AmCham Vietnam Weekly eNewsletter - 24th Week of 2021

Weekly eNewsletter

24th Week of 2021 - June 20, 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!

www.amchamvietnam.com

Dear ,

Temporary Farewell: I am sad to bid a temporary farewell to Saigon, but am very happy to be en route to San Francisco for my older daughter’s wedding in July. It was strange to pack both for my trip in chilly San Francisco – and the expected 22-night hotel quarantine when we return. Airports and the first leg of my flight were empty. Our Singapore-SFO flight, at least in economy, however, was not as empty. It wasn’t crowded, but there were people nearby, just behind and one across, and a few in full PPE on the flight which felt unnerving. Most just wore masks and some the plastic shields, too. We bought the shields but didn’t use. We just kept our masks on and reassured ourselves that all passengers just had negative COVID-19 tests. Immigration was lovely. “Welcome back” and no lines.

While I am away, I will be working part-time through the end of June, and then hope to take more time off before returning to work remotely from quarantine when I return in late July. My email and text replies may be delayed and I regret I will not be able to join many of your mid-day and afternoon meetings…. But our wonderful AmCham team, led by Office Manager Cindy Tran and Events & Committees Manager Lily Nguyen, will continue to keep things running to support you, even though they like many of you, are currently mostly working from home, and our events will be entirely virtual.

COVID-19 and Vaccines Advocacy: Vaccines continue to be the top priority for AmCham as we seek to partner with the Vietnamese Government to secure adequate supplies of proven vaccines; refine prioritization categories under Resolution 21; contribute toward financing of vaccines for our employees and the general public; partner on vaccine rollout; and develop quarantine policies that contribute to the dual goals of containing the spread of COVID-19 and promoting economic growth. In a letter to DPM Vu Duc Dam on June 20, we discussed the issues above, and requested that workers in polyclinics, pharmacies, and pharmaceutical and medical device distributors be included as frontline healthcare workers, and workers in ports as frontline workers under Resolution 21. We held a of virtual meeting, together with EuroCham, USABC, AusCham, BritCham, and CanCham, with the HCMC Department of Health on June 16 and look forward to meeting virtually with MOH VM Thuan with the same group on Tuesday, June 22.

COVID-19 Cases and Vaccines in HCMC: The recent COVID-19 case increases in and around HCMC are troubling, particularly the few every day that don’t immediately have a clear source. It is reassuring, however, that HCMC is finally receiving more supplies of vaccines, with over 800,000 shipped this week, much of it from a donation of one million doses of AstraZeneca by Japan. With these new doses, medical staff in clinics now are being vaccinated and brought into the city’s vaccination rollout, and companies located in industrial parks, as well as schools, and now office towers in D1 are being asked to register their workers. We look forward to more vaccine supply and rollout, as well as a transparent means for companies to contribute.

Beware of Fakes and Scams: Rumors abound of people with special access to vaccines. We know you all want to take care of your employees, but please beware. All the Western vaccine manufacturers have stated they sell only to governments and there is no authorized secondary market. Thus, the risks of counterfeit vaccines, or at minimum improperly stored vaccines is high, if not acquired from government channels. And government vaccines, many donated through the COVAX program, are required to be distributed by priority groups aligned with WHO guidelines (in Vietnam under Resolution 21), to ensure that the highest risk and most vulnerable individuals are vaccinated first.

Upcoming Programs and Events

AmCham Celebrates Wellness and Self-care: With social distancing measures extended, it is more important than ever to practice wellness and self-care. AmCham kicked off a Wellness social media campaign to celebrate Wellness, kicking off on June 12th, Global Wellness Day, continuing through July 24^th, International Self-Care Day. As part of this effort, on Facebook and Instagram, every day, we are featuring one of our members or friends, with a few words and photos about how they practice wellness. We would love you to share how you have been working on your wellness! Send photos of your wellness efforts, with your company name and title, and a short description of your approach to wellness@amchamvietnam.com. Remember that wellness can take a variety of forms: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, financial, vocational, and social.

https://www.amchamvietnam.com/sports-wellness-and-selfcare/

We hope many of you will join our Tuesday afternoon, June 22, at 5PM virtual event on Storytelling as a Leadership Skill, to learn how to incorporate storytelling and a Public Narrative framework personally and for your company. Co-founder and Principal of CoInnovate Consulting and former Executive Director of Vietnam Education Foundation Sandy Dang will be joining us from Washington DC, together with Dr. Duong Duy Khoa, Lecturer from HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and our own Co-Chair of the Women-in-Leadership Committee, Co-Founder of Lightpath Consulting Group, and Founder of Women’s Storytelling Salon Irene Ohler.

