The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office is announcing the 15 Finalists of the Experience Mekong Showcases 2021 from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as Guangxi and Yunnan in China.
Laos Sees Record Number of Covid-19 Cases and Sixth Death
Laos has confirmed 280 new cases of Covid-19 today, a record number as migrant workers continue to cross the border returning home.
Savannakhet Prepares Quarantine Center to Accommodate 10,000 People
Savannakhet authorities are scrambling to construct quarantine centers to accommodate the flood of migrant workers returning from Thailand.
Yonyou Hong Kong: 18 Years in Hong Kong, Empowering Enterprise Digitalization
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 28 July 2021 – Yonyou (HongKong) Co., Ltd. held a media briefing last Friday at Harcourt House in Wanchai, introducing yonyou’s 18 years of business development in Hong Kong and its cutting-edge tools for enterprise management. Bowen Guo, General Manager, and Wing Tsang, Deputy General Manager, expounded on how they can provide the best practices for cross-border enterprises with the emerging technologies and latest regional strategies, expediting the digital transformation journey of Hong Kong enterprises.
Founded in 1988, Yonyou Network Technology (600588.SS) has been leading the enterprise services market for 33 years. Yonyou is currently the No. 1 provider of enterprise cloud services in China and the world’s leading enterprise management software and cloud services provider, offering tailor-made Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. Gartner, a professional global research firm, has ranked yonyou among the top 10 ERP providers in the world, meanwhile IDC has ranked yonyou as the largest enterprise management software provider in China for consecutive years.
Keeping the core value of ‘care for users, innovate continuously and be professional’, yonyou adheres to sustainable development to promote business and social progress with innovation and technology, providing customers with digital, intelligent, global, social, ecological, platform-based, highly flexible, secure and reliable enterprise cloud services and solutions in eight major industries: sales and marketing, procurement, manufacturing, supply chain, finance, accounting, human resources and collaboration services.
Thanks to China’s economic open-up, IT industry has been developing rapidly, rising the demand for enterprise digitalization. Looking back, yonyou’s overseas business has been growing steadily year by year, with a compound growth rate of around 20%. The latest report has shown that yonyou owns more than 230 branches and 8,200 ecosystem partners worldwide, serving more than 6.50 million customers. Yonyou’s products support globalization and localization services with features such as multi-language, multi-currency, multi-exchange rate, and multi-time zone, offering professional support to Chinese enterprises to expand globally. Yonyou’s subsidiary Chanjet Information Technology (1588.HK) is listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Founded in 2003, yonyou Hong Kong is the headquarter of the Overseas Business Unit, providing software and cloud services to enterprises in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, ASEAN countries, Australia, and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Starting from a team of 3 people 18 years ago, yonyou has expanded to over 400 employees overseas. Based in Hong Kong, yonyou Hong Kong leverages the city’s role as a gateway between the East and the West, boosting the process of globalization for enterprises.
Bowen Guo, General Manager of yonyou Hong Kong, said that yonyou Hong Kong had seized the historical opportunity of Chinese enterprises going global and foreign enterprises entering China, connecting mainland China with the world. At the same time, through its unique ‘research at the front and development at the back’ model in the Greater Bay Area, yonyou is able to deepen cross-border cooperation by emphasizing globalization and localization features.
Yonyou has seized the strategic development opportunities arising from the overlapping of three waves: digitalization, nationalization, and globalization. To scale up the R&D in cloud services, yonyou has increased 1500 engineers this year, fully utilizing frontier technologies such as cloud computing and RPA to optimize its product solutions and promote business innovation. Facing the ever-changing market, yonyou keeps on increasing its investment in technological innovation, optimizing enterprise structure and strengthening organizational resilience.
18 years of serving overseas enterprises, yonyou will continue to grasp the benefits of Hong Kong as an international metropolitan and the development of GBA ecosystem, driving digital transformation of group enterprises and SMEs in the region, improving operational efficiency and accelerating innovation in all industries.
Company Website: https://www.yonyou.com.hk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YonyouHongKong
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yonyouhongkong
Twitter: https://twitter.com/YonyouOverseas
#YonyouHongKong
Hugill & Ip extends its support to the Outreach Legal Talks Initiative
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 28 July 2021 – OUTLET (Outreach Legal Talks Initiative) is an innovative project that provides free talks delivered by law students directly to underprivileged communities in Hong Kong. The pro-bono project was originally organised by a group of law students from the University of Hong Kong. PILnet has also strongly backed the project.
PILnet serves as the Secretariat of the Hong Kong Pro Bono Roundtable, which was created in 2014 to connect, activate, and coordinate pro bono lawyers in Hong Kong to maximize the impact of their efforts, such as mobilizing legal services, organizing joint interventions, and building a pro bono community.
This year Hugill & Ip Solicitors is collaborating with OUTLET to organise a series of Estate Planning legal talks – held as webinars and live seminars.
