AmCham Vietnam Weekly Update - 30th Week of 2020 - July 25, 2020
Executive Director Update
Colleagues, there are two major news items today. The first is a new case of COVID-19 in Da Nang, patient 416, and what may be the first reported case of community spread of COVID-19 in Vietnam after 99 days without. Sounds like time to be more vigilant again about mask wearing and social distancing where possible. Please see the report from AmCham Healthcare Committee's Medical Providers Subcommittee Co-Chairs Dr. Mason Cobb and Dr. Andy Meadows below.

The second is the departure from Vietnam today of former AmCham Chairwoman Amanda Rasmussen, who is moving to Denmark with her family, where she will have a new position with Expeditors. We thank her for the dedicated leadership she provided AmCham in many roles, wish her safe travels and success in her new job, and hope she can return for our Governors Ball, which she has helped plan for many years!!
Other Recent and Upcoming Events

We are thrilled to welcome 17 new AmCham members this month!

Premium Members: Davies & Associates LLC; Lodgis Hospitality Holdings Pte. Ltd.

Corporate Members: Alma Resort; ABA Cooltrans; CropLife Vietnam; East Sea Energy Environment (ESEC); LF Logistics; New World Logistics; Nippon Express Vietnam; Viet Nhat Construction Corporation; Vietravel; Vinabedding Company; Watermelon Consulting.

Individual Members: Mr. Alexander Parini; Mr. Andy Meadows; Mr. Gregory Testerman; Mr. James Murphy

Interested in becoming an AmCham member or learning how to get more out of your membership? Contact Membership Manager Sam Hoang at sam.hoang@amchamvietnam.com

On July 21, Thanks to the generous contribution of Intel Products Vietnam for this fully-equipped Ford ambulance to strengthen the emergency response capabilities of the 115 Center for COVID-19 and other health emergencies. Like many AmCham member companies, Intel Products Vietnam believes in giving back and partnering with the communities where we live and work. I was honored to be joined by Madam Chau, Member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee and Chairman of the Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front of Hồ Chi Minh City.
On July 22, several representatives of AmCham's Energy Committee, including Chairman and UPC Renewables Vietnam Director Sean Caffyn, Vice Chairman and YCP Solidiance Director Dennis Lien, Vietnam Business Forum Power and Energy Working Group Liaison and Chan May LNG U.S. CEO John Rockhold and I attended the Vietnam Energy Summit 2020, together with ministers, ambassadors. The Summit, co-hosted by the Government of Vietnam and Central Economic Commission (CEC), focused on how to implement Politburo Resolution 55 on national energy development, including new emphasis on diversifying energy sources, prioritizing renewable energy and gas-fueled power, and facilitating private sector engagement in energy development. 

This week, we will join AusCham and LNT & Partners in co-hosting a Competition Law Business Briefing over lunch at Mai House on Thursday, July 30 and encourage you to join to learn about developments

At our July 30 Connect & Cocktails that evening, we will be featuring several AmCham Member Discount Partners at the Equatorial Hotel in HCMC. Please join, meet new friends and colleagues, and support your local businesses! 

AmCham is partnering to support AusCham's 2020 Golf Scramble August 1 in Da Nang, August 7 in HCMC, and August 14 in Hanoi and encourage our AmCham golfers to join. And let us know if you are interested in more golf events in addition to our Thanksgiving Golf Shoot.

On Tuesday morning, August 4, AmCham's Human Resources Committee will hold a special hybrid virtual and in person event on People Analytics at the Caravelle Hotel. Join and learn how to use People Analytics to improve your organization's strategic effectiveness!

We have scheduled the Delivery Ceremony of a Realtime PCR analyzer on Friday, August 7 to donate to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control in managing its response to COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. We very much appreciate the generous contributions from First Solar, Diag Labs, MSD, Cargill, Russin & Vecchi, and UPC Renewables. 

Later that day, we will hold a special workshop on Vietnam's new Public-Private Partnership Law, with expert speakers from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, World Bank, VCCI, LNT, and EY. Come and learn more about this important development and opportunities for infrastructure development, and join the networking session after. 

And save the dates for some exciting activities later in August, including a Hybrid Tourism Innovation event on Wednesday, August 12, and a Women in Leadership Townhall and Networking event on Thursday, August 13th.

