Event Description
Join this exclusive event with HCMC Party Secretary Dr. Nhan, People’s Committee Chairman Phong, U.S. Ambassador Kritenbrink, Consul General Damour, and top tech leaders from HCMC, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Singapore including Zoom’s Eric Yuan, Vinod Khosla, and VNG’s Le Hong Minh.
Celebrate the 25-year anniversaries of U.S-Vietnam diplomatic relations and the HCMC- San Francisco Sister City relationship – and discuss opportunities for technology and innovation investments in HCMC that will drive partnership and innovation for the future.
Panels on Technology Supply Chains; Fintech for Vietnam and Beyond; and HCMC’s Smart Cities, Innovation District, and International Financial Center.
Learn from U.S. tech investors about their experience and interest in developing local supply chains and partnerships. Learn from HCMC authorities about HCMC technology and innovation strategic plans and policies to welcome foreign investors, and from USG authorities about new programs to support U.S. tech exports and investment under the Indo-Pacific Strategy, through the Trade and Development Agency, Development Finance Corporation, and EximBank.
Virtual participation: Available via Zoom, with simultaneous interpretation
provided both in English and Vietnamese, and opportunity to participate in Q&A sessions.
Physical Participation: In-person participation is limited in accordance with HCMC guidance, with seating arranged to promote social distancing. Temperature screening and hand sanitizer use required upon arrival. Face masks required by participants on arrival and encouraged throughout. Hand shaking is strongly discouraged. Simultaneous interpretation provided both in English and Vietnamese.
As of August 18, Hồ Chi Minh City has imposed new restrictions on individuals who recently returned from Hanoi, Hai Duong, Bac Giang, Da Nang, Quang Nam, and Quang Ngai, categorizing them into four groups and applying different levels of monitoring, including COVID testing, self quarantine, or centralized quarantine. (https://vn.usembassy.gov/covid-19-related-quarantine-requirements-and-travel-restrictions). If you were planning to attend physically and have returned from one of these areas on or after August 11 , please DO NOT join our event in person and instead, contact us immediately, and we can send you a link to facilitate your virtual participation.
Please arrive between 7:15 to 7:45 to register and enjoy networking over coffee, tea, and snacks. You will be asked to take your seats at 7:50 so the event can start promptly. A buffet luncheon will be served following the event.
Dress code is business, with the understanding for those in the tech sector, that may be different than for Vietnamese or U.S. government officials.
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| 7:15-7:45 | Registration & Networking |
| 7:45-7:50 | Participants seated |
| 7:50-8:00 | Welcome by MC AmCham Vietnam Executive Director Mary Tarnowka |
| 8:00-8:05 | Introduction by AmCham Vietnam Chairman and Mekong Capital Partner Mr. Chad Ovel |
| 8:05-8:20 | Welcoming remarks by Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Dr. Nguyen Thien Nhan |
| 8:20-8:30 | Remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Mr. Daniel Kritenbrink (Virtual) |
| 8:30-8:35 | Messages from San Francisco re Sister City Relationship |
| 8:35-8:40 | Remarks by Mr. Eric Yuan, Founder & CEO, Zoom (Virtual) |
| 8:40-9:20 | Panel Discussion 1: Investing in Ho Chi Minh City’s Technology Supply Chains
Private Sector Participants: Mr. Kim Huat Ooi, Vice President-Manufacturing and Operations & General Manager, Intel Products Vietnam Mr. Nguyen Anh Thi, President, Saigon Hi-tech Park Moderator: AmCham Vietnam Executive Director Ms. Mary Tarnowka |
| 9:20-10:00 | Panel Discussion 2: Investing in FinTech for Vietnam and Beyond
Private Sector Participants: Mr. Saurabh Agarwal, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus (Virtual) Mr. Nguyen Ky Phung, Deputy Director General, HCMC Department of Science and Technology Moderator: AmCham Vietnam Executive Director Ms. Mary Tarnowka |
| 10:00-10:50 | Panel Discussion 3: Discovering Opportunities to Invest and Create Partnerships in HCMC’s Innovation District, Smart Cities, and International Financial Center
Mr. Duong Anh Duc, Vice Chairman, HCMC People’s Committee U.S. Government: U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Ms. Marie C. Damour U.S. Private Sector: Moderators: HCMC External Relations Office Deputy Director General Mr. Tran Phuoc Anh and AmCham Vietnam Executive Director Ms. Mary Tarnowka |
| 10:50-11:00 | Signing ceremony between Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transportation and Department of Information and Communications with U.S. Trade and Development Agency
Ms. Marie C. Damour, U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Mr. Le Quoc Cuong, Deputy Director General, Department of Information and Communications Witness:
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| 11:00–11:10 | Discussion with Khosla Ventures Founder and Sun Microsystems Co-founder Mr. Vinod Khosla (Virtual) on “Developing a Silicon Valley Ecosystem in Ho Chi Minh City”
Moderator: Mrs. Christy Le, Co-Founder, Alabaster |
| 11:10–11:20 | Signing ceremony between SHTP and Arevo
Mr. Sonny Vu, CEO, Arevo Mr. Nguyen Anh Thi, President, Saigon Hi-tech Park Witness:
