Weekly eNewsletter
23rd Week of 2021 - June 13, 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!
Dear ,
We hope you are social distancing and staying safe to control the latest outbreak.  We also hope you are finding ways to maintain your physical and mental health and wellbeing, despite lockdown measures. I practice yoga a few times per/week, but today tried something new – my friend’s boxer/personal trainer!  See more below about AmCham’s new Wellness & Selfcare initiative!

COVID-19 Vaccines Plus: What AmCham is Doing for You

AmCham’s major focus in recent weeks has been to provide you, our members, with accurate expert information about COVID, and to advocate to support your concerns.  We have held panel discussions with public health, vaccine, and healthcare experts on the latest outbreaks in Vietnam and regional and global developments in a series of events called COVID-19 Virus, Variants, and Vaccines (recordings of all but the Chairman’s Circle event available on our homepage – free to members).  We conducted a May 28-31 member survey to inform our advocacy.  Our June 9 briefing discussed survey results and latest developments; see summary below:
We shared AmCham Vietnam’s COVID-19 Vaccine Survey results, together with expert updates from Oxford University Clinic Research Unit at HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases Dr. Jeremy Day and KPMG’s Luke Treloar, at our June 9th member-only COVID-19 Virus, Variants, and Vaccines: Virtual Business Intelligence Briefing.
Survey results are now on our AmCham Vietnam homepage. https://www.amchamvietnam.com
What We are Doing:  We are working closely with both the Vietnamese and U.S. governments to support the Vietnamese Government’s effort to secure adequate supplies of proven vaccines; provide equitable access within priority groups; create transparent private sector financing mechanisms; clarify priority groups; and support the vaccine rollout.

Good News:  The good news is Vietnam has secured access to at least 120 million doses of proven vaccines in the last week, including finalizing a contract with Pfizer-BioNtech for 31 million doses. Vietnam is continuing negotiations for additional vaccines, as well as possible tech transfers to allow local manufacturing.  And in addition to the vaccine sharing announced by the White House on June 3 (exact quantities and delivery dates not specified from the 7 million targeted for several SA and SEA countries), the G-7 announced 1 billion doses of vaccines to be donated to low and middle-income countries, with 500 million of Pfizer vaccines donated by the United States. Again, no specific amount announced for Vietnam, but it is likely to be in the mix of recipient countries. Vietnam has committed to equitable access for Vietnamese citizens and foreign residents within the priority groups. And we understand the Ministry of Health is updating and clarifying the priority groups, so we have an opportunity to weigh in.

Good and Bad News:  The mixed news is that vaccines are likely to start arriving in greater quantities in July, with the bulk of what is already committed arriving in late Q3, Q4, and Q1 2022, likely not as early as you would hope.  And the Government now seems to be realizing that vaccine rollout may as be as challenging as securing vaccine access. A shorter possibly 7-day quarantine period for vaccinated individuals is being considered, but will likely not happen soon.

Bad News:  The bad news is there is not yet full clarity on exactly when vaccines will arrive in Vietnam. And there is no way to place an order, at least not for a Western vaccine. While rumors and “brokers” abound, the Government has alerted all to concerns about making deals with unauthorized representatives, since counterfeit or improperly stored vaccines could be lethal. Offers of special access could risk leaving other higher risk priority groups unvaccinated. The Vietnamese government has created a Vaccine Fund, but there is currently no mechanism to contribute for the costs of employee and possibly family member vaccinations, or to make a charitable contribution and have transparency on how that money will be spent is being spent.  

We learn of new developments constantly, and are working with AmCham’s ExCom, Healthcare Committee leadership, and partner chambers and business associations to advocate on your behalf. We will do our best to keep you apprised. Please contact us at team@amchamvietnam.com if you have any questions or concerns. 
Partnering with Ho Chi Minh City Authority on Vaccines Plus:  I was honored to discuss multi-chamber support for GVN vaccination plans with HCMC People’s Committee Vice Chair Duong Anh Duc, and representatives of DOH, ERO, DPI, and FF. AmCham, represented by Vice Chairs Intel’s Uyen Hồ and Suntory PepsiCo’s Jahanzeb Khan, together with EuroCham Vietnam, British Chamber of Commerce Vietnam, Australian Chamber of Commerce Vietnam, CanCham Vietnam, together with US-ASEAN Business Council, and our member companies, all stand by ready to support and partner on this important initiative!
Keynote by VCCI’s Dr. Vu Tien Loc, and panel discussion on Protecting Vietnamese Supply Chains against COVID-19 with panelists Saigon Newport Corporation ’s Van Pham, DEEP C Industrial Zones - Khu công nghiệp DEEP C Koen Soenens, FedEx’s Trang Nguyen, and Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT)’s Ky Nguyen.
Video link sent to all event attendees with survey. If you weren’t an attendee, video is free to AmCham members with a fee for non-members. LINK to event recordings.