Although July and early August typically are slow periods for AmCham, this year, many more of our committees are meeting regularly and we will continue to hold events to support you. Several of our AmCham team, however, will take some time off this week and next. We hope you will also make time to take a break and recharge. Meanwhile, we welcome your feedback at  team@amchamvietnam.com  to let us know how we can serve you better, including what topics you would like to see covered in upcoming events. 

Mary Tarnowka, Executive Director
Stay Informed- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak
AmCham Vietnam wants to provide a safe environment for events and business networking. We recognize that there is always a risk of a second outbreak, particularly if measures liberalize with respect to international arrivals. We also know that we all have different comfort levels with respect to the changing situation.  [LINK]

In response, AmCham has begun a rating system for all of our events, explained below. We hope this is useful to you in making your own decisions about which events in which you would like to participate. As always, we welcome your feedback at  team@amchamvietnam.com .
Stay informed of the latest updates on COVID-19 at  https://www.amchamvietnam.com

Some additional tips below from Dr. Mason Cobb, Vice-Chair, and Dr. Andy Meadows, of AmCham Healthcare Committee’s Medical Providers Subcommittee:

A new case of probable community-spread COVID-19 emerged in Da Nang on Friday. The patient, a 57-year-old man, now patient 416, had classic symptoms, but had apparently not been fully isolated, resulting in lock-down of the hospital and sequestering of some 50 of its staff for further testing. He is now on a ventilator and in serious condition with respiratory failure. He is being attended by the team from Cho Ray Hospital in HCMC which saved the life of patient 91.
This patient had been symptomatic since July 17, but subsequently attended a family party and a wedding, as well as other hospital visits. Contact tracing is ongoing and extensive with neighborhoods in Da Nang being quarantined as a precaution. 103 of his contacts have tested negative on initial screening, but will be followed carefully.

The Ministry of Health and its departments are quarantining many and will be extensively testing those in the areas that the patient may have frequented. The test is an antibody screen developed in Vietnam.

A key question is where the patient contracted the disease? Are there others in the community who had minor or no illness but continued with their daily lives and personal contacts? Is it from someone who escaped quarantine and had the disease? If any of these are the case, are there other potential “hot spots” in Vietnam?

At this point, there are more questions than answers. Is this the harbinger of a second wave? How will the government react to prevent potential spread while the situation is still evolving? How will the country-wide public respond? Will we see more diligent mask-wearing and social distancing, or will we continue the more lax “new normal” in our supposedly safe bubble in Vietnam, especially in the South?

Beyond these questions, the Ministry of Health is pursuing this case and related contact tracing and investigation aggressively to limit any possibility of spread and identify any further cases. Health experts recommend being more careful about masks and distancing.

We will keep you updated on further developments.
Upcoming Events
6:00-8:30pm, Hotel Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City, 242 Tran Binh Trong St., Dist. 5

AmCham will continue our monthly informal networking event – AmCham Connect and Cocktails! Our AmCham Connect & Cocktails provides an opportunity to meet AmCham members and other professionals in an informal after-work setting over a glass of wine, beer, or a cocktail.
Please plan to join for a great night of networking and our essential Lucky Draw!!
Note this month’s Connect & Cocktails will feature several of our Discount Partners. Come and support local business!
8:30-10:30am , Caravelle Saigon, 19-23 Lam Son Square, District 1

Event Level Rating: II
1. People Analytics Introduction
People Analytics and the values that it would bring to organizations.
2. Why Strategy for People Analytics
Challenges for HR Practitioners in applying People Analytics to support business strategy execution and organizational effectiveness, and the need to develop a strategy for People Analytics.
3. The Approach to People Analytics deployment
What is Strategic Approach to People Analytics and what are the essential aspects that we need to focus on?
4. Demonstration of People Analytics capabilities
Capabilities of People Analytics with illustrations on a technology solution.
5. Discussion: Data-driven decision making approach leveraging People Analytics
6. Questions and Answers
Friday, August 7
Public-Private Partnership Discussion and Networking Event
5:00-7:00pm, New World Saigon Hotel, 76 Le Lai St., Dist. 1

Event Level Rating: II
Learn more from the experts about Vietnam's new PPP law and how it can help facilitate investment in critically-needed infrastructure.
5:00-7:00pm, Venue TBD

Event Level Rating: II
5:30-7:30pm, Venue TBD

Event Level Rating: II
Friday, August 14
[Save The Date] Connect and Cocktails in Da Nang / Hội An
5:30-8:00pm, Venue TBD

