PRIVATE EQUITY IN VIETNAM:INVESTMENT SENTIMENT & OUTLOOK
QUARTER 2, 2010.
“Vietnam focussed Private Equity investors are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their sourcing and structuring of transactions. Understanding the motivations behind their investment decisions is an important element to helping the industry overall”... Read more

VIETNAM TAX UPDATES
VIETNAM - TRANSFER PRICING RISKS INCREASING?.
Recent news reports have noted that the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department believes that as much as 60 percent of foreign – invested enterprises (FIEs) currently operating in the city reported losses in 2009... Read more

VIETNAM TAX UPDATES
SPECIAL EDITION - PAYROLL AND STAFF BENEFITS - APRIL 2010.
The rules over health insurance; social insurance and unemployment insurance have become critical concerns for many people in Vietnam. Grant Thornton Vietnam would like to introduce a special edition newsletter this April to summarize some key points that may be of interest to you... Read more

TIPS FOR PROTECTING YOUR HOME.

Dear Neighbors, Friends & Customers,
 
In the past several weeks there has been an increase in the number of expatriates reporting break-ins in their neighborhoods.  Often times these crimes are pre-meditated and other times they are crimes of opportunity.
 
Perhaps if we re-think and change some of the ways we do things, educate ourselves and families and consider security enhancement, we can make our homes safer.  Here are some ideas you can use to help protect your loved ones, your possessions and your home.
 
1. Don’t Showboat – Leaving certain things in plain sight may lure thieves your way.  Open up your curtains, blinds or shades and take a stroll around your house to see what’s visible.  If you have a number of valuable items in plain sight or near windows (televisions, DVD players etc), you should consider a minor re-design.
 
2. Stow the Usual Suspects – the most common targets of thieves are the old standbys – cash, wallets, purses, jewelry, laptop computers, and electronic equipment.  Pay special attention to keep them secure.
 
3. Keep drapes or shades drawn during evenings and at night so as not to entice intruders.  Sheers can help conceal your home’s interior during the day while allowing in light.
 
4. Keep windows and doors locked even when you or your family members are home.  Check that all doors and windows are properly closed before going to bed.  Put a strong rod or dowel on the back track of sliding doors or windows to prevent break-ins.  Although you should always lock your windows before leaving the house, you can install a simple pin or nail into the frame to stop it from raising more than a few inches. 
 
5. Remove Coverage – remove shrubs and trees from in front of windows so they can’t hide possible intruders.  Keep shrubs trimmed low.
 
6. Planting thorny bushes by windows can be a good deterrent for burglars.
 
7. Tricking Burglars – if they can’t tell if someone is home, there’s a greater chance that they won’t attempt a break in.  Keep areas lit up outside.  Make sure you’ve installed compact florescent light bulbs that last longer and are better for the environment.
 
8. Sensor lights – place sensor lights along side of the house so that it lights up areas you don’t think about and that light sprays evenly across the drive way.  This will help with your visibility as well.
 
9. Change your routine – if someone is staking out your home, they’ll want to know your daily pattern.  Change it up once in a while.
 
10. Install a home security system
 
Keep in mind that just because you have been broken into that it won’t happen again.  Sometimes they strike twice because they know what you have and what you will replace and because they know how to get in.
 
We hope that you have found our tips useful. 
 
Santa Fe Relocation Services is a full service provider and can assist you with:
 
• International & Local Moving Services
• Office Moving Services
• Storage Solutions
• Orientation Services
• Temporary Accommodation
• Home Search
• School Search
• Settling in & Departure Services
• Pet Relocation 

• Police/Criminal background checks on your domestic staff and drivers
• Immigration Services
• Work Permits
• Residence Cards
• Legalization of Documents in home and/or host country
• Tenancy Management Services
• Financial Management Services
 
For inquiries, please email info@santaferelo.com.vn or call +84 8 3933 0065 (Ho Chi Minh) or +84 4 3941 0805 (Hanoi) and a dedicated Santa Fe representative will assist you.

CIMIGO ANNOUNCES VIETNAM'S BEST TELEVISION COMMERCIALS.

Leading research company Cimigo today announced the findings of Vietnam's largest ever study into the effectiveness of televised advertising, its AdTraction study, which polled over 22,000 people on their responses to over 140 television commercials (TVC).

The study found some notable and surprising results for Vietnam's advertising industry, with two commercials from Vinamilk leading the pack when it comes to consumer effectiveness of their commercials.

The top ten were as follows:

 
Reflecting on the results, Cimigo Managing Director Richard Burrage said: "Several key themes emerge from this survey which separates the best TVCs from the rest.  Firstly, a solid creative hook is crucial to gaining the attention of audiences, a creative idea that is integrated into either the message or the brand. Many of the best TVCs manage both."

"Secondly; simple ideas work best and tell the story visually. Those that need excessive voice overs are a sure sign of a lack of simple idea.  Further many of the best TVCs tap into Vietnamese emotions, using social responsibility, pride, family values or cultural mores to create an emotional attachment to the brand for its audiences. Vinamillk, Simply OMO and Knorr provide good examples.  Humour remains a very powerful draw card for this market, which notably worked well for Heineken and Coca-Cola.”

Vikas Mehta concurred, as Managing Director of Lowe Worldwide, which oversaw both of the Vinamilk commercials which polled 1 and 2 in this study and indeed was responsible for five of the top ten: "There’s no one formula as to why these worked, but there are a few common aspects that you’d find in ideas that work and these commercials are no different. They have a simple idea. The idea is rooted in a truth about the brand that resonates with people and their lives. And most importantly, is executed and produced in a way that makes it memorable. What we’ve also seen over and over again, is that campaigns that put people before the brand tend to do much better than the ones where a brand can’t stop talking about itself."

"What was interesting to note is that most of the mediocre advertising could be for any brand in its category.  The best TVCs broke away from typical advertising for the category and stood out in a way that demonstrated clearly that both the advertising and the brand are different from others in their category, continued Mr. Burrage.

The survey was the single largest research initiative ever to be done online in Vietnam, with over 22,000 respondents addressing such issues as their recollection, emotional responses, and likelihood to purchase products based on the advertising seen, and represents the most comprehensive study into Vietnamese televised advertising ever undertaken here.

Mr Mehta joined in commending the new research, saying "With this research, there’s now a simple yet concrete way of evaluating the emotional impact they had on people. The fact that an exercise of this nature is possible at a significant scale in Vietnam is a good development from an industry viewpoint.”

"With televised advertising commanding the lion's share of ad budgets, and with our research revealing it to be the most effective means by which Vietnamese learn about new trends and brands, it is essential that advertisers get it right - the consequences of not doing so can be dire, and this is the value that AdTraction offers to marketing managers and agencies looking to study the way in which their ads will be received by this market," said Mr. Burrage.

For further information, please contact Richard Burrage at richardburrage@cimigo.com.

Cimigo

Cimigo is an independent team of marketing and brand research specialists. Cimigo employs over 200 research specialists contributing to great brands and their effective communications.

Founded in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2003 Cimigo then expanded across major cities in Vietnam and beyond.

Within 12 months Cimigo opened offices in Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Can Tho, and Nha Trang.  In 2004 Cimigo developed operations in China and India.  Today Cimigo operates across the Asia Pacific region from Japan to Cambodia.

Cimigo provides research based consulting.  Cimigo advises four of the top five advertisers in Vietnam.

Contact Cimigo at vietnam@cimigo.com or visit www.cimigo.vn