ScandAsia South East Asia - February 2016

ScandAsia.dk ScandAsia.fi ScandAsia.no ScandAsia.se

FEB

2016

MalaysiaIndonesiaPhilippinesVietnam

CambodiaLaos

The Malaysia door-opener: Danish Ambassador Nicolai Ruge

ScandAsia.dk ScandAsia.fi ScandAsia.no ScandAsia.se

FEB

2016

Malaysia

Indonesia

Philippines

Vietnam

Cambodia

Laos

The Malaysia door-opener:

Danish Ambassador Nicolai Ruge

ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in South East Asia.

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Coming Events

Eurocham Cambodia: No access to finance - Myth or reality?Where: Comme à la Maison Restaurant, Pnom PenhWhen: 16 February, 08:00

Eurocham Vietnam: Launch of the WhitebookWhere: Hanoi and Ho Chi MinhWhen: Hanoi 2 March, 8:00am - 3:00pm, Ho Chi Minh City 3 March, 8:00am - 12:00 am

Annual Northern Lights Dinner and NBCP Awards 2016Where: Fairmont Makati Hotel Ballroom, Manila, PhilippinesWhen: 6 April, 18:00 - 22:00

The year 2015 marked the 25th anniversary of EU - Vietnam diplomatic relations, with the notable conclusion of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, there is great interest from the European business community on the improvements to the current business climate in Vietnam.

The 8th edition of the EuroCham Whitebook (“Whitebook 2016”) is a collective expression of the views of EuroCham member companies, which operate in a wide range of industries. The publication echoes the business community’s desire to support the Vietnamese Government in the development

of the current legal framework and a positive business environment in Vietnam, for the benefit of companies, investors and society at large.

In order to bring the Whitebook 2016 closer to EuroCham’s member as well as press and media, this year, the lauch of of Whitebook will take place in both cities Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

The NBCP proudly presents the Annual Northern Lights Dinner and NBCP Awards, with cocktails, dinner, and entertainment at the Fairmont Makati Hotel Ballroom on Wednesday, April 6, 2015 at 6.00 – 10.00 PM.

Following the success of the previous NBCP Awards Gala Dinners, we have the pleasure to invite you to a night of celebration among the vibrant Nordic-Philippine business community. The highlight of the event is the presentation of NBCP Awards in the following categories:

(a) Company of the Year(b) Growth Company of the Year(c) CSR Activity of the Year(d) Outstanding Employer of the Year

Next EuroCham Breakfast Talk will be focusing on the access to finance for SME’s.

The financial system is the lifeline of a country’s economy: it creates prosperity that can be shared throughout society.

No matter what type or size of business you have, unlocking finance is the key to future growth. Yet with so many different options now available, knowing which way to turn can be a lengthy and complex task, often requiring time and special understanding.

Mr. David Marshall, our guest speaker, will provide useful insights and advices on the matter.On the agenda for discussion are:•Overview of credit growth and funding options

available today; •Role of the credit bureau; •Non banking financial intermediaries: shadow

banking sector; •Risk appetite of various institutions; •Transparency, financial statements, tax avoidance; •Liquidity cover ratio.

4 ScandAsia.South East Asia • February 2016

News Brief

Sweden hosts Nobel dinner in Kuala Lumpur

Swedish Honorary Consul presented with Royal award

Sweden’s Honorary Consul James Wong Tsun Hyun in Kota Kinabalu on Borneo, Malaysia, has been rewarded with The

Order of the Polar Star from the Swedish King Carl XVI.

Sweden’s Ambassador Bengt G. Carlsson timely presented the Order during the dinner in the Honour of Alfred Nobel, held in Kuala Lumpur on 10 December.

The Honorary Consul had not been able to receive it directly from Swedish King in Stockholm earlier this year.

The Order of the Polar Star is awarded for civic merits, for devotion to duty, for science, literary, learned and useful works and for new and beneficial institutions.

It is often awarded to foreign office holders (such as Prime and Senior Ministers) during Swedish state visits. Its motto is, as seen on the blue enamelled centre of the badge, Nescit Occasum, a Latin phrase meaning “It knows no decline”. This is to represent that Sweden is as constant as a never setting star./

The Swedish Embassy in Malaysia hosted a dinner in the Honour of Alfred Nobel on 10 December (the same day of the Nobel

Banquet held every year in Stockholm City Hall) at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur.

Around 120 guests showed up, including our Guest of Honour and a truly Malaysian entrepreneur in the spirit of Nobel, Tan Sri Dr. Tony Fernandes, CEO and founder of Air Asia.

The Swedish Ambassador also had the great honour of presenting Honorary Consul James Wong Tsun Hyun with the Order of the Polar Star awards, since he had not been able to receive it in person from Swedish King Carl XVI in Stockholm earlier this year.

February 2016 • ScandAsia.South East Asia 5

News Brief

Mermaid Maritime Vietnam opens new branch

All-new XC90 Suv from Volvo launched in Malaysia

In early December 2015 Volvo Car Malaysia unveiled the all-new Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine. The arrival of the all-new XC90 in Malaysia

marks a new chapter in Volvo’s transformation plan that started almost five years ago.

