Weekly eNewsletter
38th Week of 2021 - September 26, 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!
Dear ,
I am grateful to wonderful neighbors who brought me and my daughter a lovely Vietnamese salad today. And yes, I think I may be losing my mind during lockdown trying to trim my grass with hand shears. Yet I still find beautiful surprises on my morning dog walks, like my neighbor’s waterlilies!
 
The AmCham 2021 Board of Governor election process has kicked off! The AmCham Vietnam Nominating Committee is seeking your recommendations for candidates for the AmCham Vietnam Board of Governors in Ho Chi Minh City. Voting AmCham members may recommend themselves or another person. There are 9 positions open on the Board. The Nominating Committee is seeking candidates willing to actively serve for a two-year term, Jan 2022 - Dec 2023. The recommendation form explains who may recommend/be recommended, the process for recommending and formal nomination, and other important information. Recommendations may be made through Sunday, October 17.
 
Look out for a new survey coming this week! We want to make sure we stay informed of your concerns so we can better support you and advocate your interests.
Reopening may happen soonAmCham Vietnam Chairman Chad Ovel was honored to join HE Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s Sept 26th Dialogue with the Business Community organized by VCCI Chairman Pham Tan Cong virtually from HCMC, together with HCMC Party Secretary Nguyen Van Nen, People’s Committee Chairman Phan Van Mai, and local business representatives.
AmCham Vietnam 2021 VBF Representative and AmCham Hanoi Board Member Eric Johnson joined from Hanoi, with other VBF Consortium members. VBF Co-Chair and JCCI Representative Tetsu Funuyama delivered remarks on behalf of VBF.
In a meeting with HCMC business leaders following the meeting, PS Nen encouraged businesses to partner with government to ensure a safe reopening. Reporting on this morning’s PM Chinh meeting with the business community as Vietnam shifts from a zero-COVID policy to flexibly and safely responding as it adjusts to “living safely with the virus”. The PM called on businesses and the people of Vietnam to partner with government to overcome the challenges and safely reopen. LINK
Upcoming Events and Committee Meetings
 
Please join our Tourism and Hospitality Committee Meeting on Tuesday, September 28 at 9AM; also on the same day at 4:30PM Women in Leadership Committee Meeting, and our Manufacturing Committee Meeting on Friday, October 1 at 8:30AM. 
 
Please also consider joining two AmCham events, Electronic Evidence in Commercial Contracts & Dispute Resolution on Wed, Sept 29 at 8:45AM presented by Le & Tran Lead Trial Lawyer Stephen Le who will share knowledge as well as practical experience on the value of electronic evidence in commercial transactions and dispute resolution to protect your business. Please also join Building A Resilient Organization With A Coaching Culture (Vietnamese only) on Fri, Oct 1 at 8:45AM to learn more about the benefits of coaching culture in organizations and how it can support them in building resilience to be successful in the pandemic, sharing by Leadership & Team Coach Bao Nguyen, Hitachi Vantara HRBP Director Ellie Huong Bui, and BCC HR Training & Consulting Firm Co-Founder, Lead Consultant Dr. Tran Huu Duc (PhD). We also invite you to join two co-hosted events: [HKBAV] Blockchain Technology and its Potential of Revolutionising various Industries on Tues, Sept 28 at 10:30AM, and [USABC] Growth Opportunities Amid and Post Covid-19 Pandemic for Vietnamese and Singaporean Businesses on Th, Sept 30 at 9AM.
Thanks to generous contributions from Medtronic, Intel Products Vietnam, Varian Medical Systems, Vets With A Mission, Merck Sharp & Dohme, The Grand Ho Tram, First Solar, Cargill Vietnam, Saigon South International School, and many of our corporate and individual members, AmCham Vietnam donated over VND 5.2 billion ($227,000) for critically-needed medical equipment through AmCham CARES to six hospitals to support the response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to build the capacity to respond to outbreaks of other infectious diseases. AmCham CARES donated four Medtronic Puritan Bennett 980 ventilators, 15 Terumo SS830 syringe pumps, and eight Philips Efficia CM120 patient monitors to six Covid-19 treatment hospitals in HCMC: HCMC Oncology Hospital, Trung Vuong Hospital, Tropical Diseases Hospital, Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital, Thu Duc Hospital, and Nhan Dan Gia Dinh Hospital. The contribution was coordinated with and supported by AmCham Vietnam's Healthcare Committee. The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on September 24 held a ceremony to receive AmCham CARES' donations of medical equipment.
Also at the AmCham CARES donation ceremony on September 24, AmCham Vietnam, in partnership with Nike Vietnam, granted medical equipment to 26 key COVID-19 treatment hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City to support the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response and the capacity to manage outbreaks of infectious diseases. The collaboration provided the medical equipment to hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, including 12 McGrath®Mac Video Laryngoscope A03, ten Stellar 150 Portable ventilators CPAP/CBAP, and 40 Terumo SS830 Syringe Pumps Terumo TE-SS830, valued at VND 2,8 billion ($125,000).
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”.