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| 11:20-11:30 | Discussion by Mr. Le Hong Minh, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO, VNG with FUV students:
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| 11:30-11:40 | Remarks by HCMC People’s Committee Chairman Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong |
| 11:40–13:00 | AmCham Vietnam 25th Anniversary Video Clip
Networking lunch |
| Physical: AmCham Members: VND 1,500,000 | Non-members: VND 2,000,000
Virtual: AmCham Members: VND 800,000 | Non-members: VND 1,100,000 Reservations/cancellations must be must be made on-line or by email. We are unable to accept reservations/cancellations by telephone. For virtual attendees, please submit your registration by 6:00 PM, Aug 24, 2020. For physical registrants, we are prioritizing seats for Speakers and Sponsors. If you want to attend in-person, please specify in the registration form. We will send you a follow-up email to confirm when there are available seats. The seat availability is subject to change, following guidance from HCMC Leaders. |
 Mark Chandler
Director San Francisco Mayor’s Office of International Trade and Commerce Mark Chandler is Director of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of International Trade and Commerce. He has been with the Mayor’s Office since 1987. Mr. Chandler is responsible for the international business programs of the City of San Francisco, including Sister City ties, trade and investment projects, import and export promotion and international business attraction. He was instrumental in the founding of the San Francisco-Ho Chi Minh Sister City program, one of the first US-Vietnam relationship, and has coordinated over 30 overseas missions. Prior to that, he was employed at US Sprint Telecommunications. Mr. Chandler holds an MBA in International Marketing from U.C. Berkeley, a BA from U.C. Davis in Economics and studied at the Tokyo Academy of Japanese. |
Vinod Khosla Founder, Khosla Ventures Co-founder, Sun Microsystems Vinod Khosla is an entrepreneur, investor, and technology fan. He is the founder of Khosla Ventures, focused on impactful technology investments in software, AI, robotics, 3D printing, healthcare and more. Mr. Khosla was a co-founder of Daisy systems and founding CEO of Sun Microsystems where he pioneered open systems and commercial RISC processors. One of Mr. Khosla’s greatest passions is being a mentor to entrepreneurs, assisting entrepreneurs and helping them build technology-based businesses. Mr. Khosla is driven by the desire to make a positive impact through using technology to reinvent societal infrastructure and multiply resources. He is also passionate about Social Entrepreneurship. Vinod holds a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering from IIT, New Delhi, a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. |
 Christy Le
Alabaster, Co-Founder Mrs. Christy Le (Lê Diệp Kiều Trang) is co-founder of Alabaster, a group that invests in founders building companies with radical solutions that will have a positive, planet-level impact. The group’s 30+ early stage investments have recurring themes in materials science, semiconductors, and biotechnology that enable making cleaner, more affordable energy, food, and consumer products. In connection with Alabaster, Christy serves as President of Harrison.ai, an Australian company that has developed breakthrough software that can automatically analyze a wide range of x-ray medical images and provides physicians with real-time decision support. She is also interim CFO at Arevo, a company that makes advances in materials science, 3d-printing, software, and robotics to automate the production of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (“CFRP”) structures. Through heavy automation, Arevo is able to accelerate time to product introduction by up to 500x and lower production cost by up to 20x of a very light but incredibly strong material that is otherwise very expensive and slow to make products. Previously, Christy was Country Director for Vietnam at Facebook. Before Facebook she was the Managing Director of Fossil Vietnam and VP of Operations of Fossil Group, which acquired Misfit for $260M in 2015. At Misfit, a Silicon Valley startup that developed and marketed a number of award-winning wearable and smart home technology products, she was the CFO and COO from the company’s founding until its acquisition. The company leveraged its R&D and operations teams in Vietnam, China and the US to quickly grow to be a global leader in wearables in less than three years. Prior to Misfit, Christy was a consultant at McKinsey and an investment banker at HSBC. Christy graduated Double First in Economics at Oxford (BA & MPhil) and as a Valedictorian and a Legatum Fellow at MIT Sloan. She is passionate about her two kids, working with amazing teams, and engaging in projects that seek to maximize human potential. |
 Sonny Vu