The XC90 is a premium seven-seat SUV, equipped with world-leading safety technologies and powered by a plug-in hybrid powertrain that delivers an unrivalled combination of power, fuel efficiency and low emissions.

The SUV is the first Volvo model built on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) modular chassis technology, which is part of the Volvo-

by-Volvo strategy. The new modular architecture also allows Volvo to retain or improve on safety features without compromising on design, size or weight. Thanks to the extensive use of high-strength boron steel, cars built on SPA can be made more compact and safer at the same time.

The innovative electrical architecture in SPA elevates the car’s intelligence level significantly. It is designed to integrate with new technologies such as microprocessor, sensor and camera technology, with greater ease. This facilitates the introduction of new accident-preventing safety solutions and

‘‘We want to be even more close to our customers,”said Kristian Svarrer, co-owner of Mermaid

Maritime Vietnam JSC. His colleague and co-founder Jorgen Lundbaek agreed: “Over the past 11 years, we found that more and more vessel’s calling the por t of Hai Phong, the Nor th of Vietnam. We are located in Vung Tau, the South of Vietnam.”

On 11 November 2015 their wish was taken into action, and the Danish-owned shipping company opened a new branch in Hai Phong in Vietnam.

“We decided to open our new office and workshop in North of Vietnam, so we can service the shipping industry and many shipyards better and faster.”

The new branch is therefore an extension of Mermaid Maritime’s head office in Vung Tau, which is located 100 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh. With offices located both in the North and

South of Vietnam, it is now easier to reach their clients and overall improve their service.

The new office was celebrated with enter taining dragon dancers, delicious food and demonstrations on how to use Mermaid Maritime equipment.

“Both owners and directors plus all our staff are very excited of our new location, and are all looking forward to put the name Mermaid Maritime Vietnam on the map of North Vietnam,” says Jorgen Lundbaek.

Mermaid Mar it ime Vietnam JSC was established in 2004 in the port Of Vung Tau, and is owned by Danish Kasper & Kristian Svarrer from Lauritzen’s EFTF Esbjerg and owner of Mermaid Hotel, Jorgen Lundbaek. Their main business is to service and supply all types of marine safety equipment for both the Merchant Vessel’s and Off-Shore Installation with Global approvals with highly trained Vietnamese technicians, now totaling 36.

enables rapid introduction of new multimedia and connectivity options.

“With SPA, we are able to have the best combination of luxury, space, versatility, efficiency and safety in the all-new XC90. This will bring the SUV segment into a new dimension, just as the original XC90 when it was first introduced,” says Keith Schäfer, Managing Director, Volvo Car Malaysia.

Mr Schäfer adds, “Our decision to bring in the T8 Twin Engine variant was bolstered by the government’s ambition to turn Malaysia into an ASEAN hub for Energy Efficient Vehicles (EEV), in line with the National Automotive Policy. We are very thankful to have the support of all relevant government agencies and ministries in helping us bring this technologically advanced plug-in hybrid here.”

The T8 Twin Engine is Volvo’s most powerful powertrain offer for the SPA platform. The T8 Twin Engine utilises a combination of a 4-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor that outputs a total power of 407hp and 640Nm of torque, whilst still delivering a combined fuel consumption of 2.1l/100km and CO2 emissions as low as 49g/km. The Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine goes from naught to 100km/h in only 5.6 seconds.

The standard safety package for the XC90 T8 Twin Engine includes two world first safety technologies: a run-off road protection package and auto brake at intersection capability. These innovations form part of a suite of safety features that makes the all-new XC90 one of the safest cars ever made.

The recommended retail price for the XC90 T8 Twin Engine is RM453,888.00 (on-the-road price without insurance, inclusive of six per cent Goods and Services Tax).


News Brief

a new model for trade policy with developing countries”.

“The EU and Vietnam have also committed to ensure the respect of workers’ rights and to support a sustainable management of natural resources,” the Commissioner added.

Vietnam has experienced a radical economic and social transformation over the past two decades alongside integration into the global economy. As a rapidly developing and fast growing ASEAN economy, Vietnam holds substantial potential for EU businesses.

The FTA will fur ther strengthen relations between our two economies and societies. It builds on the EU-Vietnam Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), currently undergoing ratification. After the EU-Singapore

trade deal concluded in 2014, it provides further evidence of the EU’s commitment to Southeast Asia and is an important building block towards an eventual region-to-region FTA with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Vietnam has also agreed to accept the EU’s new approach on investment protection – in particular a permanent investment dispute resolution system with an appeal mechanism.

The way ahead is now clear to begin the legal review and translation into the EU’s official languages and Vietnamese. The Commission will then present a proposal to the Council of Ministers for approval of the agreement and ratification by the European Parliament. Vietnam enjoys trade preferences with the EU under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences.

EU signs Vietnam FTA

On 2 December 2015, the parties EU and Vietnam for the landmark trade deal announced the conclusion of the

negotiations for the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The EU considers the FTAs with individual ASEAN countries as stepping-stones towards an agreement in the regional framework, which remains the ultimate goal.

