Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! Happy Tết to our AmCham members and friends as we welcome in the Vietnamese New Year 2020 – the year of the Rat. As Vietnam embarks on the most important festival of year, we wish you all a very special holiday time, where many traditions with family and friends are observed and celebrated all over Vietnam. The colors, flowers, and foods of the season are among some of the special things shared and celebrated. We were honored to join several Tet celebrations, including those of the People’s Committees of Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, among others.

The beginning of the Lunar New Year is a time for renewal — we too at AmCham Vietnam-HCMC have worked the first few weeks of January on our plans and goals for 2020, and are excited to put those into action in February and beyond.

Joining me in that effort is our 2020 Board of Governors, including our new Executive Committee. I am honored to serve again this year as Chairwoman of the Board, along with Vice-Chairs Michael Beckman and Chad Ovel, Treasurer Alan Danner, and Secretary Jonathan Moreno. On January 18, our full board and Executive Director Mary Tarnowka held a half-day planning and strategy session. We are excited to refine and implement the goals identified. Expect AmCham to continue its positive momentum for strategic growth and innovation to better support you!

We were also active this month with continuing advocacy and the launch of two new initiatives. On January 10, I was privileged to represent AmCham Vietnam as its National Chairwoman at the Annual Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) 2019, along with several other AmCham Vietnam representatives leading VBF working groups, other business chambers and associations, and key members of the Vietnamese government. As part of the dialogue, we advanced a platform for the promotion of an enabling regulatory ecosystem, unlocking the full potential of the digital economy, and partnership with Vietnam to develop physical infrastructure to promote sustainable growth and development and a globally competitive, innovative workforce. Click the link for our VBF position paper: English and Vietnamese

To learn the inside story about the recent VBF dialogue, outcomes, and the business policy outlook for 2020, join our VBF Briefing on February 12.

Less than a week after the VBF Annual Dialogue, we hosted the VBF Power & Energy (P&E) Working Group for its launch of the “Made in Vietnam Energy Plan (MVEP) 2.0.” (Read MVEP 2.0 here: English and Vietnamese) Executive Director Mary Tarnowka welcomed more than 60 industry representatives to the HCMC event where VBF P&E Working Group Co-Chair John Rockhold, and Luong Ba Hung, Director of VBF’s Sustainable Energy Engagement Project, highlighted key provisions of the  plan to ensure Vietnam’s energy security and sustainable growth through power generated primarily from renewables and LNG and engaged in dialogue with industry representatives about critical next steps.

We also ushered in two new ways to engage with AmCham Vietnam-HCMC. On January 14, we introduced AmCham’s new Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative coordinated by co-chairs Eddie Thai and Jonah Levey at an Interactive Foundations of Innovation: A Design Thinking Workshop, led by Doodle Brands Chris and Nhu Vo Elkin. Later that day, we hosted our first Capital Markets Committee meeting, with leadership from co-chairs Chad Ovel and Louis Nguyen, where representatives from fund management companies, securities firms, banks and insurance corporations discussed opportunities, key challenges, and potential advocacy issues. Participants also discussed potential synergies with the new Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative, and plans to develop advocacy and outreach with the Vietnam government.

Upcoming Events

We look forward to supporting the initiatives and plans by all of our committees in 2020, with continued networking, information-sharing, advocacy, and events already in the works from many of our sectoral committees in the coming months. Be sure to check our website calendar and watch for our weekly email to stay current on our committee activities and events.

Also coming in February is a special workshop hosted by AmCham Vietnam-HCMC, with support from Walmart Foundation and Pacific Links, on preventing human trafficking and forced labor in supply chains. This February 26th workshop will be led by various experts, including industry and topic panelists from various manufacturing and solution providers.

And returning in 2020 on February 26^th, is our casual networking event, Connect & Cocktails, to be held in District 2 at Mia Saigon Luxury Boutique Hotel. This monthly event is an opportunity for existing members, their guests, and those curious about AmCham to meet up in relaxed and fun settings to network and learn more about AmCham and how it can work for you!

