Vietjet and HDBank lauded for contributions to Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan has his photograph taken with foreign managers and experts working at Vietjet and HDBank

On February 21, the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Nguyen Thien Nhan, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and member of the Politburo, pay visits to Vietjet and Ho Chi Minh City Housing Development Bank (HDBank), the two exemplary businesses in the city, on the first working day after the Lunar New Year holiday, marking the arrival of Year of the Dog. The visits aim to convey New Year greetings.

Nhan’s entourage consisted of the municipal Party Committee members and leaders from diverse city-based departments, sectors, and branches.

Vietjet and HDBank were two out of four city-based businesses honoured with receiving the city leader and Politburo member on the return from the Lunar New Year holiday. The two others were Vietcombank and VietinBank, two leading state-owned commercial banks.

Nhan highly appreciated achievements and contributions of Vietjet and HDBank.

Nguyen Thien Nhan is courteous as he holds a teleconference with tens of thousands of Vietjet and HDBank employees

“Vietjet should serve as a motivating force for start-up businesses, and HDBank should lend part of its capital sources to nurture business start-ups,” Nhan said. 

In his speech at Vietjet headquarters, Nhan noted that the Vietnamese people have expressed an endless source of creativity, attested through the country’s long-lasting construction and development course.

“The successes Vietjet and HDBank have reaped are vivid examples of Vietnamese people’s creative development process. Although Vietnam’s per capita GDP is currently a mere $2,300-2,400, the operating capacity and development levels of Vietnamese businesses is by no means inferior to those businesses in developed countries which report per capita GDP in the range of $50,000-$60,000” he said.

Nhan applauded commercial lender HDBank for stepping into its 28th year of development. Both Vietjet and HDBank have been listed on the bourse, with total market capital touching $2 billion and $4 billion respectively, with strong engagement from hundreds of foreign investors – all helping to bring in enormous added value to the companies’ shareholders and contribute to the Vietnamese stock market’s spectacular growth in the past years.

Vietjet CEO and HDBank deputy chairwoman Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao addressing the meeting

Vietjet has undergone a development process to be proud of, standing as an icon for Vietnamese people’s self-reliance and self-improvement, and an emblem for “Vietnamese people who dare to ride on the tiger’s back, to fly, not to run on the earth’s ground. We dare to do so because we hold the intellect to work with global partners.”

Nhan also conveyed his wishes for Vietjet to continue its safe flying track record, widening its fleet from 55 to 100, then 200 new-generation aircraft as per agreed contracts. This expansion would stretch its arm to remote local destinations that could not previously be reached by flights, and in the meantime see the company integrating even further with the global market.

This would help bring more visitors to Vietnam and ameliorate the country’s image, thus raising national economic development.

“Thirteen years after national reunification, in 1988, I came to North Korea to join the International Youth Festival. There people asked me whether the war had ended in Vietnam as at that time they had poor knowledge about our country.

“Today, wherever Vietjet flies to, people there have a fair understanding about Vietnam,” Nhan said.

With regard to HDBank, Nhan expressed expectations that the bank, carrying the name Ho Chi Minh City in its title, must become exemplary for quality of service and achieve great success.

He urged that the ‘black credit’ phenomena not exist anywhere holding an HDBank branch office. “The country could be thriving if innovative business start-ups received due attention from the government. Their efforts could bring continuous success as sustainable development largely comes from these kinds of joint efforts.

“The bank employees, with a warm heart and international-standard intellect must join hands for national development. HDBank must stand as a prime exemplar for service quality. Wherever HDBank units exist, financial support is readily available for business startups,” Nhan said.

The city Party chief also praised the efforts of Vietjet and HDBank in making use of the expertise and experience of a strong contingent of foreign staff coming from more than 30 countries around the world.

Nhan said he expects Vietjet and HDBank to grow even stronger in the future, with more contributions to national development and people’s well-being.

The amicability and friendliness of the city leader spread warmth to tens of thousands of Vietjet and HDBank employees watching the meeting via teleconference.

The special meeting on the first returning workday in the Year of the Dog marks a good start, bringing expectations that Ho Chi Minh City generally, and businesses in particular, will make great strides in development throughout the year.