As well as unlocking a market with huge potential for EU firms, the agreement will support Vietnam’s transition towards a more competitive, smarter and greener economy. It will also help trigger a new wave of high quality investment in both directions, supported by an updated investment dispute resolution system.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said: “Today’s completion of the negotiations is good news for both the EU and Vietnam. Vietnam is a vibrant economy of more than 90 million consumers with a growing middle class and a young and dynamic workforce. Its market has great potential and offers numerous opportunities for the EU’s agricultural, industrial and services exports. This FTA is also significant because of its strong focus on sustainable development. It will support Vietnam’s efforts to further enhance economic growth and development for its people in the years to come. This agreement provides

Joint Sectoral ASEAN-Norway Committee opened

Norwegian State Secretar y Mor ten Høglund was present during the official opening of Norway’s ASEAN-Norway

Joint Sectoral Cooperation Committee (AN-JSCC) in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday 11 December.

“Being an ASEAN partner is very important for Norway,” said State Secretar y Mor ten Høglund. “It will allow us access to important political arenas and enhance the opportunities for Norwegian companies in Southeast Asian markets.”

The AN-JSCC will be the key driver in the Norwegian par tnership with ASEAN in the coming years. Norway was accepted as a sector dialogue par tner to the organization at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in August 2015 in Kuala Lumpur.

ASEAN-Norway Partnership that is action-

oriented, mutually beneficial and forward-looking, and comprising political and security cooperation, economic cooperation and socio-cultural cooperation including, but not limited to, the following areas: Political and Security Cooperation, Economic Cooperation, Social and Cultural Cooperation, Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI).

The par t ies have agreed that the implementation of measures will be funded by the Norwegian ASEAN Regional Initiative Fund.

In 2014, the ASEAN countries – taken together – were Norway’s fourth largest trading partner and home to the highest concentration of Norwegian companies operating abroad.

Source: Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok, ASEAN

Sweden to open embassy in Manila in 2016

The Swedish government has announced the opening of an embassy in Manila, The Philippines in 2016. Its main focus will be

to strengthen trade and investment promotion and policy dialogue.

- We see the embassies as a way to create jobs in Sweden. It is important that we improve the opportunities in these markets that are a little further away, that is a little harder to get into. Then the embassies play a huge role, says Economic Development and Innovation Minister Mikael Damberg.

Philippines, with its over 100 million inhabitants, is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. Swedish exports to the Philippines amounts to almost one billion Swedish kronor. Nearly 22 000 Swedes visited the country last year and the number is expected to increase along with that the national tourism industry is growing. The Embassy’s main task will be to promote trade and investment exchange with the Philippines. The Embassy’s tasks also include political coverage.

The new embassy will be staffed with two people posted from the Foreign Ministry and a number of local employees.


News Brief

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Norwegian Seafood Master Class in Penang

On 7 December t he Norweg i an Sea food Counc i l or gan i sed a

Norwegian Seafood Master Class in collaboration with Penang Chefs Association. It was the biggest training the Norwegians have held so far in Southeast Asia, where 180 Chefs was trained about Norwegian Salmon, mackerel and king crab.

The training featured the talented chefs Jimmy Chok from Singapore and Markus P Dybwad from Norway. HE Hans Ola Urstad, Ambassador of Norway, and Chief Minister of Penang YAB Tuan Lim Guan Eng officiated the event and spoke warmly about the seafood collaboration between Malaysia and Thailand.

In his opening remarks YAB Lim Guan Eng Chief Minister of Penang, thanked the Norwegian Seafood Council and the Royal Norwegian Embassy for selecting Penang as the destination to conduct this training. Lim Guan Eng underlined the importance of Penang as the “Culinary Capital of Malaysia”, and said he believed the Norwegian

salmon and other Norwegian seafood would work well with the long held traditions of Malaysian cuisine in Penang.

The Ambassador of Norway to Malaysia HE Hans Ola Urstad emphas ized the impor tance of Norwegian seafood for the Norwegian economy.

“For Norway, seafood and in particular salmon, is an extremely important export commodity. The total value of this export per year has now reached nearly 35 billion Ringgit. In other words, this is a very significant industry in my country, providing a livelihood for many thousand people.”

He could fur ther inform that Malaysian impor t of Norwegian seafood is increasing. Last year the imports reached 1,900 tonnes and are expected to increase by 5-10% this year. The fresh Norwegian salmon is air-flown to Malaysia in as little as 48 hours after it left Norway’s cold clear waters and it is easily available in leading sushi restaurants, hotels, restaurants and supermarkets in Malaysia.


IPP is an Official Development Assistance (ODA) program financed jointly by the governments of Vietnam and Finland, in its second phase running through 2014-2018. IPP is an initiator, facilitator and

connector with the aim of strengthening the Vietnamese innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. It fosters new activities, connections and collaboration regionally, nationally and internationally.

The Finland-Vietnam Innovation Partnership Programme Phase II (IPP2) has announced two Requests for Expressions of Interest and a series of events in December 2015 to introduce its 2016 offering. IPP will provide Grants for Start-up Ecosystem Developers as well as Support for Vietnamese Universities and Other Educational Organisations for the development of their innovation and entrepreneurship training and broader offering. Calls for Proposals related to these two offerings will be organised in early 2016.