CEO, Arevo Sonny is serving the team at Arevo, a company that makes large, continuous carbon fiber reinforced polymer (“CFRP”) composite structures, as CEO to achieve the goal of dramatically accelerating and reducing the cost of producing what is otherwise a very expensive and slow to make product. CFRP’s are important because they are very strong, yet very light, and so can enable significant energy and performance efficiencies in numerous applications. He founded Alabaster, a group that invests in founders building companies with radical solutions that will have a positive, planet-level impact. 30+ early stage investments with recurring themes in materials science, semiconductors, and biotechnology that enable making cleaner, more affordable energy, food, and consumer products. Previously, he was President and CTO of Fossil Group, Connected Devices, using fashion and design to make technology more beautiful and useful. Before that, he founded: Elemental Machines (IoT for complex processes), Misfit (wearables; acquired by Fossil for $260m), AgaMatrix (biosensors for diabetes), FireSpout (natural language processing; acquired by Ask Jeeves). Before doing startups, he worked at Microsoft Research in NLP under Kai-Fu Lee, worked on a PhD in Linguistics at MIT under Noam Chomsky, and studied math at UIUC. When not playing with his two kids, he enjoys dreaming about the future and trying to figure out how to learn faster and more effectively. |
 Le Hong Minh
Founder, Chairman and CEO VNG Mr. Le Hong Minh is the founder, Chairman and CEO of VNG – the leading Internet technology company in Vietnam. Well known achievements of VNG include: Zalo mobile messenger – 70 million registered users, Zing – the #1 digital media destination in Vietnam, excellent game development and professional publishing business. Mr. Le Hong Minh studies in Monash University, Australia and worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers and VinaCapital before establishing VNG in 2004. He is a leading thinker and speaker on technology trends, start-ups and entrepreneurs in Vietnam, along with being a regular speaker in global stages such as: World Economic Forums, Forbes Annual Conferences and the Economist Conferences. As a firm believer in VNG’s slogan “embracing challenges”, Minh is also an avid triathlete and marathon runner who non-stop looks for activities which well reflect that spirit. |
 Kim Huat Ooi
Vice President-Manufacturing and Operations General Manager of Intel Products Vietnam Kim Huat (KH) Ooi is vice president in Manufacturing and Operations and General Manager of Intel Products Vietnam(IPV). As the General Manager, KH sets the vision for Intel Products Vietnam and creating a more responsible, inclusive, and sustainable future to achieve Intel’s business results in Vietnam. His responsibilities include overseeing factory operations and employee relations; enriching the Intel image and brand; building strategic relationships with communities, media, governments, and local authorities; and working with the industry ecosystem, government, and society. KH has 34 years of industry experience in semiconductor engineering and manufacturing operations, and most recently held the role of general manager of Penang (Malaysia) Assembly and Test Operations at Intel.Apart from Intel, KH has also worked briefly at Broadcom Inc. as VP of worldwide quality and as COO of Globetronics, Malaysia. Earlier in his Intel career,KH spent six years as a factory manager responsible for operational performance for Intel Atom SoC, networking and communications and chipset products. He also held various roles responsible for manufacturing quality and has earned two Intel Achievement Awards in his career, the first related to processor platform validation on the Intel Pentium® processor, and the second for his contributions to lead-free manufacturing systems. KH holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. |
 Kheng Joo Ung
Managing Director First Solar Vietnam Manufacturing KJ Ung is the Managing Director of First Solar Vietnam. He has been with First Solar for 11 years. First Solar is a leading global provider of comprehensive PV solar energy solutions. The mission is to provide cost-advantaged solar panel technology through innovation, customer engagement, industry leadership, and operational excellence. KJ Ung has the key responsibilities to ramp the First Solar Vietnam mega operations to meet all essential operational metrics since Jan 2019. He has been enjoyed working with the talented local team who have been instrumental to First Solar Vietnam success today. Though First Solar Vietnam is only 2 years old, the site has been commanding almost half of total First Solar worldwide production capacity and is currently one of the most efficient and productive operations. First Solar Vietnam has been receiving accolades and recognitions for its amazing success in a short period of time. KJ has extensive knowledge in the semiconductor and thin film solar photovoltaic manufacturing operations. He has been in the manufacturing industry for the last 27 years spanning across semiconductor assembly, test, product and research & development engineering as well as solar photovoltaic quality, reliability and production management. He has good professional skills in Manufacturing, Engineering, Cross-geographical Team Leadership, Talent Development and Program Management. Through his career, KJ has been involved in greenfield and brownfield factories startup in Malaysia, China and now Vietnam which is his 3rd international assignment. Born in Malaysia, KJ Ung holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from University of Technology Malaysia and MSc in Production Management from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. |
