AmCham Spring Ball. The business community in HCMC works hard and plays hard. The AmCham team is hard at work focused on our upcoming charity event, our Spring Ball, The Secret Garden, on Saturday, March 19, at the Park Hyatt Saigon. We are delighted that Ambassador Marc Knapper and his wife, Mrs. Suzuko Knapper, will return to HCMC to attend, together with 218 of our AmCham members and friends. Thank you to all our corporate sponsors, Board members, donors, members and loyal friends for your support – and to our talented and dedicated Ball Committee and AmCham team for making this possible on very short notice! Our Spring Ball will be both a fabulous and elegant night of celebration of reopening and renewal, as well as a fundraiser for our AmCham scholarship programs. And yes, it is black tie. Come prepared to bid high, buy lots of raffle tickets, and get lucky! And bring your dancing shoes!! Due to the smaller venue size, we are sold out, but may have a few seats available if we have cancellations. If you wish to join the waitlist, please email events@amchamvietnam.com. There will be additional opportunities to contribute to our scholarship programs, which are supported both by our balls and by corporate sponsorship. And save the date now for our signature Governors Ball on Saturday, December 10 at the InterContinental Saigon!! If you want to join another ball sooner, please register now to join AusCham’s March 26 charity ball, Run Away with the Circus, at the InterContinental Saigon. AmCham is a co-host to support our fellow chamber and other worthy causes! https://auschamvn.glueup.com/event/auscham-charity-ball-48844/

March 18 Impact of Russian Invasion of Ukraine on U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy: an AAP Virtual Doorknock. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused a tragic loss of life in Ukraine, as well as an exodus of more than 2.8 million refugees, mostly women and children, to neighboring countries. It has also caused immense geopolitical and economic impacts already. Join this special member-only, off-the record complimentary virtual webinar organized by AmChams of Asia Pacific (AAP) to learn more about the impact of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine on the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy, including on China and its ambitions. The event features Ryan Hass, Senior Fellow at Brookings, former NSC Asia Director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, and author of “Stronger: Adapting America’s China Strategy in an Age of Interdependence.

Committee Meetings. We are delighted to welcome members to join our Digital Economy & Technology Committee Meeting on Tuesday, March 15 at 9AM where we will discuss our 2022 draft Strategic Plan, HR Committee Meeting on Thursday, March 17 at 9AM with guest speaker, Senior Consultant of Great Place to Work ASEAN & ANZ Ha Minh Chau, and Tax & Customs Committee Meeting at 5PM on the same day.

Leadership Opportunities. Many committees are now soliciting interest from potential candidates interested in serving in leadership positions. Elections for most committees will take place in February or March if they haven’t already. If you are interested in serving in a leadership role, please contact existing Committee leaders, Board Liaisons, or Events and Committees Manager Lily Nguyen at lily.nguyen@amchamvietnam.com. Committee meetings are now open to both in-person (for fully-vaxed) and virtual participation. Please register in advance. All AmCham Vietnam members are welcome to join.

AmCham Vietnam’s Vision and Organizational Goals. Please check out our website homepage to see our updated Vision and Organizational Goals. We now explicitly note the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our Vision. Our Organizational Goals continue to focus on Advocacy, Committees and Events, and Organizational Strength, with a new focus on the importance of a foundation of Unity through enhanced corporate governance & collaboration to represent member interests more effectively. LINK

Champions of Diversity and Inclusion: Panel Pledge. To celebrate International Women’s Day, AmCham Vietnam was honored to host Champions of Diversity and Inclusion: the Panel Pledge, with a welcome 50/50 female:male participation ratio! The event was coordinated with and co-hosted by an inter-chamber coalition of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advocates, including: AmCham; Australian Chamber of Commerce Vietnam; British Chamber of Commerce Vietnam; Canadian Chamber of Commerce Vietnam; and EuroCham Vietnam. And many thanks to event sponsors P&G Vietnam and Standard Chartered Bank Vietnam for your support!

More information on the Panel Pledge: https://www.lightpathgroupleadership.com/panelpledge

AmCham Membership Renewal. For many of you, it's time to renew your membership for 2022 and continue your involvement in AmCham, with opportunities for professional networking, business intelligence, advocacy to improve the business environment, and promotion of your business. We have been sending out 2022 Membership Renewal notices via email.  We hope you all will renew promptly and that many will consider upgrading to become Premium Members! If you haven’t yet received your renewal notice, please contact Membership Manager Sam Hoang. 

Phu Mỹ 3 Specialized Industrial Park a New Premium Corporate Member: We are delighted to welcome Phu My 3 Specialized Industrial Park as a Premium Member at the Silver-level and value its support. 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.

Thank you for your continued support – let us know how we can do better at team@amchamvietnam.com! Regards, Mary

Greetings from Da Nang and I hope you all enjoyed the perfect weather over the weekend! Just a reminder that our next Connect & Cocktails Event will be happening this Friday the 18^th of March at Escobeach Club, 12 Vo Nguyen Giap Street from 6 pm. There will be a full BBQ buffet, free flow of wines as always, a live DJ and a fire performance! Once again there will be our lucky draw with great prizes! Look forward to seeing you all there. Please register online for this event. All the best!

For more information, LINK (to COVID page). 

Upcoming Meeting with HCMC People’s Committee Chairman Phan Van Mai. AmCham is honored to be invited to speak at a March 22 event hosted by HCMC People’s Committee Chairman Mai, “Consultations on Measures to Realize Ho Chi Minh City’s Socio-economic Development Vision Towards 2030”. We will share recommendations and feedback we have received through our Board, Committee Co-Chairs, and individual members. Remember when you have issues of concern, please raise them in the relevant sectoral committee, our VBF and legal Committee, or directly to advocacyaction@amchamvietnam.com!

AmCham Hanoi-hosted U.S.-Vietnam Business Summit. On March 8, we were honored that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh joined the AmCham meeting in Hanoi, together with several Vietnamese and U.S. Government senior officials, including Ambassador Marc Knapper and Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dung, and several dual members, including Vice Chair Jahanzeb Khan and Board Member RamC. While in-person participation was limited primarily to speakers and sponsors, due in part to COVID restrictions, many of us were able to watch on Zoom on complementary links provided by AmCham Hanoi. PM Chinh spoke at length about the tremendous potential in the bilateral relationship and his own commitment to continued reforms to improve the business environment. He thanked the U.S. private sector and U.S. government for support in fighting the pandemic, and expressed his interest in strengthening healthcare, particularly preventative healthcare. He noted the vulnerability of Vietnam to climate change and expressed the need for green financing, technology, and governance, as well as digital transformation. He also expressed a desire for more focus on sharing benefits and risks to pursue our mutual interests. The PM also welcomed the results of AmCham Vietnam’s November 2022 survey which found that 80% of respondents were positive or very positive about the medium to long-term outlook about Vietnam. We think it may be time to do another survey soon - stay tuned! While this Summit and a USABC Mission were expected to immediately precede the Prime Minister’s travel to the United States, it now appears that the U.S.-ASEAN Summit, scheduled for March 28-29, has been postponed. It is unclear whether PM Chinh would still travel to the United States later this month on his own, or wait for a rescheduled Summit.

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, advocacyaction@amchamvietnam.com

March 15: Digital Economy & Technology Committee Meeting

March 17: HR Committee Meeting

March 17: Tax & Customs Committee Meeting

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.

At Esco Beach Da Nang, 12 Vo Nguyen Giap, Son Tra, Da Nang

At Park Hyatt Saigon

Tickets Sold Out.