Journalists’ Day congratulations

Joseph A. Perucca - General director, GIVI Vietnam

I gladly join in the celebration of Vietnam Journalists’ Day and celebrate VIR, which continues tirelessly to make its valuable contribution to providing economic-political information about this country.

Vietnam, despite the continuous improvements that we see every day, remains an investment destination which is often extremely difficult to navigate and keep the rudder straight towards a specifically designated route. It is sometimes not clear how to become more aware of guidelines and various regulations and procedures that companies need to sail the investment waters here. GIVI is present in more than 90 countries and each location obviously has its own rules that must be understood, accepted, and pursued, and Vietnam is no different.

VIR can play the role of a lighthouse to illuminate the obstacles ahead and inform companies about changes of course. This is of fundamental importance to us.

Sami Kteily - Executive chairman, PEB Steel

Since PEB Steel’s very first day here, VIR has been our essential information source. This year, most of my time has been taken up with business trips overseas. However, wherever I am, I love to open your website in the morning to get myself updated with daily business news and important insights from high-level business leaders on the upcoming trends. This habit has never changed in the 27 years since PEB Steel began in Vietnam.

With the most updated analysis of the macro-economic environment as well as business opportunities, VIR has helped groups like ours do business effectively in this country. I expect VIR will keep evolving on digital platforms in optimising the look, feel, and navigation. It will also use more audience data for content planning to better engage readers and provide them with their most relevant information.

Michele D’Ercole - Chairman, Italian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam

VIR is a great reference for foreign investors, companies, and entrepreneurs to stay updated about news coming from institutions and authorities about laws, regulations, and new projects.

But it is also a voice for companies that request clarification and offer opinions about the Vietnamese business environment.

To continue to retain its position, the publication needs to listen to the needs of foreign companies and remain a bridge that links the foreign business community to its institutional counterparts. This can help support and solve not only daily business problems that companies face but also offer up strategic views on long-term decisions.

VIR does a great job of updating information on all the sectors where entrepreneurs are interested, such as investing, property, money, and green growth.

Thanks to VIR, companies also have the possibility to advise as well as congratulate institutions on their positive decisions to create a profitable business environment.

Michele Wee - CEO, Standard Chartered Vietnam

The role of the press is becoming more and more important in facilitating investment and business decisions, at the same time, bridging enterprises with business opportunities. Hard work is required to stay ahead in the news industry.

Equally, it is important to build trust with the public by conveying timely, transparent and accurate information to readers. Knowing what to communicate, how to communicate it, and to whom it should be communicated can make the difference between successful and failed initiatives.

Having been in my current role for around 18 months, I am very much impressed with the dynamism of Vietnam’s journalism. Reporters dig deep into information flows and keep readers updated with economic, political, and social life in the country. I myself have benefited a lot from the media reports.

I have also had many opportunities to engage with Vietnamese journalists and share my views on the media, and I’m very happy with their dynamism and professionalism.

VIR and its publications are high-profile newspapers that I am interested in. My colleagues and I often find profound information about the business climate and the country’s economic developments, which are useful for us.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hue - General manager of Corporate Communications, AEON Vietnam

The press always holds an important role in every socioeconomic activity. Not only are readers updated regarding the latest information, but businesses are also provided with news from consumers and the market. The press has always acted as the bridge between businesses and their public stakeholders.

AEON Vietnam is grateful for all the support from press agencies throughout the years, especially VIR. Through printed and online publications, it has been dedicated to bringing top news and in-depth analysis about policies, business trends, and investment in Vietnam so that business leaders can get the latest information for important decisions.

Furthermore, talk shows and seminars organised by VIR are hubs to connect government figures, corporations, and organisations so they can share information on trending topics relating not only to business but also to the general development of Vietnam as well.

Adam Koulaksezian - Executive director, French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam

VIR is a valuable publication for the foreign business community, containing highly relevant information for decision-makers, investors, and business associations. The wide range of topics covered provides a broad understanding of the business environment in this country.

We particularly appreciate VIR as a reliable and comprehensive source of information for decision-makers and therefore for business associations like ours. We represent more than 250 companies here in Vietnam and accompany many French companies in their development in Vietnam. VIR has always responded to our requests to make the voice of the French-Vietnamese business community heard.

We hope that VIR will continue its efforts to provide the foreign business community with access to hands-on, qualitative, and specialised content with more complete reports on certain themes such as the green economy, the export strategies of Vietnamese companies, and articles on infrastructure development, which are of great interest to us.

Pham Minh Tuan - Vice chairman and deputy CEO, Bamboo Capital Group

Due to the nature of my job, I am often required to read and update materials in the press on a daily basis in order to comprehend the legislative changes, business environment, and other relevant information of Bamboo Capital Group.

VIR never misses a beat when it comes to keeping abreast of the latest changes in governmental legislation and the investment climate. As an avid reader of both the Vietnamese and English-language newspapers, I am impressed by the way VIR conveys precise, meaningful, and thought-provoking information and analysis.

During the pandemic, a number of press agencies and businesses partnered up to organise important social charity projects. I have high hopes that press agencies will continue to foster an attitude of serving society and readers. I hope every single journalist never loses his or her love for journalism, since it is a career that is intrinsically challenging and even sometimes hazardous.

Winnie Lam - General secretary, Hong Kong Business Association Vietnam

The development trajectory of Vietnam on many fronts is admirable, especially how it has continued to improve during and post-pandemic. The press certainly played an important part in helping to reflect the reality of the economy from more angles than one, which is integral in evaluating the needs of the modern society of Vietnam.

Journalists are getting more business savvy and are actively comparing the local situation with that of the rest of the world, giving the bigger audience a more realistic view of Vietnam’s challenges and achievements at the same time. They are no longer just reporting but are doing proper analysis of the situations to provide value to articles. The government is quick to evolve and adapt without giving up on integrity and control, and all these amendments, mostly based on Industry 4.0 fundamentals, drive Vietnam ahead towards its economic goals at a quicker pace.