Grants for Start-up Ecosystem De-velopersIn an effor t to increase and accelerate the creation of better services for young innovative growth companies throughout Vietnam, Call for Proposals concern the star t-up of ecosystem development consor tiums projects. These projects aim to strengthen the innovation system and create new services for young innovative growth companies and may concern developing an incubator, accelerator or another type of service or program for start-ups or young small enterprises.

Support for Innovation and Entre-preneurship Training DevelopmentUniversities and other educational organisations in Vietnam that are developing their innovation and entrepreneurship training, ecosystem networks and related offering have also been

invited to send their Expression of Interest and discuss their plans and needs with the IPP.

IPP targets long-term benefits for the Vietnamese economy and innovation system. The program has so far tested and showcased mechanisms for suppor ting high-growth entrepreneurship by providing phased funding and training support for the innovation projects of 18 new innovative growth companies and 4 innovation ecosystem development consortiums. It has also trained 12 innovation coaches in a hands-on Training of Trainers Program. Following a strategy revision, the IPP will not be expanding its current portfolio of company projects, but will focus on working hands-on with programs and organisations that can, in the future, provide training, coaching, funding and other support and services for innovative companies in Vietnam.

Emphasis on ecosystem building“In 2015, the IPP2 has been successfully demonstrating and showcasing mechanisms for suppor ting high-growth entrepreneurship in Vietnam. It has built a transparent and well-functioning process for attracting, screening and evaluating innovation project proposals, as well as providing phased grant support and practical training for the selected innovation projects,” states Mr Marko Saarinen, Finnish Council in Vietnam

The showcase portfolio of 18 companies is sufficient for the purposes of IPP2, Mr Saarinen continues. “The IPP-supported company projects are advancing well and some of them will potentially prove to be international success stories. There are many more promising companies in Vietnam. What these companies need to prosper is coaching, mentorship and money. IPP can only support a handful of companies, but hopes to catalyse further support from other programs and funding bodies that can make use of the lessons learnt from the support that IPP has been delivering.”

IPP2 will be providing a larger grant for the most potential projects in its current portfolio in early 2016. Another main effort will be put on those providing and developing support services for innovative companies.

“Listening to the needs of the ecosystem and working hands-on with four system development consortiums has underlined that in order for the IPP to maximise its impact, the program should focus on working closely with these types of projects – with accelerators, incubators and other programs that will in the future be able to provide grant, training and other support for young innovative companies in Vietnam,” Vice Minister Khanh elaborates.

Adding efforts to innovation capabilities A key tool for innovation system development on all levels is capacity building.

The program has so far been working on a practical innovation and entrepreneurship core curriculum, which has been tested and refined in a Training of Trainers Program and in the Innovation Accelerator Program. The concepts, learning and teaching techniques and practical exercises are much needed in Vietnam to increase the generation of new innovations, successful start-ups and other stakeholders in the Vietnamese national innovation system.

“The program’s target is to multiply practical innovation and entrepreneurship training in Vietnam, which is why it will work with several partners and also provide open-source content for the benefit of wider public,” Mr Saarinen adds. Also on the capacity building side the program will continue to provide training and coaching to its innovation projects and further institutional and capacity building support for Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

The Finland-Vietnam Innovation Partnership Program (IPP), with a budget of €11 million, is co-funded by MOST and Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Finland-Vietnam Innovation Partnership Programme in 2016


Danish children’s books awards in Vietnam

In late November 2015 a ceremony was held in Hanoi to award the winners of the Writing for Children Campaign.

The reward of innovative writers and illustrators of children’s books is part of 10 years of Danish suppor t to Vietnamese children’s literature. Hundreds of interesting books and picture books for children have been published and distributed to children through the years. Child-friendly writing and illustrations are so important for the development of a child since they help shape his/her identity and imagination and are her/his very first connections with the outside world.

‘Denmark is proud to have contributed to the development of Vietnamese Literature for children through our 10 years of co-operation with Kim Dong Publishing House. Across cultural differences, we have found ways to make magical books, which talks directly to children enabling them to comprehend and understand all kind of topics and human situations’ said Ambassador, Charlotte Laursen in her speech.

Source: Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam

News Brief

Danish Embassy Vietnam co-hosted human rights education

Sweden-funded Myanmar media capacity building

The U.S-based Media Development Investment Fund on 10 December 2015 announced the launch of a $2.4 million

capacity building program for media in Myanmar funded by Sweden.

The program will provide tailored capacity building support to a select group of independent media companies to help them develop the media management skills necessary to establish financially sustainable quality news businesses.

The program will help key independent news outlets respond more effectively to the rapidly evolving political – and media – landscape.

Over three years MDIF will work with around a dozen companies, all selected for their independence, potential impact and likelihood of long-term survival. Three or four will be ethnic media and 2 - 4 are expected to become eligible for MDIF’s regular loan or equity financing over the course of the program. Participating media will be a mix of print, broadcast and digital, with local, national and international reach.

“Robust, viable independent media outlets are essential if Myanmar is to build on last month’s election,” said MDIF Asia Director Tessa Piper, who will be overseeing the program. “They must be strong enough to hold politicians to account and provide a voice for the people. Our

coaching program will draw primarily on media professionals from around the region who can share relevant experience and practical know-how with their Myanmar counterparts. And in that way help them build financially stable media businesses.”

