Dear ,

Partnering with Vietnamese Government on COVID-19 Response and Vaccine. Partnering with the Vietnamese government to support its efforts on COVID-19 control remains AmCham’s top priority. We continue to advocate for the US to donate additional vaccines to Vietnam, and for Vietnam to distribute more vaccines to HCMC and the southern region, now the epicenter of Vietnam’s fourth wave. We welcome the clarification of Vietnamese government plans in Decree 3355, and encourage equitable distribution according to priority groups. We were thrilled to hear the announcement that the U.S. government will donating another 3 million doses of Moderna vaccine to Vietnam!

On July 13th, we held a comprehensive COVID-19 briefing, thanks to our panel of medical experts, including Country Director of Centers for Disease Control, Vietnam, U.S. Embassy Hanoi Dr. Eric Dziuban, Country Manager & Chief Representative of Pfizer Vietnam John Paul Pullicino, Clinic Research Fellow in Viral Hepatitis, Covid-19 (Vietnam) Dr. Barnaby Flower, and Medical Director, Medical Services and Assistance of International SOS Vietnam Dr. Truong Hoang Phu Phi. They provided us updates on Vietnam’s and HCMC’s current COVID-19 outbreaks, vaccine availability and rollout plans, and how to protect ourselves, our families, and our employees at AmCham’s today Flash Business Intelligence Briefing on COVID-19 Outbreaks – HCMC and Beyond.

Vietnam’s and HCMC’s manufacturing supply chains are at risk due to the current COVID-19 outbreak. Thanks to the expert team of panelists who shared best practices on managing positive cases and emergency planning to avoid shutdowns at AmCham’s July 13 event, “Maintaining Manufacturing Operations During COVID-19”: Vice Chair, Board of Governors of AmCham Vietnam, Director of Public Affairs of Intel Vietnam and Malaysia Uyen Ho; HR Director of Coca-Cola Vietnam Truc Huynh; AmCham Governor and General Director of Diversatek Vietnam Jonathan Moreno; Sustainability Manager of Nike Vietnam Cuong Luong; and AmCham Da Nang Treasurer, Healthcare Vommitter Co-Chair and Managing Director, Strategy Group, National Head of Healthcare and Life Science of KPMG Vietnam Luke Treloar.

Advocating Against Potential US Imposition of Tariffs on Vietnam under Section 301. We joined the US Chamber of Commerce and 74 other business associations to send a joint letter to US Representative Katherine Tai advocating against imposition of tariffs on Vietnam under Section 301. LINK. I also shared my concerns in an interview with Inside US Trade. LINK

Vietnam and HCMC’s healthcare systems are under stress. Please contribute now to support AmCham donations of critically-needed medical equipment and supplies to support the Vietnamese government’s response. We are committed to partnering with Vietnamese, HCMC, and potentially other provincial authorities to support the dual goals of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and promoting sustainable economic growth. We want to partner to protect the health and safety of those of us living and working in HCMC and neighboring provinces, and do all we can to maintain business operations and supply chains. AmCham and our Healthcare Committee currently are working with DOH to finalize top priority needs of PPE and equipment. We will conduct due diligence to obtain the best value and a transparent process for your donations. If you are able to contribute to this important cause, please contact Office Manager Cindy Tran for additional information. Contribute Now to demonstrate AmCham Cares!

US- Vietnam Bilateral Relations. U.S. Ambassador-designate to Vietnam Marc Knapper testified at his Senate confirmation hearing on July 13. We still don’t know exactly when he will be confirmed and able to come to Vietnam since that requires both Committee and full Senate approval, but having this hearing is a critical step along the way. A video of the hearing and his statement is attached at LINK. Excellent and comprehensive analysis of the U.S.-Vietnam partnership by CSIS Senior Fellow Greg Poling and team. LINK

Committee Meetings & Activities (For AmCham Members). AmCham members, please also join next week’s Digital Economy & Technogy Committee meeting on Tues, July 20 at 9AM; our Healthcare Committee meeting on Wed, July 21 at 4:15PM, and Agriculture Committee meeting on Fr, July 23 at 9AM.

