Dear valued Members,
The year 2020 is a significant year for the German Business Association as it is our 25th anniversary year, the year of 30 years of German reunification and 45-years of diplomatic relationship between Germany and Vietnam.
We started very excited and full of energy into this year, as we planned many special events for our anniversary year.
Those plans got strongly disrupted once Covid-19 started to spread and the consequences of the global pandemic had a tremendous impact on all our business and personal lives, up to now.
Thanks to wisely chosen preventive measurements by the Vietnamese authorities, the situation in Vietnam now mostly under control. Jointly with the AHK Vietnam, we have brought over 400 experts and their families back into Vietnam this year, who were stranded in Europe. Despite the pandemic, we have witnessed the EVFTA coming finally into force and we can already see the first successes.
On behalf of the GBA Board, we would like to express our gratitude to all our 320+ members – for staying with us and joining us this year despite those obstacles.A special thank you to our corporate partners: Deutsches Haus Ho Chi Minh City, Deutsche Bank, Festo, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam and Rödl & Partner for your strong and continuous support in 2020.
We would also like to thank the German Ambassador and the German Consul General – for your partnership and friendship. When it comes to projects of mutual interest like the establishment of a bilateral German – Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce we count on your continuous support to convince our host country of the reciprocal benefit of such a bilateral institution.
Let us share some figures with you that we believe are remarkable: To our all content, we were still able to organize several virtual and later physical events.
- On 21 November we celebrated our 25-year Anniversary Gala with over 300 guests. We are especially happy that we were able to welcome so many long-term and new members, as well as numerous honorary guests – among them the German Ambassador, the German Consul General, the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, and many others.
- Right after our Gala, we have taken part in the German festival “A piece of Germany” on the occasion of celebrating the 45-year Anniversary of Vietnamese-German Diplomatic Relations, jointly organized by the German ConsulateGeneral, Deutsches Haus Ho Chi Minh City, the AHK Vietnam and the GBA. With over 4000 visitors and many of our members presenting, we believe it was a great success!
- We organized 8 Business Meetings in 2020 where we covered a wide range of topics.
- 6 Members for Members webinars and 1 seminar.
- 11 networking event DeutschenTreff in HCMC and Hanoi attracted each time around 100 participants.
- Our first GBA Badminton Tournament has attracted a hundred players together with their family and friends.
- We have revamped our website to a new, responsive design.
To highlight our cooperation with the EuroCham with a few representative mentions: the GBA Board joined EuroCham Business Awards and Gala Dinner. Together with the NordCham, the GBA successfully co-hosted the November edition of the Business Thursday in Hanoi with more than 85 participants. The European Night, co-hosted with the CEEC attracted over 100 participants.
Because of the insecure situation throughout the year, the GBA Board decided to postpone the 28th GBA Oktoberfest. We are hoping the situation will allow us to welcome you next year again.
In 2021, we will continue to be your voice and advocate in Vietnam. We will also continue to make our critical but constructive contribution in the board of the EuroCham and its bodies. The GBA is by far the biggest financial net contributor to the EuroCham’s budget and will position itself accordingly.
A big thank you to the entire GBA Board for their contributions, work, time, and efforts throughout the entire year, be it in sport events, the time-consuming preparation for the Gala Dinner or the implementation of a new internal HR and administration process. Our warm thank you also to our GBA-office team.
Finally, we would like to inform you that on Monday, 25th January 2021, the GBA Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place in Ho Chi Minh City and in Hanoi. The GBA Board will report on the activities and the accounts for their period of governance at the AGM and the new GBA Board will be elected. Your candidacy and presence at the AGM will be highly appreciated!
It is our pleasure to work for and with you. On behalf of the GBA-team, we wish you and your families a festive holiday season, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year 2021!
Yours faithfully,
Alexander Goetz & Torben Minko