“Freedom of expression and the enabling environment for free, independent media are priorities in Swedish development cooperation with Myanmar” said David Holmertz, Counsellor at the Embassy of Sweden Section Office in Myanmar.

“For domestic media to effectively promote democracy, human rights and development, they need to be sustainable without undue dependence on forms of funding that may risk compromising their editorial independence.”

MDIF is a not-for-profit investment fund providing financing and technical assistance to independent media businesses in countries where access to free and independent information is under threat. MDIF invests in media that provide the news, information and debate that people need to build free, thriving societies. The fund has provided affordable financing and management advice and assistance to more than 100 independent news and information businesses over 20 years.

Human rights are increasingly recognized in Vietnam, stated the Embassy of Denmark. On November 12-13, 2015, the Danish

Embassy and Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences co-hosted an international conference in Hanoi to discuss the opportunities and challenges of human rights education and research in Vietnam!

“Human rights education is essential for the promotion of respect for and observance of human rights. Through human rights education

it is possible to develop the skills and attitudes that promote equality, dignity and respect in communities, society and worldwide,” Ambassador Charlotte Laursen said in her speech.

The conference was held in collaboration also with Vietnam National University, the Ho Chi Minh City Law University and the Danish Institute for Human Rights in the framework of the Danish-funded Good-Governance and Public Administration Programme.


Into his fourth year as Denmark’s Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur Nicolai Ruge shares insights on dealing with and building relations in Malaysia, and the vibrant Danish-Malaysian business exchange and strong investment

into the country.The Ambassador arrived back in August 2012,

when, coincidentally, all the Nordic countries had new head of missions appointed to Malaysia. For Nicolai Ruge it was very much his choice of heart to come here.

“I deliberately wanted to go back to this part of the world; I like the dynamics and the, quite extreme, diversity of Southeast Asia.”

Nicolai Ruge’s very first job in his early days was for the United Nations, working in very remote Papua New Guinea. Later, he also spent three years in Vietnam with the World Bank and the U.N.

“Hanoi was fantastic, I loved it. But it was still much undeveloped, only just opening up to the outside world back then, in the late 90’s”

Figuring out MalaysiaKuala Lumpur is by far the most developed city the ambassador has been posted to.

“Quality of life here is pretty high, that’s for sure, and that’s why many people decide to settle down in Malaysia, under different schemes. At least a handful of former ambassadors have stayed on after their final posting in Kuala Lumpur or returned later for retirement.”

“I’ll be the first to say that I’m still trying to figure out how Malaysia ticks. It’s not a very straightforward country to understand – it’s got this fantastic ‘Malaysia truly Asia’ image, but the reality is that when you scratch a bit on the surface it’s a lot more complicated; having to do with the ethnic groups, the religious differences, the east-west Malaysia division, the urban–rural divide... there are lots of complicated dimensions!”

The Ambassador also mentions the 13 state governments with their different positions in the federation, and then on top of everything, the formality of the structure versus what actually takes place underneath.

Personal relations are of utmost importance in Malaysia, and those take time to build.

“You need to go and meet people individually and personally, and a number of times.”

By Joakim Persson

The Malaysia door-opener:

Danish Ambassador Nicolai Ruge


Nicolai Ruge therefore agrees that the longer an ambassador is here the better in terms of generating results.

“There are other countries where you would get up and running more easily than here. And, as goes for the rest of this region, personal connections make a big difference. That’s a truth regarding doing business here but also for establishing inter-governmental relations. You may have a good offer but first they want to find out who you are.”

Opening doorsBut by building these relations and with a very formal society the ambassador can oftentimes help.

“Where I can make a difference is sometimes in opening doors. Malaysia is a country where titles and status means a lot. When an ambassador says he or she would like to have a meeting, it makes a difference, and I think companies in general appreciate that. Doing business here can be formalistic and bureaucratic sometimes. I know that on numerous occasions we’ve been able to give companies access to people they would otherwise not have been able to meet; that’s quite clear.”

“We certainly do accomplish a lot of things; we have these pretty specific KPIs for the trade work that we do and meet those year after year so that’s very satisfying.”

Danish businesses’ presence in Malaysia are increasing and expanding.

“A number of companies have established themselves in recent years and a surprising number of companies actually set up their regional representation here. Partly it’s so much more expensive in Singapore, so it’s cost-efficient to do it here and you have the same level of connectivity and IT infrastructure and so on. Among them are one of the largest companies in the Nordic region; Novo Nordisk.”

Novo Nordisk opened their new regional office in Kuala Lumpur in June 2015, and so did Arla recently. Radiometer Medical (setting up own distribution), GN Resound (setting up manufacturing in Johor) and Palsgaard (inaugurated a new emulsifier factory) are other recent highlights in terms of Danish investment

and significant arrivals“We would like to see that trade numbers

increase but the point is that the companies establish themselves here not so much necessarily for the Malaysian market but they do it more for the regional market.”

Up in Penang, for instance Ambu and Fibertex have production and are expanding.

