AmCham Vietnam Weekly eNewsletter - 25th Week of 2021

Weekly eNewsletter

25th Week of 2021 - June 27, 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 ,

I hope you are all doing well and staying safe in this latest outbreak. I am thrilled to be in San Francisco with both my daughters! I also love the brightly-painted Victorian houses, and the celebration of PRIDE year-round in San Francisco’s Castro District.

Vaccinations in San Francisco: For my younger daughter Zofia and me, it was a huge relief to be able to get the Pfizer vaccine our 2^nd day in San Francisco, by walking into our neighborhood pharmacy – no appointment necessary. San Francisco has one of the highest vaccination rates in the United States with 80% of eligible residents receiving at least one dose, and 70% fully vaccinated. Mask-wearing is still the norm in most stores, whether vaccinated or not, and required in public transportation. Yet, despite widespread availability of vaccines, the overall vaccination rate in the U.S. in 54% with at least one dose, and 46% fully vaccinated, due to vaccine hesitancy. It seems so strange to me, coming from Vietnam, where almost everyone I knew was so eager for vaccines, and understood the scientific and public health importance. We are glad to see the announcements of U.S. global vaccine sharing, including to Vietnam, and hope to see more specific details regarding quantities and delivery dates soon!

Vaccinations in Vietnam: Meanwhile, it is a huge relief to see more vaccines coming to Vietnam and to HCMC industrial park workers, as we saw at Intel and First Solar factories last week. We look forward to more vaccines arriving in the coming weeks and months, especially important with this highly transmissible Delta variant. Let’s all stay safe and stay strong! Cố lên nhé, Vietnam!

Partnering with Vietnamese Government

Partnering with the Vietnamese government to support its efforts on COVID-19 and vaccines is AmCham’s top priority. Constructive discussions Wednesday, June 22, with MOH VM Thuan, together with Vice Chair Rosa Uyen Ho, Healthcare Committee Co-chairs Chris Blank and Luke Treloar, and colleagues from EuroCham Vietnam, Auscham Vietnam, Britcham Vietnam, and CanCham Vietnam.

This week, we look forward to a discussion with DPM Pham Binh Minh on the bilateral economic partnership, together with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, US-ASEAN Business Council, and the Business Council for International Understanding. We will discuss actions to respond to COVID-19 and enable a safe reopening, digital economy regulations, and infrastructure and energy issues.

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 to feature you! 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/

On the occasion of WHO’s Self-Care Month (June 24^th-July 24^th) and International Self-Care Day July 24^th, the Global Self–Care Federation (GSCF) is putting the spotlight on the benefits of self–care ahead with theme “#SelfCarePromise”. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted just how fragile our health systems are. Adopting good self–care habits beyond the pandemic is one of the best ways we can continue to protect ourselves, our communities, and our healthcare professionals. A dedicated microsite https://selfcarepromise.org was launched on June 24^th to show stories, activities and #SelfCarePromise pledge to ensure the well-being of individuals and communities around the world.

This Week’s Virtual Events: We welcome all lawyers and those interested in the law to register now for Le & Tran’s Tues, June 29 8:45AM Commercial Dispute Case Studies, featuring Founder and Senior Trial Lawyer Stephen Le. If you are a foreign expert or employ foreign experts in your company, register now to learn how to navigate the changing rules and stricter interpretations at our Wed, June 30 10AM Work Permits and Mobility for Foreign Experts, featuring a panel of experts, including Baker & McKenzie Partner and Labor Expert Hang Nguyen, KPMG Partner for Mobility Services Andrea Godfrey, and First Solar Senior HR Manager Han Nguyen. We plan a follow-on event on Tues, July 6^th: What to Expect in Foreign Expert Travel (and Return) to Vietnam: a Nitty-Gritty Practical Guide. Celebrate PRIDE month and learn more how to become more inclusive and effective allies of the LGBTQI+community at our joint AmCham-AusCham event on June 30, at 4PM: Vietnam PRIDE in our Community and Workplace!

Recent Events and Developments:

“Storytelling as a Leadership Skill”, offered valuable lessons on how to inspire and motivate people toward a common goal. Speakers also noted, “If you don’t tell your story, others will make it up...”

If you, like me, missed it live on June 22, you can still learn a lot from the recorded link, free to AmCham Vietnam members, with a small fee for non members.

Many thanks to Moderator, Co-chair of AmCham Women in Leadership Committee, and founder Irene Öhler; and speakers CoInnovate Consulting Co-founder & Principal Sandy Dang and HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy Lecturer Dr. Duong Duy Khoa. If you are an event attendee or an AmCham Vietnam member who is interested in viewing a recording of the event, please contact us at amcham.it@amchamvietnam.com to obtain a password. If you are not yet an AmCham Vietnam member, the recorded video clip is available at VND 200,000. Please contact us at amcham.finance@amchamvietnam.com to purchase.

AmCham Premium Corporate 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.

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.

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 everyone is staying safe and healthy. Even through this difficult time and following all the restrictions that are in place, I was honored and privileged to be able to join representatives from our member Hoiana to see all the profound work they are doing with Children of Vietnam in Quang Nam Province. Not only was I graciously allowed to attend the hand-over ceremony of the new classroom they built together at the Binh Phuc Kindergarten in Thang Binh District on the 24^th of June, but also the year-end result meeting of the 24 students that Hoiana through Children of Vietnam is sponsoring at the Nguyen Tri Phuong School after four years of education. I was truly inspired by the great work they are doing and the long-term benefits that they are creating for their community. I will be reaching out to Ms. Huong from Children of Vietnam soon to see how we all as members can help more students be able to achieve their potential and as Hoiana CEO Steve Wolstenholme said during his speech ‘that he hoped one day to see one of these students become the CEO of Hoiana Resorts.’ We hope that, too, Steve. To everyone, stay safe, stay strong and stay healthy.

COVID-19 Update from Healthcare Provider Subcommittee Chair

Dr. Mason Cobb and Andrew Meadows

Race Between Spread of COVID-19 Wave and Vaccines Intensifies.

For more information, LINK (to COVID page).

Advocacy

AmCham’s top advocacy priority remains partnering with the Vietnamese government to support its actions on COVID-19 control and vaccines. On June 20th, we sent a joint letter to DPM Vu Duc Dam, together with EuroCham, USABC, AusCham, BritCham, and CanCham. The letter conveyed our support and appreciation, as well as suggested policy recommendations, including updating the vaccine priority list in Resolution 21, and establishing a more transparent mechanism for contributions. 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)

July 2: Manufacturing Committee Meeting

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

July 7: Education & Training Committee Meeting

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

July 13: Energy Committee Meeting

July 14: Legal & VBF Liaison Committee Meeting

July 15: HR 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.