Event Level Rating: II
Tuesday, August 25
[Save The Date] Ho Chi Minh City - U.S. Business Summit: Driving Partnership and Innovation for The Future
8:00-11:30am, InterContinental Saigon, Corner of Hai Ba Trung & Le Duan Blvd., Dist. 1

Event Level Rating: II
4:00-5:00pm, AmCham Office, Room 323, New World Hotel Saigon, 76 Le Lai St., Dist. 1

Event Level Rating: II
We would like to invite you to join Hybrid Virtual AmCham 101 – New Member Orientation.
At this new members event, you will learn more from our Executive Director, Mary Tarnowka, about AmCham Vietnam benefits, our mission, and programs to help new members achieve success, and how to get involved in and maximize your investment in AmCham membership. It is also a way to meet other new AmCham Vietnam HCMC members. While this event is designed for new members, we welcome other members on a space available basis. If you can not join this meeting physically, you can still register to join virtually via Zoom.
Sponsored News

This week, we would like to share with you our experience in drafting shareholder agreements and company charters. These instruments are essential for business investors when setting up a joint venture or in seeking protection for their investment in the period following a M&A project. This Insight will provide some practical tips for ensuring the validity of these instruments, minimizing the possibility of shareholder disputes, and ensuring that your business operations remain uninterrupted should a shareholder dispute arise.



The new Labor Code No. 45/2019/QH14 will take effect on January 1, 2021. It offers greater protection for employees and it also solves several issues that foreign companies have faced.

We think it is worthwhile to share these changes.
 
We have put together the changes in a slide presentation format. The presentation is accessible through this  LINK  

Sunrise Events Vietnam is the preeminent mass participation sporting event company in Vietnam. With running events and triathlons for novices to elites, children to adults, and individuals to corporations, our events are for everyone to create a healthier future and a healthier Vietnam.
We are passionate about providing athletic outlets for the community while simultaneously promoting sports tourism throughout Vietnam.
Learn more about our events  here  or contact  info@sunriseevents.com  and of course, don’t forget to use your AmCham discount, applicable for most of our events!
Committee Meetings & Activities (For AmCham Members Only)
4:00-5:00pm, Sunwah Corner Corporate Café, 6/F, Sunwah Tower, 115 Nguyen Hue Blvd., Dist . 1

Event Level Rating: II
The meeting will also be available via Zoom, but we would encourage you join the live meeting. For physical attendees, please register in advance to reserve your seat. For virtual attendees, please register to receive the Zoom link.

  • Introduction of CMFSC to new members
  • VinaCapital’s view on Vietnam’s Capital Markets and Financial Services
  • Q&A
  • CMFS Subcommittees Kickoff Meeting
9:00-10:30am, AmCham Vietnam HCMC, Suite 323, New World Saigon Hotel, 76 Le Lai St., Dist. 1

Event Level Rating: II
You can join us virtually or physically.
For physical attendees, the maximum number of seats are 8. Please register in advance to reserve your seat.
For virtual attendees, please register to receive the Zoom link.

Monthly meeting to discuss 2020 priorities.
5:00-6:15pm, Baker & McKenzie (Vietnam) Ltd 12th Floor, Saigon Tower, 29 Le Duan Street, Dist. 1

Event Level Rating: II
Regular monthly meeting of the committee to review upcoming events, discuss and prepare positions on key issues, laws and regulations relating to trade and investment between Vietnam and the United States.
9:00-10:00am, Please register to get the link for virtual attendance.

Event Level Rating: IV
Monthly meeting to discuss 2020 priorities.
4:15-5:45pm, KPMG Office, Galaxy Meeting Room 10th Fl., Sun Wah Tower, 115 Nguyen Hue Blvd., Dist. 1

Event Level Rating: II
You can join us virtually or physically.
For physical attendees, please register in advance to reserve your seat.
For virtual attendees, please register to receive the Zoom link.
Do You Know?
Let’s support local businesses - many now operating online or delivery/takeout only to promote social distancing. If you have any questions regarding our program, please contact Membership Manager Sam Hoang at sam.hoang@amchamvietnam.com
AmCham Premium Membership
The AmCham Premium Membership 2020 is a leadership-level membership for companies contributing strategic support for AmCham's mission and programs. Our Premium Membership comes with a range of exclusive benefits. One all-inclusive Premium Membership's annual billing simplifies your businesses' sponsorship efforts.
We love our AmCham members! Do you know all the benefits you get with your membership? Maybe you only remember the ones you've used recently, but there are many ways even our basic level members benefit at AmCham.
In the News

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