“But it doesn’t mean that they are exporting more to Malaysia. They are exporting from here to the rest of Asia; the local market is saturated for them.”

“I just want to emphasize that you may not see it in the traditional trade statistics between the two countries but of course it facilitates for the companies to grow, as they establish themselves here and have a good business. That is part of being a global company.”

The ambassador thinks that companies choosing Malaysia for their respective regional hub is increasing at the expense of Singapore.

“Also, I don’t think it is a coincidence that in the World Bank ease of doing business Malaysia is ranked as number 18 [Doing Business 2016]. That’s a very nice position. It’s is really up there and in all these rankings of attractiveness and so on it ranks very high compared to a country like Indonesia.”

Potential for further trade boost“As for Malaysia’s growth potential, one shouldn’t underestimate the improved relations with Singapore and the fact that the whole of Johor and the Iskandar region bordering Singapore is really being thought of as one city two countries, with much closer connections,” Nicolai Ruge points out. “Increasingly, companies put R&D in Singapore and manufacturing on the other side of the border. Singapore is expanding both road and rail connections into Johor and so on.“

Denmark is seeing the promise of a further boost in trade as Malaysia is now again eligible for IFU investment (Denmark’s Investment Fund for Developing Countries), after a revision of its mandate. IFU can invest, in general in Malaysia, offering new exiting possibilities for Danish companies who want to grow their business in Malaysia and the region.

“IFU is one of the investors in Danish Energy

Efficiency Par tners [see separate story], and we are very happy to see IFU come back into Malaysia as they are in a number of other middle income countries. And IFU is very interested in the Malaysian market; they have been here in the past and had several successful investments,” comments the ambassador.

Much can be done onwards on the green technology front, he believes, primarily in the major urban areas such as Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Penang.

“It’s for instance something the State of Penang is also very interested in. They need to retrofit some buildings to reduce energy costs and they also need to be better at cleaning their waste water. We are in dialogue with KL, Melaka and Penang on Danish green technologies and possible collaboration with Danish authorities.”

On the internal political turmoil in the country he recognises that there is a “linkage between the political situation and the economy. But there’s no tendency in Malaysia for the country to become more difficult to do business in – on the contrary; it’s an open economy and they want to trade. They have got FTAs with basically every economy in the region and they are one of only 12 members of TPP that has just been approved by Malaysia’s parliament, only awaiting the formal ratification to come into force.”

“These are examples of how willing Malaysia is to look outward for trade and make sure they remain as attractive as possible for Foreign Direct Investment. I must say that it is our experience that Danish companies who come here to set up shop find that they are being very well received. The Malaysian Investment Development Authority is doing a fantastic job and we have a very good collaboration in trying to make it clear for Danish companies what incentives you can get if you are looking into manufacturing or only interested in sales and marketing etc.. It’s very clear and generally very attractive.”

Inauguration of Radiometer Medical in Kuala LumpurAmbassador Nicolai Ruge attends a Royal visit to Carlsberg Malaysia


2015 was another fruitful, and a very busy, year for the Danish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, which, as highlighted by its Ambassador Nicolai Ruge, saw several new Danish key company

arrivals setting up production or a regional hub, while others expanded.

Over 60 Danish companies have established subsidiaries in Malaysia, while many others are active on the market through local agents, importers and distributors. For instance, Radiometer Medical took their next step in 2015 to go from being presented through a distributor to establishing their own presence on the market in Malaysia and GN ReSound opened up a manufacturing facility in Johor.

In 2016 there is no let-up of this positive trend in terms of trade, business and know-how exchange between Denmark and Malaysia, also with the key difference (formally from January) that the Danish Trade Council nowadays sell the region together with Denmark’s other missions in Southeast Asia.

January saw Fibertex Personal Care announce an investment of yet another production line in Malaysia to service the growing Asian hygiene market, and a Danish minister visit is in the works.

Reaching ASEAN and beyondThe embassy puts great emphasis on promoting

Danish business interests in Malaysia, where its Trade Council assists these in entering, establishing and expanding their position in the market, incorporating Southeast Asia and beyond.

“We’re trying to make companies in Denmark aware about all the various possibilities you find in Southeast Asia now, especially with AEC being implemented, but also various free trade agreements, either concluded or being negotiated. You now also have – to be ratified – TPP. All these different developments and trends make Southeast Asia extremely interesting from a European and of course also from a Danish perspective, because of the huge market opportunities. Within a single market of over 600 million people you will step by step have free movements of goods and services and that makes it an ideal hub for production, distribution as well as sourcing,” highlights Joakim Laursen, Deputy Head of Mission, Head of the Commercial Section. “And also targeting some other countries where there is bilateral trade. You can from Malaysia now target these big markets like the U.S and China duty free - which is not the case if you were to do the production in Europe. We are trying more and more to explain these trends to Danes as the reasons why they should start looking at this region. Several of its countries are also relatively easy to do business in compared to some of the other markets in Asia.”

With the new non-competitive approach

the Trade Council in each country also strive to tailor its services to the needs of the individual company; or in Ambassador Nicolai Ruge’s own words: “We need to look at it from the company’s point of view and not get into some awkward and unproductive competition with each other.”

