Message from AmCham Vietnam-Da Nang Vice Chair Chris Vanloon: “Good news from Da Nang! The last positive COVID-19 case has been treated and released from hospital. Thanks again to everyone involved for their continued support and vigilance in this time of challenge. Can also report that the city is starting to bustle again, the borders with Quang Nam and Hue are open and domestic air travel is running smoothly. Several resorts and hotels including all restaurants are back in operation. This would be an ideal time for travel to Da Nang. Flights are cheap, hotels and resorts have great deals, the sea is as clear as it was 20 years ago, and there are still a few weeks left before the rainy season starts. Act fast and come and visit Da Nang!”

September 29 AM Strategic Approach to People Analytics, an HR Committee event

September 29 aft AmCham 101 - New Members Orientation  

September 30 AM Presidential Debate Watch #1 at Flying Pig

Oct 1 aft/eve HCMC-U.S. Healthcare Dialogue: Realizing the Vision for HCMC as a Regional Healthcare Hub 

Oct 2 lunch 2020 Consumer Trends Outlook 

Register now for Oct 13 Vietnam Business Forum in Hanoi

The Vietnam Business Forum Consortium in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning & Investment and the World Bank Group will be holding the top level policy dialogue between the Government of Vietnam and business community, from 7:30AM – 11:15AM on October 13 (initially scheduled on Oct 15) at the Lotte Hotel in Hanoi. The Annual VBF 2020 will provide a platform to engage in a high-level Public – Private Policy Dialogue with key decision-making Government Officials to target on the “Challenges & Opportunities in the New Normal”. The discussion focuses on how to reboot business, attract mobile investment flows & provide recommendations to boost participation of local businesses in the value chain. This year, our 2020 AmCham Vietnam National Chair and AmCham Hanoi Chair Ginny Foote will be presenting a coordinated position paper on behalf of AmCham Vietnam. Several of our members will also be contributing to VBF sectoral Working Group presentations. AmCham members are eligible to join for a fee of 750,000/person. Contact VBF Secretariat for registration: forum.registration@vbf.org.vn 

Register now to participate in the October 28-29 Indo-Pacific Business Forum. AmCham Vietnam looks forward to partnering with the U.S. Mission and VCCI on the upcoming IPBF Oct 28-29 (Vietnam time) in Hanoi for limited in-person participation on the 28th and virtually. The program will include high-level government and private speakers from Vietnam, the United States, and the region, with focus on USG support for infrastructure development, particularly energy, transportation, digital economy, healthcare, and agribusiness, as well as supply chain resilience and connectivity. Sign up now! Virtual participation is free, but may be limited due to bandwidth. Eligibility for in-person participation on the 28th (with an additional fee) will be drawn from those in Vietnam who have signed up for the virtual event.

AmCham 2020 Board of Governor election: The AmCham Vietnam-HCMC 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 10 positions open on the Board. The Nominating Committee is seeking candidates willing to actively serve for a two-year term, Jan 2021 - Dec 2022. 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 Saturday, October 17, 2020.

U.S Presidential Election Update:  AmCham will promote nonpartisan events to inform our members of the issues at stake in the Nov 3 U.S. Presidential election, and help our American citizen members register and vote. Debate #1 Watch will be in the morning of Sep 30 at Flying Pig Saigon, Dist. 2. We will consider organizing Oct 7 VP Debate Watch and Oct 16 and 23 Presidential debate watch events if there is sufficient interest. AmCham also is planning a non-partisan Election Watch party on the morning of Wednesday, November 4 to watch the results of the November 3 U.S. Presidential election. Stay tuned for more details. 

Register to Vote and Make Your Vote Count: You can get full information about the Federal Voting Assistance Program at http://www.FVAP.gov or contact the Consulate’s voting officer at votevietnam@state.gov. This August 13 article by Axios also provides information on “When and How to Vote in all 50 States”. 

The U.S. Consulate General is having two upcoming voting events to collect ballots if you want to tell your network. (1) September 28 at 5:30pm: Voting Registration Event and Facebook Live Stream at the American Center HCMC with Consul General Marie Damour. Register at https://www.facebook.com/events/4063788033638507, and (2) October 7 at 7:00pm: HCMC Ballot Collection Event Saigon Outcast.

On Monday, at our Election 2020 Preview: A Bipartisan Perspective, Nelson Cunningham, McLarty Associates President & Co-founder and longtime Biden insider, and Ambassador Richard Burt, McLarty Managing Partner and well-known Republican foreign affairs strategist, discussed the very different choices between the two candidates, the impact of Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg’s recent death, the importance of the first Presidential debate, and the hard work that lies ahead whoever wins to heal our increasingly polarized society.

Tuesday evening, Amham Vietnam- HCMC & Da Nang Board members were invited to join a U.S. Chamber of Commerce virtual briefing with Tony Blinken, Senior Foreign Policy Advisor for the Biden for President campaign and former Deputy Secretary of State, who discussed how a Biden Administration would approach a number of important foreign policy issues. Link for those who missed: https://vimeo.com/460665230/21573eb97d

Also on Tuesday, the Logistics & Supply Chain Committee hosted Mr. Radu Palamariu, Executive Search firm Alcott Global's Managing Director APAC and Global Supply Chain Practice Head, who briefed on talent recruitment & retention trends and challenges in the logistics industry. His presentation is available to AmCham members.

On Wednesday, we hosted a joint AmCham Vietnam Committee Leadership-BOG meeting to discuss how we can work together to serve our members more effectively. Almost 40 AmCham volunteer leaders joined in person or virtually and representatives from 18 Committees and Initiatives (!) shared their missions, top challenges and achievements, and Q4 goals. Guest speaker Vriens & Partners Director Sam Pursch presented on how AmCham Vietnam and our committees can carry out policy advocacy most effectively. Many thanks to all our volunteer Board and Committee leaders!!

Just after our joint Committee-BOG meeting, we again hosted our monthly Connect & Cocktails after a two-month break, with the participations of several AmCham Member Discount Partners. The U.S. Consulate American Citizens Services staff were also there to help American citizens register to vote and receive their ballots for the November Presidential elections. Click here for more photos.

Thursday, I traveled to Hanoi to participate in a VBI Fast Track event, together with Board Members JK Khan and Ly Le, to remove barriers and streamline procedures for major FDI into Vietnam. We were honored that Ambassador Kritenbrink joined to support VBI Fast Track and expanded U.S.-Vietnamese business partnerships.

Friday, together with AmCham Vietnam-HCMC, Da Nang, and Hanoi Board Member Ly Le and AmCham Hanoi Chair Ginny Foote, I met with VCCI President Dr. Loc and his team to discuss ways AmCham Vietnam can work with VCCI to strengthen the U.S. Vietnam trade ad investment partnership. Look forward to sharing more specifics soon!

Thank you to many of our members who have sent delicious mooncakes to me and our team! We also loved Marou's mooncakes and "moonkies" a our C&C!!!

Be well, and stay safe. We welcome your feedback at team@amchamvietnam.com to let us know how we can serve you better. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival !