central-level and provinces throughout the country to enable a safe reopening. Our National Board approved Charter By-laws to strengthen the Chamber’s effectiveness, corporate governance, and effectiveness in representing member interests. And in November, the National Board agreed to form a Task Force to look into the possibility of unifying our Chamber within the next 12 months.
This year, we expanded our vision to demonstrate our commitment to both ESG and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion values. We committed to three goals: 1) strive to continue to be the most visionary and influential business association in Vietnam; 2) strengthen the strategic focus of our committees & events to deliver business intelligence and networking opportunities to members; and 3) grow our team & operational capacity to increase our impact and promote UNITY, through enhanced corporate governance & collaboration as a Chamber to represent member interests more effectively. We have come a long way in achieving these goals, although we still need to continue to grow our team. We celebrated March 8th International Women’s Day by launching a five-chamber, eight-consulate, and 21-top business leader commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, including the Panel Pledge – to increase the visibility and representation of women experts in panels and forums we organize or join. We held our first-ever Spring Ball to celebrate reopening and recovery and raise funds for our scholarship programs. We held our second AmCham-U.S. Mission Weekend in Da Nang, with over 100 participants and substantive discussions on joint key issues of concern with USG and industry leaders from throughout the country, building on the work in our Committees. We held Chair’s Circle events with the new U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper and Vietnamese Ambassador to the U.S. Nguyen Quoc Dung, We celebrated Independence Day again with nearly 1000 participants. We represented one of the largest and most senior delegations at the AmChams of the Asia Pacific July Washington Doorknock to exchange views with senior U.S. Administration officials, Members of Congress, and Ambassador Dung. We ensured our members’ priority interests were shared with top Central and provincial government officials throughout the year, including at August 31 HCMC and BRVT leader meetings, and the September 17th PM Meeting with the FDI Business Community. And we are carrying out a survey now to guide next steps on further unifying our Chamber.
I am proud of our journey together to realize our vision, live our values, and achieve our goals. I am excited about prospects for a more unified AmCham in Vietnam that represents our members throughout the country more effectively, allowing AmCham to reach its full potential as the most influential, strategic, and dynamic business association in Vietnam that drives innovation and sustainable growth, and helps its members succeed.
What's next for me? My plan is to move back to Washington, DC, to be closer to my daughters, and take on some new professional challenges, as well as hopefully have more time for hiking and kayaking. It has been almost a decade since I last lived in the United States and I am excited to reconnect with my community there while also staying connected to Vietnam. I welcome ideas from friends and colleagues in that regard. I will always consider HCMC one of my homes and AmCham Vietnam one of my communities. I will be cheering you on from afar!