And register now for Le & Tran’s June 29 Commercial Disputes Case Studies and a joint AmCham-AusCham event on June 30, Vietnam PRIDE in our Community and Workplaces!

We look forward to welcoming members to our Tourism and Hospitality Committee meeting on Tues, June 22nd at 9AM focused on opportunities for advocacy with Baker & McKenzie Partner (and former Managing Director), VBF 2021 AmCham Alternate Rep (and former AmCham VBF Rep, AmCham Representative to PM Council on Administrative Reform, VBF Trade and Investment WG Co-Chair), and former AmCham Vietnam BOG Chair Fred Burke, and the Logistics & Supply Chain Committee meeting on Wed, June 23rd at 9AM.

Recent Events and Developments:

“Developing Agile Workforces that Work” is a challenge for many of us as we learn to operate during the COVID-19 environment. On June 16, expert speakers: Nguyen Thanh Huong, Country HR Manager at Manpower Vietnam; Tran Thi Thu Tham, Head of Human Resources at Bosch Vietnam, and Linh Thai, CEO & Founder of TVL Group shared insights and best practices on what organizations, managers, and team members can do to survive and thrive during the pandemic. With employee well-being a top priority, many companies are adopting an agile workforce framework and using new technology tools to support business operations, including facilitating collaboration and performance management. Nevertheless, the new model requires managers and employees alike to develop an even stronger culture of mutual trust and responsibility. As Linh Thai shared, for agile workforces to work, it is a “two-way street”. Employees may be able to achieve more work and life balance through an agile workforce environment. But now, more than ever, they need to communicate clearly work priorities, follow-up, and deliver finished projects

Procter & Gamble Vietnam a New Premium Corporate Member: We are delighted to welcome Procter & Gamble Vietnam as a Premium Member at the Silver-level and value its support. 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.

Support Local Businesses: My daughter and I continued to “sacrifice” and order delivery to support local restaurants – both our “tried and true” favorites and some new ones. While we are away, please do your part – please support the local businesses that contribute so much to our quality of life, but are hard hit by lockdown measures! Especially our AmCham Members and Discount partners!! LINK. And if you want to become an AmCham Discount Partner, please contact us at LINK. Order using the restaurants’ own app if they have; it helps them avoid paying high fees to delivery services.

To support the HCMC People’s Committee’s COVID-19 control measures. AmCham Vietnam is holding 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, and I hope you are all staying safe! Unfortunately you may know that COVID has come back to Da Nang. However, the Da Nang government has been very fast in reacting to the new cases and we are assured this will be contained quickly. We are planning a U.S. Independence Day event this year. It clearly cannot be held on the 4^th of July; however, we will hold this event at the earliest available time. I think it’s important that now more than ever that we in AmCham and others in the local and expat community have the opportunity to get together with family and friends and continue to strengthen our connections and friendships for the future. The COVID situation cannot last forever and we cannot lose sight of all the opportunities that the Central Region of Vietnam has. Once again. Stay vigilant. Stay Safe!’

COVID-19 Update from Healthcare Provider Subcommittee Chair

Dr. Mason Cobb and Andrew Meadows

HCMC, Vietnam’s economic hub and now the epicenter of Vietnam’s fourth wave, is now conducting mass vaccinations and imposing strict social distancing measures to control the outbreaks.

For more information, LINK (to COVID page).

Advocacy

AmCham has been focused on COVID-19 related advocacy, as noted above, including a letter sent to DPM Dam, ccing the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Transportation on June 20. We also sent OOG Minister Son a position paper coordinated by our F&B Committee on June 17 recommending against additional new taxes, particularly on sectors like Tourism and Hospitality and Food & Beverage, hit hard by COVID-19. Please see discussion in newsletter above and at LINK. If you have interest in these or any other advocacy matters that require AmCham support, please contact relevant Committee leaders and/or advocacyaction@amchamvietnam.com.

Committee Meetings & Activities (For AmCham Members Only)

June 22: Tourism and Hospitality Committee Meeting

June 23: Logistics & Supply Chain Committee Meeting

July 2: Manufacturing Committee Meeting

July 5: Capital Markets and Financial Services Committee (CMFSC) Meeting

July 7: Education & Training Committee Meeting

July 8: Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee Meeting

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.