Marco Breu Managing Partner McKinsey Vietnam Marco Breu is the Managing Partner of McKinsey & Company’s Vietnam office. He advises private companies across sectors on corporate strategy, digital transformation, corporate governance, and growth. He also works with Vietnamese state-owned enterprises on business restructuring programs. Marco oversees McKinsey’s Public Sector work in Vietnam, with a particular focus on master planning, economic development, and social growth at the provincial level. A Swiss national, Marco joined McKinsey’s Zurich office in 1999. He moved to Asia in 2002. Initially based in Seoul, he worked in Singapore before assuming the role of Managing Partner for Thailand. In 2008, he launched the Vietnam office and has been leading McKinsey Vietnam’s growth and expansion since. Passionate about social innovation, Marco founded The Mekong Business Challenge, an annual entrepreneurship program for the Mekong region. Since 2006, the program has welcomed over 1,000 teams from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Bhutan and supported them in screening, planning, and incubating new businesses. In 2018, Marco took a sabbatical from the firm to serve as Professor of Business Administration at the Royal Thimphu College in Thimphu, Bhutan. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Berne, Switzerland and the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Outside of McKinsey, Marco is an active angel investor in a series of startups in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe in the areas of fintech, e-commerce, retail, and agriculture. He also enjoys scuba diving, flying Cessna planes, and spending time with his family. |
 Chung Seck
Partner (M&A / Technology) Baker McKenzie Vietnam Yee Chung is a Senior Partner of the Vietnam offices of Baker McKenzie. He has been based in Vietnam for over 20 years, managing and dealing with a wide range of investment projects and M&A deals, and advising and assisting on corporate, commercial and regulatory compliance matters. Practice focus Yee Chung leads the M&A, TMT, and pharmaceutical and healthcare practices in Vietnam. This includes foreign direct investment, market access and licensing, private and public M&A, commercial contracts, competition and anti-corruption compliance, data use and privacy, over a diverse range of industries, including e-commerce and digital, consumer products, food & beverage, cosmetics, healthcare, manufacturing, property, and aviation. Professional affiliations
Awards and rankings Leading Lawyer for TMT – Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020 |
 Saurabh N. Agarwal
Managing Director Warburg Pincus Saurabh N. Agarwal joined Warburg Pincus in 2009 and is based in Singapore, where he relocated from New York in 2017 to focus on the firm’s investment activities in Southeast Asia. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, Mr. Agarwal worked at McKinsey & Company in New Jersey and New Delhi, and Temasek Holdings in Mumbai. Mr. Agarwal is currently a Director of Circles.Life, CleanMax Enviro Solutions, Converge ICT, MoMo Pay and Techcombank (HOSE:TCB), and previously served on the boards of several companies, including AAG Energy (HKG:2686), Competitive Power Ventures, Mosaic Inc., RimRock, RSEG Inc. and Trident. Mr. Agarwal holds a B. Tech. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Microelectronics from IIT Bombay, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. |
Nguyen Ba Diep Co-Founder & Senior Vice President MoMo Nguyen Ba Diep is Co-Founder & Senior Vice President of MoMo – Vietnam Number One eWallet which provide which serves 20 million customers in the country. With 25 years of experience Fintech & technology, and as a key member of MoMo’s leadership team, Mr. Diep is responsible for government relation, legal & business development. He also is founding member and vice chairman of Vietnam Fintech Club – member of Vietnam Banking Association. Mr.Diep graduated from HCMC University of Technology with BSc degree in Electric & Electronic. He also earned his MBA from Curtin University – Australia. As a traditional MoMo member, Diep regularly participates with MoMo team in enduring sport events such as Ironman & Marathon. |
Winnie Wong Country Manager, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos Asia Pacific, Mastercard Winnie Wong is responsible for growing Mastercard’s business in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. With her experience in consumer and corporate payments and banking, she brings fresh perspective to the markets on digital payments and solutions. Prior to her current role, Winnie was the Commercial B2B Sales Head for the region, where she was responsible for driving growth for Mastercard’s Business-to-Business (B2B) solutions across Asia Pacific. This includes working with governments, banks and corporations on trade digitization with the aim of improving efficiency and transparency, especially for cross-border trade. |
 Binh Tran
General Partner 500 Startups Vietnam Binh Tran is a partner with 500 Startups, the global early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in San Francisco, and a general partner of its Vietnam-focused fund. Binh is a long-time technologist and serial entrepreneur. His last startup was Klout, the Kleiner Perkins-backed big data company that exited at a $200M valuation. Binh has also been investing in US-based startups as an angel investor and LP since 2012. |
 Tran Phuoc Anh