New Members

We are thrilled to welcome over 20 new members so far in January! ABS Institute Co., LTD; American Education and Development Group Inc; American Fashion JSC; ANT Law; ASART Deal Advisory Company Limited; ATT Logistics JSC; Children of Vietnam; Focus Consulting Co., Ltd; Fuji Xerox Vietnam Co., Ltd; HFI LLC; HR1 Vietnam Co., Ltd; IQVIA; Mövenpick Resort Phu Quoc; Nguyen Binh Khiem High School; Onesky Foundation; Online Mobile Services JSC (Momo); Pure Vietnam Company Limited; Tam Minh Technology JSC; United Overseas Bank; Vietcetera; Vietcombank; Vitabella JSC.

Membership & Sponsorship

Don’t miss out on an exciting year ahead—remember to renew your membership.  For even more opportunities and exposure for your company, check out our premium membership levels.  As we are set to launch into an exciting year for AmCham Vietnam in HCMC, there will be many ways AmCham can keep you connected, especially as a corporate partner.  Contact Cindy Tran at [email protected] or Sam Hoang at [email protected] for more information on getting more out of your AmCham membership through our premium membership packages.

In closing out the year, thank you members for your contributions to and passion for AmCham Vietnam. To the Vietnamese community and those of us who now call Vietnam home, Happy New Year!
An Khang Thịnh Vượng! Wishing you security, good health and prosperity!

Amanda Rasmussen
Chairwoman

Warmest greetings of the season!  We at AmCham Vietnam-HCMC are grateful for our members and for all of your wonderful support this year.  We could not have achieved the many successes and opportunities for our members and the Chamber without your active participation and generous sponsorships.  Together with you, our engaged Board of Governors, dedicated staff, and our new Executive Director Mary Tarnowka, we have reached a record number of members at AmCham Vietnam-HCMC, engaged in important national and local advocacy efforts, and hosted many high-quality business and signature events.  As we wind down 2019 and embark on our 26 ^th  year in 2020, we continue to strive to improve the business climate for trade and investment between the U.S. and Vietnam.

December has been very busy for AmCham—from our signature annual Governor’s Ball and Santa’s Breakfast—to our Annual General Meeting with new Board members announced—to an important meeting with the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City—and other advocacy papers and business events in between and after—the month was packed with important AmCham work and a bit of fun!

Arguably the most fun and anticipated AmCham annual event of the year—this year’s Governor’s “Silver” Ball on December 7 ^th  was once again a huge success.  Our dedicated ball committee of community volunteers and AmCham staff worked many months to pull off an amazing, festive event, transforming the Intercontinental Saigon into a glittering wonderland with incredible food, beverages, entertainment and amazing prizes, with over 100 raffle and auction items.  New this year, we offered four one-of-a-kind items for live auction. Through the generosity of our sponsors and many guests, we raised a record high $46,000 for our flagship corporate social responsibility activity—our two AmCham scholarships programs. Thank you ball guests and sponsors for helping us reach a new high!

To see more great photos and to check the many raffle prize numbers drawn at the end of Ball, see the following link:

One week prior to the Ball, we awarded 60 university students with the annual AmCham Scholarship. Now in its 19 ^th year, the merit-based AmCham Scholarship supports university students with funds for their education, as well as training and experience for their post-graduation future.  Since its founding in 2001, AmCham has awarded 935 scholarships, now working with 19 partner universities. Congratulations to our new AmCham Vietnam Scholars!

Earlier this year, we awarded 55 scholarships to female university students in STEM majors through our Women in Engineering scholarship. Since its founding in 2001, this program now has 315 alumnae, with 8 partnering universities in HCMC and Da Nang.

Again, thanks to your generosity at the Ball and the corporate sponsors and volunteers who help us all year long, we are able to reach and promote many talented students at local universities, many who also find opportunities with AmCham corporate members through internships and jobs after university.

On December 10 ^th  we hosted our Annual General Meeting, where we updated our members on the accomplishments, as well as an overview of the membership and financial position of AmCham Vietnam HCMC. We were honored to also have  U.S. Deputy Principal Officer Tim Liston participate and address the importance of continuing the AmCham partnership with the U.S. Mission in Vietnam. Our Nominating Committee Chairperson, Walter Blocker, also announced the following members have been elected to continue an additional term or begin a new one as an AmCham Vietnam HCMC Governor: Michael Beckman (EY Law Vietnam); Milton Hagler (Fluid Power & Controls, Co. Ltd.), Michael Kelly (Ho Tram Project Company – The Grand); Jahanzeb Khan (Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage); Colin McCandless (InterContinental Saigon Hotel & Residence); Kevin Moore (Vietnam Waste Solutions); Jonathan Moreno (Diversatek Vietnam); Hang Nguyen (Baker & McKenzie); Chad Ovel (Mekong Capital); Soren Pedersen (SSA Marine); Sai Ramana Ponugoti (P&G Vietnam); and myself (Indo Trans Corp). I look forward to working with these great individuals who will join the full Board in January 2020 to govern our organization, uphold its mission, and assist the Chamber in supporting our business communities. At the end of 2019, we will say good-bye and thank you to departing Board Members: Sandra Cho, John Nguyen, Bill Watson, and Sasha Stinchfield.