Upcoming Events: 

As we and our companies cycle back and forth from working at the office to working from home or some hybrid, we all face new challenges to maintain productivity and wellbeing – our own and that of our teams.  Please join our virtual webinar event "Maintaining an Agile Workforce" on Wed, June 16th at 9AM, to learn how to adapt to this changing workplace environment and expectations.  AmCham and ManpowerGroup Vietnam, together with BelCham, CanCham, HKBAV, and InCham are hosting expert speakers and panelists, including: ManpowerGroup Vietnam Country HR Manager Nguyen Thanh Huong, TVL Group CEO/Founder Linh Thai, and Bosch Vietnam Head of Human Resources Tran Thi Thu Tham.  They  will share case studies on how to deploy effective an agile workforce framework, how to work efficiently to balance between tight deadlines, attention to detail, and achieving the target results, including work and personal life balance.  A key element is the requirement for managers and employees to develop an even stronger culture of mutual trust and responsibility. Register now! 

We look forward to welcoming members to our Digital Economy & Technology Committee meeting on Tues, June 15th at 9AM, Healthcare Committee meeting on Wed, June 16th at 4:15PM, HR Committee meeting at 9AM and Tax & Customs Committee meeting at 5PM on Th, June 17th, and Agriculture Committee meeting on Fri, June 18th at 9AM.

Recent Events and Developments:
AmCham celebrates Global Wellness Day!  Led by our Healthcare Committee, AmCham will celebrate a focus on wellness and self-care in coming weeks, kicking off with June 12th, Global Wellness Day, through July 24th, International Self-Care Day. We have two goals: 1) to raise awareness on personal wellness & selfcare; and 2) promote healthy workplaces.  Investing in your own wellness and selfcare improves your quality of life. Investing in employee wellness is good business. It reduces sick leave and absenteeism and improves productivity and employee retention.

Look out for more Wellness & Selfcare tips and a July event from our Healthcare Committee. And be sure to keep up to date with upcoming events, both virtual and in-person (Golf plus!), from our Sports & Wellness Committee. We would love to hear from you, so let us know what kind of Wellness & Self-care information, or advertising you would like to see or contribute to at wellnessandselfcare@amchamvietnam.com; or Sports & Wellness events and activities you would like to organize or join at sportsandwellness@amchamvietnam.com. 

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.
 
My daughter and I continue to “sacrifice” and order delivery to support local restaurants – both our “tried and true” favorites and some new ones.  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 new COVID-19 control measures, including the new social distancing restrictions in place on May 31, 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 are healthy! As we in Da Nang are slowly starting the process to safely reopening, our thoughts are with our brothers and sisters in all the other parts of Vietnam still battling this latest wave. Not in empty meaning as that is often said or written. But in reality. We in Da Nang ourselves suffered a very severe lockdown last July and all of August and again this past May. We know how difficult it can be. But, it will pass and you will once again start to have normal lives. I am sure from the great attendance at some our virtual COVID-related events and meetings this past week, that most of you understand that we at AmCham are doing all we can to support you. Weare at the forefront of providing information to our members and working with not only the Vietnamese Government but also the U.S. government in our continued goal to provide our members on an equitable basis means to receive vaccines in the near future, as well as working on reduced quarantine times for Americans arriving in Vietnam that have already been vaccinated. Many of our Da Nang members have reached out to me this past week for information and I am happy to update any of you who wish to know more about the current situation.

It is still a long road ahead, but together and with the great leadership of the Vietnamese Government, we will pass this recent outbreak, we will get vaccinated, and we will open the borders again for tourism as well as a higher level of industrial trade. Stay safe, stay calm. and know that this too will pass.
COVID-19 Update from Healthcare Provider Subcommittee Chair
Dr. Mason Cobb and Andrew Meadows
As Pandemic Rips through HCMC, Anticipated Delivery of Vaccine Raises Hopes.

For more information, LINK (to COVID page).
Advocacy
AmCham has been focused on COVID-19 related advocacy, with the U.S., Vietnamese Central, and HCMC governments.  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)
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.
Upcoming Events
June 16, 8:45 - 10:30am
Virtual participation only.
Virtual participation only.
Venue: Hotel Des Arts Saigon, 76-78 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St., Dist. 3
Offers to AmCham Members

The American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam
New World Hotel Suite 323
76 Le Lai Street, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Phone: +84 28 3824 3562