Deputy Director General HCMC External Relations Office Since 2017, he holds the position as Deputy Director-General of Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations. He started his career in 1998, and used to work in the Viet Nam Embassy in Myanmar. He pursued a Master’s degree in International Political Economy in Warwick University (UK) and a Master’s degree in Business Administration in RMIT (Australia). |
 Duong Anh Duc
Vice Chairman HCMC People’s Committee Mr. Anh Duc DUONG (Ph.D) is currently the Vice-Chairman of People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics; also he has a Master’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree in Information and Technology in both Viet Nam and Russian Federation. He started his career as a professor in Viet Nam National University in Ho Chi Minh City from 1990. From 7/2017 to 2020, he was the Director General of the Ho Chi Minh City Information and Communications Department. |
 Marie C. Damour
U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Ms. Marie C. Damour is the Consul General of the U.S. to Ho Chi Minh City. She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, having joined the State Department in 1993, and is assigned to Ho Chi Minh City as Consul General beginning in August 2019. She has previously served as Director in the Office of Maritime Southeast Asia in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, as well as in the Office of Policy Coordination and Public Affairs in the Bureau of Consular Affairs. Previous overseas assignments include Deputy Chief of Mission in Wellington, New Zealand; Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs in Brasilia, Brazil; and Chief of Visa Services at the U.S. Embassy in London. She has also served domestically as Special Assistant in the Office of the Secretary, as well as Consular Chief overseas in Iraq, Vietnam, and Mauritania. Ms. Damour is a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia; she speaks French, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. |
 Nguyen Thanh Nha
Director General Department of Planning and Architecture Mr. Thanh Nha NGUYEN (Ph.D), since 2015, he has served as Director General of Ho Chi Minh City Planning and Architecture Department (DPA). Before that, he was the Vice-Director General of the DPA for nearly 2 years. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Nha was a Ph.D researcher in Urban Planning at University of Melbourne, Australia. From 2009 to 2013, he was the Director of Information Center, under the City Institute for Development Studies. |
 Le Quoc Cuong
Deputy Director General Department of Information and Communications Mr. Quoc Cuong LE (Ph.D) has served as the Deputy Director General of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Information and Communications since 2012. He holds a Ph.D in Telecommunications at the Bonch-Bruevich Saint-Petersburg State University of Telecommunications (Russian Federation) in 1996. From 2004 to 2012, he was appointed as the Deputy Director of Post and Telecommunications Institute of Technology. |
 Tran Anh Tuan
Deputy Director General Department of Planning and Investment His current position is the Deputy Director General of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Investment (DPI) from March, 2019. He holds a Ph.D in Economics. Before the recent position, he was appointed as the Acting Director of Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies. |
 Nguyen Hong Van
Deputy Director General HCMC Finance and Investment State-owned Company Mr. Van is the Deputy Director General of Ho Chi Minh City Finance and Investment State-owned Company (HFIC). He has a Master’s degree in Construction management in Reading University (UK), and 2 Bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering and Political Science in Viet Nam. He is the bidding lecturer of the Ministry of Planning and Investment since 2009. From 2013 to 2019, he was appointed as the Head of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Section, under the City DPI. |
 Pham The Truong
General Director Microsoft Vietnam As the General Director of Microsoft Vietnam, Truong brings over 20 years of IT software business experience and vast industry knowledge to drive the company’s mission in Vietnam. Truong joins Microsoft from SAP Vietnam where he served as its Country Managing Director, a position he has held since 2012. In his 5 years as the Managing Director, Truong successfully drove double digit growth for SAP and built a strong foundation by leading the organization on its digital transformation journey. Prior to joining SAP, Truong was the Country Sales Director at Oracle where he was instrumental in expanding adoption of Oracle’s latest technologies across several market segments in Vietnam. At Microsoft, he is responsible for the company’s products, services and support offerings in Vietnam, and more importantly, for accelerating the company’s current transformation to be the world’s leading productivity and platform company, and helping Vietnam to become an ICT advanced nation. Truong has a Master’s degree in Business Management and Information Systems and stays proactively engaged with the IT community in Vietnam supporting several local initiatives and activities. |
Gold Sponsor – VND 40,000,000
Silver Sponsor – VND 25,000,000
Bronze Sponsor – VND 10,000,000
*Customized sponsorship options are also available. Please contact Ms. Lily Nguyen via [email protected] for more information. |