Denmark’s seven embassies in the region, explained the ambassador, now have a joint, regional Sales and Marketing Plan to streamline and professionalise the way we promote the ASEAN region in our trade work. This will change the incentives tremendously, he thinks.

“Now the region does matter; it’s now equally important for my trade department here that the counterpart in the Philippines performs well, as we have a joint target to reach.”

“Then it matters less where a company for example choose to set up a regional head office. We work together in promoting the region and assisting the companies in the best way possible. There will be a dialogue that we have with the company and the colleagues in the region. Sometimes they have made a decision, while sometimes they are looking at Southeast Asia: where does it make sense for us to look in the first step? Depending on what kind of business case they have we will discuss with them and see where it would make sense for them to start up,” adds Joakim Larsen.

“If the company has highlighted Singapore and

Danish Trade Council promotes the regionBy Joakim Persson

Ambassador Nicolai Ruge inaugurates Radiometer Medical’s new Kuala Lumpur office


Danish Trade Council promotes the regionBy Joakim Persson

Malaysia as its potential destination, we will have a joint dialogue about the pros and cons of setting up in Malaysia and Singapore, and depending on the criteria the company value the most we would discuss where we would then think it is more suitable. Of course sometimes it’s obvious, if there are some parameters, which are more important to the company than others,” continues Joakim Larsen, and adds that it is sometimes also a matter of taste, where each trade council office can give its view on the status of things in their country and the company can also get first-hand experience from other businesses that have already entered.

“Singapore is for many companies their first choice when setting up regional headquarters and of course there are many good reasons for that. Some others also have good schemes, like Malaysia that tries to promote itself as a suitable regional hub where, compared to Singapore, the costs are lower.”

“Danish companies may want to start out in Singapore but we can help them when and if they also wish to enter the other markets in the region so they don’t have to start up seven times.”

Sector-specific supportThe Trade Council in Malaysia has identified specific sectors within which areas of growth are promising, and opportunities for Danish products and service extensive. These are: Food, Agriculture

and Fisheries; Information & Communications Technology (ICT); Healthcare; and Energy and Energy Efficiency.

“One area where we have strengthened our work is on the food and agriculture and fisheries, since we strengthened the embassy last year with a Minister Counsellor Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. We’ve then been able to do much more in this area, e.g. by helping the fifth biggest dairy company in the world, Arla Foods, by establishing their regional hub office in Kuala Lumpur and welcoming the CEO from the Danish Agriculture and Food Council.”

“We are also hoping to welcome the Danish Minister of Environment and Food to Malaysia this year.”

“We have also done two feasibility studies; one on aquaculture and one on agribusiness technology of the market and where Malaysia could benefit the most from closer cooperation with Denmark; meaning establishing collaboration and not so much in the first round directly with companies but with Danish authorities, for Malaysia to get inspiration on how we Danes handle different issues and how we have grown our agriculture industry to the level where it is now.”

New investment support has also been made available, as the Danish government and the Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU),

along with two pension funds, have just established a brand new Agribusiness Fund in 2016. This Fund can invest in projects using Danish technology, service providers or with a Danish interest in another relevant form. Projects throughout the entire value chain from farm to fork are eligible. IFU is also the fund manager of the Danish Climate Investment Fund, which promotes climate investments in developing countries and emerging markets, thereby contributing to reducing global warming and promoting transfer of Danish climate technology.

Eyeing Malaysia’s pork productionAdditional market delegations to Malaysia are also being planned for the year within aqua-culture and livestock production.

A pork production delegation will bring Danish expertise for partner matchmaking

“They actually have a quite substantial production in Malaysia and its government and private sector want to develop and improve the environmental sustainability of this sector further. We would try to come in and have a dialogue and see how we can assist them in developing the whole value chain within pig production.”

As part of Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Program its government has highlighted the aquaculture sector for further development, with a growth plan. Its population is the third largest consumer of seafood in ASEAN.

“We are trying to bring in a Danish group of companies in April to see how we can assist and cooperate with Malaysian authorities and private investors in developing that sector.”

Similar market visits are planned within poultry production and dairy sectors.

The Danish embassy will also continue its efforts to promote the Malaysian ICT market, one of the pillars in the aforementioned transformation programme. Described as already one of the most developed markets in the region, this sector is expected to expand with an average of 7% until 2019.

There are a few Danish establishments within ICT that serves as great cases, including DONG Energy IT.

“Malaysia has some very interesting incentives for foreign companies within ICT and Kuala Lumpur is already an attractive working place as a regional magnet to many companies and many employees. They are able to attract from the region, and the Middle East. And it continues to be relatively cost competitive in terms of salaries. It’s very competitive if you compare to salaries in Denmark and Europe,” comments Joakim Larsen.

“In various international studies and rankings Malaysia has been the third most suitable country for outsourcing business after India and China. It’s not least due to good infrastructure, the ability of skilled labour and the possibility of 100 per cent foreign ownership.”

“We will try to build awareness among Danish companies, especially where they are struggling back home to source enough IT programmers and developers. This is an alternative.”

The promotion activities for this region also continue back in Denmark. All the heads of trade from Southeast Asia did a road show last November, and similar activities are being planned for 2016, also including various media.