OUTLET aims to enhance social justice and equality through empowering the needy and helping to prevent legal problems. Under the supervision of legal professionals, law students design their own talks and deliver their insights to groups in community centres. Throughout June and July 2021, five different meetings have been held at HKSKH Western District Elderly Community Centre, The Salvation Army Chuk Yuen Centre for Senior Citizens and HKYWCA Ellen Li Elderly Community Centre. Each session was complemented by a Q&A session where solicitors from Hugill & Ip answered questions and interacted with the audience.
Students and solicitors introduced key legal issues to the elderly, specifically on matters related to areas of Estate & Probate law: including reversed mortgage, Wills and Probate, Advanced Medical Directives, guardianship, co-ownership, Enduring Power of Attorney, and annuity.
Alfred Ip – Partner at Hugill & Ip – commented: “It’s been amazing to help this project and contribute to the growth of many talented HKU students in terms of knowledge of Estate Planning matters, as well as supporting the local community with better awareness about the necessary steps to take in protecting themselves and their loved ones.”
Jacqueline Cheng – Associate at Hugill & Ip’s Private Client team – added: “I’ve been extremely excited to be part of this pro bono initiative and have relished the opportunity to answer questions, face-to-face and online, about real-life situations that many individuals face in their daily lives.”
Marco Raccuia – Head of Finance & Operations – noted: “This outstanding initiative not only fits Hugill & Ip’s commitment to social responsibility, but also adds tremendous value by spreading legal knowledge. Local elderly communities and their carers have been provided (and will continue to be provided) information on tools and protections available to achieve proper Estate Planning”.
Outreach Legal Talks main components are:
- The need to bring information from online platforms directly to affected communities, and explain legal issues in plain language;
- “Train the Trainer” effect: lawyers have limited time for pro bono legal talks, OUTLET instead invites them to train law students who are in the course of their legal studies and are more available to deliver talks;
- Interactive Social workers educate students about community needs. Discussion and interaction with the audience during the outreach talks have a further empowerment effect for OUTLET participants.
Hugill & Ip will offer internships in Summer 2022 to a group of OUTLET students from The University of Hong Kong who have participated in this year Estate Planning legal talks. The firm will also continue to collaborate with the organization on future pro bono activities that benefit the community – in particular the elderly and their carers.
About OUTLET
OUTLET (Outreach Legal Talks Initiative) is an innovative project that provides free talks delivered by law students directly to underprivileged communities in Hong Kong. They have developed educational materials and have held several talks. The team was also invited to share their experience at PILnet Global Forum in 2018, as well as to showcase their projects at PILnet Virtual Global Forum in 2020. They are currently conducting their 4th cycle of talks.
#OUTLET
About Hugill & Ip Solicitors
Hugill & Ip Solicitors is an independent law firm providing bespoke legal advice and exceptional client service to individuals, families, entrepreneurs and businesses, in Hong Kong and internationally. Hugill & Ip provides high quality legal services with integrity, professionalism and respect for clients and the community. For more information, visit https://www.hugillandip.com
#HugilandIP
About PILnet
PILnet connects lawyers and civil society organizations to improve access to justice for vulnerable communities, such as children, refugees, and displaced people. It provides organizations with high-quality free legal assistance and resources, and develops opportunities for lawyers to provide meaningful pro bono. Moreover, PILnet trains law students, public interest lawyers, and corporate lawyers, including through its annual Student Competition in Hong Kong and fellowship programs. For more information, visit https://www.pilnet.org
#PILnet
Amazon Celebrates Local Businesses in Singapore for National Day
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 28 July 2021 – As part of this year’s National Day festivities, Amazon is recognising small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in Singapore and showcasing their success stories with a dedicated ‘Shop Local’ storefront on Amazon.sg. Shoppers can also immerse themselves in an interactive video to discover the stories of Hook Coffee, Jomingo, and Oddbods. The storefront features deals from SMBs across categories including home and home improvement, electronics, kitchen and dining, health and personal care, toys and games, groceries and more.
With Amazon’s latest 2021 study revealing that more than half of Gen Z Singaporeans are #ShopLocal fans, the curated storefront further builds on the strong Shop Local momentum from this year’s Prime Day (21 & 22 June), which delivered the two biggest days ever for small businesses on Amazon.sg. More than 17,000 small businesses participated in Prime Day 2021, of which 7,000 joined for the first time ever to enjoy record-breaking sales.
“Nurturing local businesses has always been at the core of our work at Amazon and goes hand in hand with our customer obsession. Our Shop Local storefront aims to directly connect brands and shoppers across Singapore, providing over 225 free tools to help SMBs get online and scale. We are very heartened by their success and will continue to expand our efforts to spur their growth, empowering local sellers to digitise, expand beyond our borders, and connect with consumers around the globe. As we celebrate our resilience this National Day, we hope that Singaporeans will continue supporting SMBs in Singapore,” says Bernard Tay, Country Leader, Amazon.sg Seller Services.