VIR has been a companion to many foreign groups as a key source of information in the business arena and economy. The publications feature strong contributions from the business community and directly provide a true angle to issues worth further discussion. In addition, many Vietnamese reporters are now performing at par with many international reporters.

Stuart Livesey - Vietnam country director and CEO, Copenhagen Offshore Partners

The La Gan offshore project that we have been involved in has only been around for a few years. However, with the support of VIR and other agencies, more people have become aware and understand the true benefits of green renewable energy and the huge potential to deploy offshore wind on a large scale in Vietnam.

VIR is a professional and trustable source that provides valuable information to Vietnamese and foreign readers. I especially appreciate the sections on investing and renewable energy, which allow us to stay up to date regarding policies by the government and encourage us to share our experiences in developing offshore wind worldwide.

VIR provides us with a strong bridge to connect the project and the company with key readers and stakeholders in Vietnam, deliver valuable messages, and enhance the awareness of the local business community, thereby influencing the strategic decisions and mechanisms of the government and the local community.

Craig Martin - Executive chairman, Dynam Capital

As environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns are still a new concept to many companies in Vietnam, the media will play a very important role in raising awareness, changing mindsets, and providing knowledge for business leaders about key sustainability issues.

In recent years, we have already seen good collaboration between business associations and the media in hosting related awards for listed companies in Vietnam. For example, in January, the Vietnam Listed Companies Awards 2021 honoured those companies with effective disclosures around managing ESG risks. These kinds of awards can encourage companies to do more to improve their performance and help strengthen their brands and communicate the sustainable aspects of their businesses.

Dynam Capital is keen to continue collaborations with the local media to foster a greater awareness of sustainability principles within the Vietnamese business community. This can be done through contributing articles and organising workshops around issues that we consider to be particularly important.

Hoai Dinh - Executive director, Vietnam Business Coalition for Women’s Empowerment

The media plays an important role in enhancing gender equality, as it helps shape how people form their identities, social norms, and values in relation to gender.

Speaking specifically in the workplace context, the media is a powerful vehicle for bringing women’s empowerment issues to the attention of the wider public of both employers and employees, urging business leaders to step up commitments and take action to enact gender equality in their companies.

It can also support the increase the proportion of women leaders in the future workforce. There is research showing that girls and young women will be more confident and ambitious to take up leadership positions at work if they see more female role models as leaders on screen.

We hope to work more closely with the media to amplify the importance of this issue and spread the best practices in our client firms. We believe that our work and communications efforts by media like VIR will create a significant synergy to improve awareness and enable changes in both businesses and the community, towards a more gender-equal and sustainable society.

Tim Evans - CEO, HSBC Vietnam

As a banker, one of the first things I usually do most mornings is to read the financial and economic news. I find it helps me to catch up with the market, the corporate community and, above all, get updates on the government’s policies and the broad direction of the country. It also helps me, as the leader of a bank, to have a better understanding of our operating environment and thereby helps plan our strategy.

HSBC is fortunate to have had numerous valuable opportunities to speak with different Vietnamese media outlets. We certainly appreciate their efforts and professionalism in sharing hot topics from both the local and international markets with the readers, while also helping to promote Vietnam’s image and brand with the foreign business community.

However, there are still areas where the local media could look to further enhance its contribution to the country. Media must continue to play a key role as the market’s information conveyor by accelerating the speed of accessing international developments and changes and delivering these to the local market. It must also enhance closer collaboration with corporates and financial institutions to leverage their rich expertise in different aspects of the economy through opinion editorials, in-depth interviews, and talk shows.

David Harrison - Partner, Mayer Brown (Vietnam) LLC

VIR is at the forefront of publishing thought-provoking articles on amendments to Vietnam’s legal framework and their impact on foreign and local businesses. Through interviews with leading members of the international and local business community, it presents a range of perspectives which should have a positive influence on shaping government policy and law.

VIR can continue to provide a significant service to Vietnam’s business community by pressing forward the debate on challenging issues of law and economic policy. The country will soon need to make important policy decisions in linchpin sectors such as banking and power.

In the energy sector, Vietnam faces strategic choices that will reverberate in finalising the Power Development Plan VIII. Vietnam made robust commitments to climate change last year and will now need to take the next step in evaluating the appropriate mix of solar, wind, and gas as power sources this decade. Vietnam must weigh up factors such as technology, cost, energy security, and ability to attract foreign investment and know-how.

VIR can help draw the roadmap for Vietnam in these two sectors by continuing to provide a forum through which government leaders and the business community can share their views and engage in a meaningful dialogue.

Federico Vasoli - Managing partner, dMTV Global

Journalists and people in the media, including unregulated ones like social networks, have huge responsibilities, especially when they shape their audiences’ sentiments by choosing what facts to report and how.

From our multinational perspective in Singapore, Malta, and Vietnam, we have witnessed a particularly bumpy first half of 2022. It started with big optimism after the main pandemic-related restrictions were lifted, sapped immediately thereafter by uncertainty and fear caused by geopolitical events which made businesses halt many of their projects.

Rising inflation and fuel prices, lack of raw materials, and disruptions in logistics and supply chains have quickly reshaped models and expectations, with Vietnam now being, in my view, in an excellent position as a regional manufacturing powerhouse to serve neighbouring markets. This is also thanks to the many free trade agreements it has recently signed.

Through all this, VIR has done a remarkable job of informing its readers about the main trends in Vietnam, from advancements in digitalisation to private initiatives, to more positive business relations between Vietnam itself and the US. All this and much more provides readers with valuable information and much-needed optimism.