Extraordinary Endeavors in Turbulent Times: Asian Innovation, Inclusion, and Impact during COVID-19

ASIA BUSINESS COUNCIL HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DatVietVAC Group Holdings (Vietnam) Extraordinary Endeavors in Turbulent Times DatVietVACGroupHoldings (Vietnam) Leveraging Entertainment as a  Force for Good in Face of COVID-19Challenges By Winnie Peng, Pauline Yeung, and Chun Hei Hung The following case study is based on written correspondence with DatVietVAC Group Holdings in October and December 2020, and an interview with Dinh Ba Thanh, Founder, Chairman and CEO of DatVietVAC, and Dinh Thi Nam Phuong, Advisor to the Chairman and CEO, on October 27, 2020. Introduction With fewer than 1,500 confirmed cases at the time of writing, Vietnam has been a bright spot for control of the COVID-19 pandemic. One factor that contributed to containment efforts was the rollout of BlueZone in mid-April 2020, an official app by the Vietnamese government that registers health information, traces potentially risky close contacts, and provides up-to-date information on the coronavirus. But in April and May, the government faced the problem of distribution; moreover, it would have to convince a population of nearly 100 million to voluntarily download and use a contact-tracing app. In this case, the answer for the government lay in leveraging Vietnam’s rapidly growing entertainment sector – and particularly a partnership with DatVietVAC Group Holdings, the leading media technology company in Vietnam. Dinh Ba Thanh, Founder, Chairman and CEO of DatVietVAC, recalls a call from the Minister of Information and Com­ munications, during which the minister described the government’s plan to improve the country’s contact-tracing and early warning systems using the BlueZone app. Since DatVietVAC has business relationships withmore than 600 top Vietnamese celebrities, the minister wanted to see whether Thanh could help promote the campaign. Thanh agreed, and DatVietVAC started by assigning a few prominent influencers to the campaign. Soon, a wave of celebrities followed. The hashtag #BlueZoneVie was used for the campaign, which resulted in a reach of 349 million and more than Asia Business Council DatVietVAC Group Holdings Region Vietnam Year of Founding 1994 Headquarters Ho Chi Minh City Type of Company Non-listed Company, Family Business Number of Employees 720 Total Revenues in 2019 VND 4.5 trillion (US$197 million) Major Businesses Entertainment, Media, and Content Entertainment Shows Vietnam Idol, Chung Sức (Family Feud), Ơn Giời Cậu Đây Rồi (Thank God You Are Here), Người Ấy Là Ai (Who Is Single Vietnam), Siêu Trí Tuệ (The Brain Vietnam), Rap Việt Drama Productions Không Thể Rời Mắt (Can’t Take My Eyes Off [You]), Gạo Nếp Gạo Tẻ (Plain Rice Sticky Rice) COVID-19 Initiatives in a Nutshell Engagement of Vietnamese Celebrities to Promote Official COVID-19 Informa- tion App BlueZone; Launch of Online Streaming Service VieON; Entertain - ment to Comfort and Relieve Stress