Dear AmCham,

I am delighted to announce that Michael Nguyen, who is Vice Chair of AmCham Vietnam in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi Chapters, has been appointed as the Co-Chair of VBF for 2024. This role rotates between different foreign Chambers of Commerce. Michael takes over from Nitin Kapoor of BritCham and will represent the international business community at the VBF Board.

Our Board of Governors had its monthly meeting on April 4th. We are actively working on several fronts to make our Chamber better for all our members.

AmCham has a representative at the Administrative Procedure Control Agency in the Office of the Government. This role provides us the opportunity to raise administrative hurdles and issues to the government for resolution. The sectorial Committees could highlight material issues to the AmCham office or respective Board liaisons of the Committees.

We extend our sincere thanks to the US Ambassador for attending the Connect and Cocktails event in Danang.

We welcome your feedback on how we can support you better. Please email us at team@amchamvietnam.com.

RamC

[VN Express International] Two scenarios for GDP growth this year: planning ministry. The Ministry of Planning and Investment has said what needs to be done from here on to achieve GDP growth of 6% and 6.5%, the target range for 2024.

[CNBC] India wants to become the top manufacturing alternative to China. But first it needs to beat Vietnam. India wants to be the top manufacturer in Asia as companies shift away from China, but first it needs to lower taxes and improve supply chain efficiency if it wants to dethrone Vietnam.

[KPMG] PDP8 Implementation Plan. Overview and impact on the development of electricity infrastructure in the country. The Prime Minister issued Decision 262/QD-TTg on April 01, 2024, endorsing the plan to execute the National Electricity Development Plan from 2021 to 2030 (from now on referred to as “Implementation Plan”). This plan translates the broader objectives outlined in PDP-8 into actionable steps and determines the investment priorities for comprehensive power system development for the next seven years.

[Reuters] Vietnam National Assembly chairman meets China's President Xi in Beijing. Vietnam National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday and proposed more cooperation between the South China Sea rivals on trade and development projects, the Vietnamese government and state media said.

[Vietnam Investment Review] Washington trade mission set to explore collaboration opportunities. The Washington State Office of the Governor is leading a delegation of about 46 businesses, government, port, industry, and education leaders on a five-day trade mission in Vietnam on April 8-12.

[Bloomberg] Surging Gold in Vietnam Spurs Angst Over Smuggling, Dong. Stabilizing the gold market has become a pressing issue for Vietnam with smugglers taking advantage of higher local prices to slip in the precious metal, leading to exchange rate distortions and weakness in the dong that’s hurting the economy.

[Vietnam Investment Review] Suntory Pepsico begins construction of $300 million plant in Long An. Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam commenced construction of its sixth plant on April 8. The new plant is located in Huu Thanh Industrial Zone, Duc Hoa district, Long An province.

Members are welcome to join, in-person or virtually

• Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee Meeting, Thursday, Apr 11 – 4:00 pm
• Digital Economy & Technology Committee Meeting, Tuesday, Apr 16 – 9:00 am
• Healthcare Committee Meeting, Wednesday, Apr 17 – 4:15 pm
• Manufacturing Committee Manufacturing Committee Meeting, Friday, Apr 19 – 10:00 am
• Logistics & Supply Chain Committee Meeting, Wednesday, Apr 24 – 9:00 am
• HR Committee Meeting, Thursday, Apr 25 – 9:00 am

We would like to extend our warmest welcome to our newest members. Thank you for your support!