On December 13 ^th  we held a joint working session with the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, where we held meetings with both Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong and Standing Vice Chairman Le Thanh Liem and many City department leaders for an afternoon session of open collaboration with many from the AmCham Vietnam board, our Executive Director Mary Tarnowka, several sectoral member experts, and Consul General Marie Damour and others from the U.S. Mission about partnering to develop the physical infrastructure, regulatory ecosystem, and talent to take U.S. investment in HCMC to the next level.

Earlier in the day, Mary Tarnowka also met with Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs Huynh Duc Truong from the People’s Committee of Da Nang, who visited to thank us for our support of U.S. trade and investment in Da Nang and to plan for joint programs in Da Nang in 2020.

This week, Mary Tarnowka traveled to Hanoi to participate in a private-sector roundtable discussion on Vietnam’s draft PPP law coordinated by VCCI, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and AmCham.  AmCham members, including LNT Partner and Founder Le Net, had the opportunity to share their views with global PPP expert and Harvard Professor Akash Deep and Fulbright School of Public Policy Dean and Prime Minister Economic Adviser Vu Thanh Tu Anh, prior to their high-level meetings this week on the draft PPP law with senior Vietnamese officials.  Mary also met with VCCI Chairman Dr. Loc to raise other key advocacy concerns of AmCham members that we hope can be resolved in the lead up to the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) meeting with the Prime Minister in early January.  One of the issues she shared was a position paper advanced earlier in the month to the State Bank of Vietnam from our ICT committee on the introduction of foreign ownership limits to the fast-growing payments and fintech sector which, if enacted, will significantly restrict the ability of Vietnamese fintech startups to raise institutional capital from foreign investors. The position paper addresses the current draft decree amending Decree 101 that imposes a foreign-ownership cap which may drive out current innovation and prevent others from coming.

Looking forward to 2020!

We are already making plans for early 2020 before the Tet holiday. On January 10, 2020, I am honored to present the joint paper for the HCMC and Hanoi AmCham chapters at the annual VBF as the National Chairwoman of AmCham Vietnam. Our AmCham submission to the VBF is now being finalized with our Hanoi chapter, based on member concerns raised largely through our committees. This session’s focus is on identifying sustainability efforts and innovation opportunities to take Vietnam into the fourth industrial revolution.  The following week will continue on that theme as we launch our  Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative with an interactive workshop on January 14 with a design thinking interactive event led by an innovation firm in Ho Chi Minh City. Later that day, we will be launching the Capital Markets Committee at an event to bring together industry members to network, share business insights, and identify issues for advocacy.

We will also welcome our new and returning board members for our first meeting of 2020 and planned strategy session to identify top objectives and initiatives for the coming year.  As always, we are interested in your ideas and feedback on how we can improve the Chamber, so please reach out to anyone on the board as we undertake our planning next month.

Membership – Renewal & New Members

Renew Your Membership TODAY for special savings

For many of you, it’s time to renew your membership for 2020 and continue your involvement in AmCham, with opportunities for networking, information-sharing, advocacy to improve the business environment, and promotion of your business. Your calendar year renewal can be renewed for 2020 with the 2019 membership price–so act now and pay before December 31, 2019 for this savings opportunity.

Do not forget to update your company profile online and for printing in the 2020 Membership Directory  when you renew.
Contact Ms. Sam Hoang  with any questions.

New members

On December 10th, we welcomed several new AmCham members prior to our AGM at another AmCham 101 session. We were pleased with the turn-out, and our Executive Director Mary and Membership Manager Sam are always excited to meet and share all the opportunities in person with new members.