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 24th, International Self-Care Day.  As part of this effort, on Facebook and Instagram, 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 24th-July 24th) and International Self-Care Day July 24th, 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 global 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 site https://selfcarepromise.org was launched on June 24th to highlight stories, activities, and the #SelfCarePromise pledge to ensure the well-being of individuals and communities around the world.

Practicing Wellness and Selfcare is more important now than ever. AmCham Healthcare Committee’s event this week, WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH: Wellness & Selfcare for Body, Mind and Workplace, showed what you can do to take care of yourself, your families, and your teams. In the workplace, these practices also improve morale, motivation, and productivity for you and your employees. Many thanks to our inspiring panel of speakers, including President at Victoria Healthcare International Clinics Dr. Mason Cobb, Psychologist of Saigon Psychology & Co Dr. Astrid Matarrita, OD & People Analytics Lead of Sanofi Asia Mai Phuong Huynh, Corporate Fitness Manager of UPFIT Caleb Lee, and CEO of American Chiropractic Clinic (ACC) Dr. Wade Brackenbury for sharing the best practices on wellness and self-care! Take the time to take care of you!!

Gender equity is a key part of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals. It is also good business! AmCham's virtual event, Business Benefits of Gender Equity in Vietnam, made clear why. Panelists discussed strategies and insights about the journey of driving gender equality inside businesses, as well as the business benefits of championing diversity and inclusion at the workplace. Many thanks to the team of expert panelists: AmCham Vice Chair and Director of Public Affairs, Intel Vietnam and Malaysia Uyen Ho; Director, Wardhaven Capital Jonathon Waugh; Chairwoman of Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) at VCCI and Founder of ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Network (AWEN) Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh; Phu Nhuan Jewelry Chairwoman Cao Thi Ngoc Dung; ILO Vietnam Programme manager Stephen Ulrich; Thien Viet Securities CEO Nguyen Thanh Thao; Wardhaven Capital Financial Analyst Thao (Sherry) Nguyen; and Moderator Raise Partners Partner Mimi Vu!

Lodgis Hospitality Holdings Pte. Ltd. a rejoined AmCham Premium Corporate Member. We are delighted to welcome Lodgis Hospitality Holdings Pte. Ltd. as a Premium Member at the Bronze-level and value its support. The 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: It is harder under Directive 16 to support local businesses. But please do what you can with the few retail businesses still open. And be prepared to do your part when things reopen – please support the local businesses that contribute so much to our quality of life, but are incredibly 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.

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 and healthy. Also I hope those of you in Da Nang had a chance to get to the beach this past week before it was unfortunately shut down again. Special thanks to all the people in the local government and front line medical workers for continuing to contain the random outbreaks that have occurred throughout the week. We all appreciate your ongoing efforts and personal sacrifices to ensure the well-being of our city. Hopefully this will be over soon and we can all enjoy the remains of the summer! Stay vigilant, stay safe and stay healthy.

For more information, LINK (to COVID page).

AmCham advocacy this week focused on informing the U.S. and Vietnamese government on the effect of COVID-19 outbreaks on manufacturing operations and supply chains in HCMC and surrounding provinces and seeking additional vaccines and support, Special 301 tariffs, Resolution 68 on Business Reforms, and regulatory concerns of our Healthcare and F&B Committee. We are working on advocacy to request the Vietnamese government expand its COVID-19 focus and support beyond HCMC as nearby provinces like Binh Duong also experience serious COVID outbreaks, and to seek approval for imports of self-test kits. We are also collecting comments for the Vietnam Business Forum on Special Investment Incentives, due on July 20. Ambassador- designate Marc Knapper's confirmation hearing testimony highlights his key priorities, if confirmed as U.S. Ambassador. Please see discussion 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. 

July 20: Digital Economy & Technology Committee Meeting

July 21: Healthcare Committee Meeting

July 23: Agriculture Committee Meeting

July 27: Tourism and Hospitality Committee Meeting

July 27: Women in Leadership Committee Meeting

July 28: Logistics & Supply Chain 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.