KPMG presents: Danang – Vietnam’s economic growth driver

Vietnam has experienced a radical economic and social transformation over the last two decades alongside integration into the global economy. Within ASEAN, Vietnam is the EU’s fifth most important trading partner and holds great potential for foreign businesses.

Danang is Vietnam’s fifth largest city and the major economic hub of Central Vietnam. In 1997, it became one of five independent (centrally controlled) municipalities in Vietnam. Danang has a higher urbanisation ratio than any of Vietnam’s other provinces or centrally governed cities.

Its strategic geographical location, being on the north-south traffic axis of land route, railway, sea and air routes, has helped to create economic opportunities, supported by the establishment of Hi-Tech parks and industrial zones.

KPMG invites you to a roundtable discussion with Dr. Dang Viet Dung, Deputy Mayor of Danang City, Mr. Lam Quang Minh, Director of Danang Foreign Affairs Department, and Mr. Nguyen Xuan Binh, Vice Director of Danang Tourism Department, on Vietnam’s economic development and Danang’s central role in it.

Agenda
08.00-08.30 Coffee and networking
08.30-08.35 Welcome Remarks, Michael Lawrence, Chief Executive, Asia House
08.35-08.40 Speech, Dr Dang Viet Dung, Deputy Mayor of Danang City
08.40-09.00 Vietnam’s economic developments, Douglas Lippoldt, Senior Trade Economist, Global Research, HSBC
09.00-09.15  Doing business in Vietnam, Amanda Davenport, Senior Manager M&A Tax, KPMG UK
09.15-09.30 Mr. Lam Quang Minh, Director of Foreign Affairs Department, Danang
09.30-10.00 Open discussion

Attendance to this Asia House event is by invitation only. 

For further information, please contact: Melanie Ullrich at melanie.ullrich@asiahouse.co.uk or call 0207 307 5462.

Our Speakers

Dr Dang Viet Dung, Deputy Mayor of Danang City

In 1982, Mr. Dang Viet Dung graduated from Military Technology Institute with a Bachelor’s Degree in construction. He completed his Master’s Degree in irrigation construction at Danang University in 2005 and his Ph.D Degree in River and Coastal Management in 2011.

In 2005, Mr. Dung was the Director of Da Nang Department of Transport. In this role, he advised the city government on implementing various key infrastructure projects including the public transport network and proposed innovative structures for the infrastructure projects. In 2013, Mr. Dung was elected as the Secretary of the Party Committee of Hai Chau District, Da Nang City to control the socio – economic development of the biggest urban district of the City. At present, Mr. Dung is the Vice-Chairman of Da Nang People’s Committee. He is in charge of major fields of the whole city including the management and development of science and technology, culture, sports, tourism, labor and employment, education and training, information and communication technology, mass media and social policies.

Mr. Lam Quang Minh, Director of Foreign Affairs Department, Danang

Mr. Lam Quang Minh graduated from Ho Chi Minh City University in English Language. He completed an intensive course on international relations at the Ha Noi Institute of International Relations under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam in 1990. In 1995, he finalised his Master Degree in Public Administration at Maxwell School of Syracuse University, USA.

From 2000 to 2015, Mr. Minh was the Director of the Da Nang Investment Promotion Center. In this role, he was responsible for promotion, attraction and facilitation of domestic and foreign direct investment into Da Nang City, helping investors establish and develop their projects in Da Nang, providing a wide range of free and customized services to investors, bridging the gaps between investors and the city authorities. Mr. Minh has been appointed to the position of Director of the Da Nang Department of Foreign Affairs since December 2015. He is responsible for advising the city government in promoting Da Nang’s external relations to foreign municipalities, partners and international organizations, and implementing international integration strategies of the city.

Douglas Lippoldt, Senior Trade Economist, HSBC Global Research

Douglas Lippoldt is Senior Trade Economist in the HSBC Global Research economics team, based in London. He joined HSBC in August 2014 coming from the OECD in Paris where he worked for 22 years in various roles as a senior economist. Prior to that, he served seven years as an international economist with the US Department of Labor in Washington, DC.

Doug’s central focus is on international trade issues. He has published extensively on trade topics as well as related aspects of economic development, labour market adjustment, innovation and intellectual property.
Doug holds a PhD in Economics from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), an MA in International Studies from the University of Denver, and a BA in International Studies from Washington College in Maryland, USA. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Cologne, Germany. He represents HSBC as the deputy delegate on the B20 Trade and Investment Taskforce.

Amanda Davenport, Senior Manager, KPMG

Amanda is a Senior Manager at KPMG, specialising in Mergers and Acquisitions Tax. During Amanda’s ten years with KPMG she has spent time based in London, Singapore and Bangkok advising clients on a wide range of domestic and cross-border tax, accounting and regulatory matters.

During her time in Asia Amanda was the Tax representative for the European Association for Business and Commerce for Thailand (EABC) and a member of the Tax and Legal committee for the British Chamber of Commerce for Thailand (BCCT).  Amanda returned to London in 2015 and was recently appointed as a member of the UK-Vietnam Network executive committee, leveraging off her recent experience working in ASEAN.

Moderated by Michael Lawrence, Chief Executive of Asia House @asiahouseuk

Michael-Lawrence is the Chief Executive of Asia House, the centre of expertise on Asia and UK’s leading pan-Asian organisation. He heads the Asia House team in delivering thought leadership and market intelligence on Asia to some of the UK’s biggest companies, through its programme of events on business, policy and politics and culture.