This month, we welcome the following new members:
Bronze Premium Member:  TH Group
Corporate Members:  Amorepacific Vietnam, Areco Realty Company (Maihouse Hotels & Resorts), Dong Thai Company, ILA Vietnam, KalaPress Vietnam, ILA Vietnam, Lab Group International Vietnam, Lab Group International Vietnam, Northstar Precision Vietnam
Senior Professional Member:  Mr. Larry Lane

Again, thank you for your support in 2019!  Wishing you a Happy Holiday and joyful New Year.

With Best Regards,
Amanda Rasmussen
Chairwoman

October has been an active month at AmCham Vietnam – including a successful Supplier Day, robust committee and business events, and on-going advocacy activities surrounding potential changes to laws affecting many of our members. And, as our new Executive Director completes her second month with AmCham, Mary Tarnowka continues to canvas the membership, as well as participate in many business events, to open doors to existing and new members and opportunities for the HCMC chapter.  It is an exciting time for the organization.

AmCham HCMC Supplier Day

AmCham’s HCMC Supplier Day was a huge success, with over 100 exhibitors and 600 visitors at full day including interactive workshops with experts to explore, establish, and expand supply chain business partnerships.  This event marked AmCham’s 6^th Supplier Day, organized in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Link SME project, and along with many member corporate sponsorships to help facilitate partnerships between Vietnamese and foreign firms and support the integration of small and medium-sized businesses into Vietnamese and global supply chains.

Advocacy

AmCham’s HR Committee continues to press advocacy on the proposed Draft Labor Code in advance of the current session of the National Assembly. In the past month alone, AmCham has joined in many meetings with decision-makers and other associations, and jointly signed a position letter with several business associations and another chamber on several important issues directed to the provincial delegations of the National Assembly. Some of those meetings included the National Assembly HCMC Delegation and VCCI National Employers’ Conference on Oct 14.

On other proposed draft legislation, members of AmCham’s Legal Committee this past month drafted a position paper which AmCham HCMC issued to the Vietnam government on reducing administrative requirements related to cosmetics, including proposals on premarket approvals and requirements related to importing cosmetics into Vietnam. This position paper was followed by participation at a CIEM (Central Institute for Economic Management) event in HCMC on October 24^th.

In addition to the committee-generated advocacy work, AmCham Vietnam is involved in other organizations with advocacy and issue-raising on trade and investment in Vietnam. As one of the founding chambers, AmCham participates in the Vietnam Business Forum, and members participate in several working groups to continuously keep dialogue on several advocacy and administrative reform measures to improve the business climate in Vietnam. AmCham also is a member of APCAC, which issued its policy report as part of the annual July “Doorknock” in Washington D.C. A blueprint of policy proposals also comes in from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which issued a report on the U.S. government’s opportunities with Vietnam to improve trade and investment ties.

Upcoming Events

The rest of 2019 will continue to be busy with business and committee meetings, as well as signature AmCham events. Be sure not to miss anything by often checking our online calendar.  Please also keep mind these special events:

• Nov 11 — Come “Meet the Candidates” running for a Governor position on AmCham Vietnam HCMC board. Open to AmCham Members only.
• Nov 21 — Our 25th Anniversarywill be celebrated at special black-tie dinner event
• Nov 28 — 19th Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot Golf Tournament & Lunch
• Dec 7 — Annual Governors’ Ball— this year will be a special “Silver Ball”
• Dec 8 — Breakfast with Santa
• Dec 10 — Annual General meeting

New Members 

We continue to welcome new members all year long.  As such, we are holding a new-member (“AmCham 101”) orientation on November 11^th  with E.D. Mary Tarnowka. This special invitation-only event is for members who have recently joined in the past few months. Contact Sam Hoang for more information.

We thank the following new members:

Corporate Members: American Eye Center Vietnam, Anh Duong Company, Hertz Vietnam, Gia Thuy Company (GT-Industrial), Georgetown University, Mekong Capital, Shire Oak International Limited, Tenzing Pacific Services Vietnam, Therm-x SVT, Varian Medical Systems Pacific Inc., Vietnamese-German University

In the next month, those representatives with membership on the calendar year will receive renewal notices for AmCham Vietnam HCMC membership.  We hope you will renew, and stay active and engaged in AmCham. Special offers will apply for members renewing by December 31^st.

We are striving every day to make AmCham Vietnam an inclusive, diverse and dynamic chamber! Thank you for your engagement and support!

With Best Regards,
Amanda Rasmussen
Chairwoman