STREETS has already raised $50,000 specifically for the Emergency Fund it created to help provide support during the pandemic crisis. STREETS has already provided direct support to more than 400 individuals and families including secondary school scholarships for children. All the recipients are formerly disadvantaged, marginalized, ethnic minority, orphaned, trafficked youth and also their partners, children and families, that graduated from STREETS or any of the other NGO-supported hospitality training programs in Vietnam. STREETS is proud of the fact that it raised these significant funds to do its part during the pandemic in conjunction with AmCham CARES.
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. This week on Friday, September 24, I attended the ‘Da Nang Government with FDI Businesses’ Dialogue hosted by Party Secretary Nguyen Van Quang and People’s Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh. The three-hour discussion was an open forum between FDI Businesses and the City Government on recommendations for reopening post-pandemic restrictions, as well as forward planning to revitalize the Da Nang economy. As AmCham, we raised many points of concern regarding supply chain disruptions (both international and domestic), interprovincial logistics, vaccine distribution, protocols for business operations, as well as heavier constraints at home due to additional care of children (who cannot return to school), impacting full business involvement. 
 
Our recommendations echoed several other foreign business chambers such as KOCHAM,, Eurocham, and JCCI. We all encouraged clear communication of reopening plans and steps towards safe reopening (in VN and EN), including standardized communication packages for businesses to instruct employees with new working standards to follow upon return. We also urged the Da Nang government to secure vaccinations for residents and businesses, aim to fully reopen Da Nang after vaccination targets reached so the Central Region can return to normal activities as soon as possible including the removal of travel passes within the city and the restart to tourism.
 
The government detailed its plan to begin reopening from the 1st of October with intention to remove most remaining restrictions by the 15th. Da Nang leaders have wholly accepted the model of ‘living and adapting to COVID" and laid out specific levels of restrictions they will impose based on an approved threat matrix for community transmission. However, the main point they conveyed was clear: they understand the struggles that Foreign Enterprises have encountered due to pandemic restrictions and they have worked hard over the last six weeks to set forth a plan that will enable companies to work safely and effectively very soon, as well as implementing a strategy to contain and control Covid outbreaks if they happen, both quickly and effectively as to not place the city in a position that would disrupt future economic recovery and growth. 
 
While our companies still struggle daily with the effects of the COVID pandemic on multiple levels, this is a very positive step forward from the government, both in acknowledging our current difficulties, as well as committing to stand with Foreign Businesses to work together towards the long-term goal of sustainable economic development of tDa Nang, as well as the Central region.
 
Thanks again to the People’s Committee for hosting this event and we look forward to working closely with you in the future!
 
All the best.
COVID-19 Update from Healthcare Provider Subcommittee Chair
Dr. Mason Cobb and Andrew Meadows
A New Day Dawns

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. AmCham Vietnam Chairman Chad Ovel joined the PM’s September 26th Dialogue with the Business Community virtually, together with VBF Rep Eric Johnson. In-person in Hanoi. AmCham Vietnam-Da Nang Chairman Chris Vanloon joined a September 24th FDI Business Dialogue with Da Nang leaders, together with Da Nang members UACV and Lovepop. We are coordinating flash feedback on draft national and HCC reopening plans. We are also reviewing advocacy requests from our Healthcare, F&B, and Energy 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)
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.
Upcoming Event
Virtual participation only.
Virtual participation only. Please register to receive the Zoom link.
Virtual participation only.
Virtual participation only. Please register to receive the Zoom link.
Language: Vietnamese
Virtual participation only. Please register to receive the Zoom link.
Offers to AmCham Members

The American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam
New World Hotel Suite 323
76 Le Lai Street, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Phone: +84 28 3824 3562