In addition to shopping from local brands and enjoying exciting deals during National Day, shoppers can participate in ‘The Great Local Giveaway’, a series of social contests on Amazon.sg’s Instagram page. They can explore products from six SMBs and participate in the contests to stand to win a gift set. More than 25 gift sets are up for grabs and ‘The Great Local Giveaway’ runs from 28 July to 20 August 2021.
Notable SMBs featured on Amazon’s dedicated Shop Local storefront include: Singapore’s first online coffee subscription service – Hook Coffee; plant-based and eco-friendly beauty brand – Jomingo; and toys offered by the Emmy-nominated animation series – Oddbods.
Hook Coffee
As the first e-coffee company to offer subscription services in Singapore, Hook Coffee makes fresh, quality speciality coffee accessible and more affordable to everyone. It was founded by two Singaporeans in 2016.
Today, not only are all its coffees ethically sourced and traceable, but Hook Coffee also launches a new flavour every month. Amidst the pandemic, it started hosting virtual workshops for those keen to learn more about coffee.
In just five years, the brand has expanded its product range from coffee beans and grounds to single-serve drip bags, Nespresso and Dolce Gusto compatible capsules, and bottled cold brew coffee.
Hook Coffee started offering its products on Amazon.sg in July 2020, relying on Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) to sell and manage its stock and deliveries domestically. This year, it is looking to expand internationally with Amazon’s 20 global stores to reach over 150 million paid Prime members and hundreds of millions of active customer accounts worldwide.
“Amazon is a really good platform for start-ups keen to sell their products online and understand how the e-commerce business works. The dedicated account managers, coupled with services such as FBA, make it very easy for us to process orders, control inventory, manage marketing campaigns, and reach customers far beyond our network – without any compromise on the quality of our coffee. We’re excited to grow our reach and customer base with Amazon globally now – anything and everything is possible!” said Wayne Lai, CEO, Hook Coffee.
Enjoy 22% off on Hook Coffee Yaya Kakaya from now to 9 August 2021 via the Shop Local storefront here.
Jomingo
Jomingo was conceptualised after Singaporean founder Tan Jing Jun suffered rashes from conventional deodorants in university. This led her to develop her own formula of natural, plant-based deodorants that are eco-friendly. Today, Tan uses ingredients sourced from Asia, mostly Singapore, where possible, and takes pride in offering plastic-free packaging for her natural products.
Within a year, Tan has put Jomingo on the world map with Amazon – she started selling on Amazon.sg in October 2020 and quickly expanded to the UK in February 2021. Selling on Amazon has helped her to not only understand the strict regulations of a new country but also allowed her to manage her set up costs, build brand awareness, and fulfil orders for a whole new store and customer base.
This year, Tan hopes to expand her product line by offering a new variety of natural and eco-friendly products, and to sell online in more countries internationally.
Founder of Jomingo, Tan Jing Jun, said: “When I first started Jomingo, I could have never imagined being in Singapore and selling to customers all the way in the UK! But Amazon made it a reality very quickly and smoothly – guiding us closely on the tax regulations and policies of a foreign market and minimising our costs in building our brand in a new market. Managing order fulfilment and our supplies also became hassle-free as Amazon took care of the nitty-gritty so we could focus on understanding our new customers.”
Enjoy 15% off on Jomingo Natural Deodorant from now to 9 August 2021 via the Shop Local storefront here.
Oddbods
Oddbods, the three-time Emmy nominated animated series for pre-school kids, is currently broadcasted in over 180 countries and watched by millions of kids. The series is produced by Singapore-based studio One Animation and its toys have been sold on Amazon since 2019. Despite being a small animation studio with limited resources, Oddbods has fulfiled orders and expanded in eight stores internationally with Amazon, and can gather direct consumer feedback on its toys from Singaporean and global fans across the US, Europe, and Asia.
Last year,
“Selling globally on Amazon has allowed us to reach kids everywhere – from Singapore to Mexico to Poland. We use Amazon’s Pan-FBA services to ship our inventory while Amazon fulfils our orders in different countries. This has been very critical for our market expansion and growth to truly become a global brand,” said Amir Biran, VP of Digital & Ecommerce, Oddbods.
Enjoy 15% off on Oddbods Stuffed Plush Toys & Figurines from now to 9 August 2021 via the Shop Local storefront here.
Discover the wide range of selection and deals from local businesses on Amazon.sg here, with additional savings from the National Day sale, happening from 5 to 9 August 2021 here.
To find out more about selling on Amazon, visit: https://www.amazon.sg/sell.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfilment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit Amazon.sg.
#Amazon
Residents Urge Government to Address Rising Cost of Living
Residents and merchants in Vientiane Capital have urged the government to intervene and address the rising cost of living.
Laos Prepares for Reopening of Tourism Under New Normal Conditions
The government of Laos has instructed the tourism ministry to coordinate with localities around the country to prepare for the reopening of tourism under “new normal” conditions.