Ambassador Nicolai Ruge attends the inauguration of GN Resound’s production plant


Starting in Malaysia, Danish Energy Efficiency Partners Sdn. Bhd. (DEEP), which is a partnership between Danish Management Group A/S and Danish Climate Investment Fund (managed by

IFU) as partner is now winning nod of approval, and clients, with a very smart and yet simple concept through a one-stop-shop facility for energy efficiency in buildings – also known as ‘retrofitting’ – with the State of Malacca as first client.

A major challenge in the efforts to cut CO2 emissions relates to the fact that buildings are not energy efficient. In the case of Malaysia 70 per cent of its commercial buildings currently use 50 per cent more energy than they should, had they improved their efficiency. Modern technology and systems could significantly reduce this energy consumption, driving a new era for low carbon cities.

Retrofitting is the answer and Denmark has this tried-and-tested method, which partly builds on the Nordic country’s extensive expertise in terms of knowhow and technical solutions from companies. The benefit of the complete solution is that it not only offers a financing solution that qualified clients will have hard times to decline, but also the generation of Danish export and trade in the process. And, perhaps even more important, it enables significant, large-scale reduction of the

carbon footprint of entire cities.The State of Malacca entered into a contract

with DEEP in June 2015 with the objective to save energy in state-owned buildings by installing and financing energy efficient technologies and services, becoming the first showcase in the region for the new Danish solution.

Valued at about DKK 40 Million, the state, over the next years, pay for the contract from the energy cost savings – a significant solution making clients buy in to the package offer.

Consultant at DEEP Henrik Rytter Jensen shares further details on this innovative concept.

Beyond fragmented retrofitsThe full package of integrated energy efficiency measures DEEP, with which the Dane believe they are unique, allows large projects to be undertaken in a vast group of buildings in a city or state. This goes much further than fragmented retrofits and simple equipment upgrades.

“We can do the audit, a plan for equipment, activities and design. We can do the procurement process, financing, oversee installation, supervise and hand over. So basically, as a building owner, you don’t have to be involved in that design procurement phase. But you have to pay back, in monthly installments, the investment that we have made and we make sure that the payback is within the energy savings you achieve. So, no

extra cost for you, as the building owner, and the concept is quite strong in that sense – you don’t have to pay anything extra compared to what you are paying today. We call it old money, as it’s not new money; there’s no need to find a new budget. That is the kind of cap that we have: We will do everything we can up to the cost of your electricity, because that is also part of our credit worthiness of the client, that we are saying that it’s easier for us to credit rate a client if we make sure that the money that we take from them is money that they have spent in the past.”

”We can cater to both private and public clients. Private clients can be hotels, malls, office buildings with a certain size.”

When the contract period ends they’ll take over the full ownership of the system - and have a further drop in the electricity bill. We do longer periods; up to ten years, in order to allow for some of the more substantial projects to be implemented,” adds Henrik.

“We look at everything because we don’t have one single technology; we combine the technologies that fit your building. We’ll combine low-hanging fruits, like lighting, with the more higher-hanging fruits, such as a chiller system, and by combining investments with short and long payback periods we get a medium payback period.”

“And these savings can help you to pay back

Danish concept enables high energy savings through retrofitting By Joakim Persson


Danish concept enables high energy savings through retrofitting By Joakim Persson

something that is more substantial and makes a difference to the comfort of the building; enabling to get a perfect temperature.”

“We can actually draw up these designs and these plans, where all these technologies fit in and are sold as an integrated system. We operate independently from specific suppliers and actually choose the best technologies from all over the world. In that sense we have the same interest as the building owner – to use the most cost effective equipment in the retrofitting”.

Financing an obstacleSeveral of each other independent coincidences contributed to the start of DEEP in Malaysia.

Its co-owner Danish International Energy Management & Esbensen had been active in the country for the past fifteen years, involved mainly in various donor-funded projects within energy efficiency and renewable energy, and holding contracts with Danish government for Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

As they were looking for something else to continue with, energy efficiency in buildings for cities and municipalities came up - as something they have been involved in as ESCO (Energy Services Company) projects back in Denmark.

“We had gained quite a lot of experience in doing that in Denmark and started looking at exporting this into Southeast Asia, combining

with the good network and our knowledge about policies and what kind of barriers there might be for this.”

Malaysia became the pilot country also because they were simultaneously contacted by the regional organisation CIMT, ‘Centre Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand - Growth Triangle’. An ADB study had recommended CIMT that cities should focus on reducing energy consumption.

“Without really knowing that we were working on this concept here, they were looking for someone who knew the Malaysia context but who could also bring that concept to the other countries. And we were already involved in all three of those, so they believed we were the right one – and we had a match.”

As CIMT was preparing Green City Action Plans, Malacca was first out and the agreement with DEEP is to involve 32 states and provinces in the three countries, spurring decision makers to take on energy efficiency and green actions.

The final piece in the puzzle concerns the financing; a big obstacle when it comes to retrofitting. External financing is needed even for public institutions and governments.

“Here there are no government funds available and it’s very difficult to get building owners to fork out this money. Even governments want to spend their funding on new, more visible projects that gain more political feedback instead of improving

the efficiency of buildings,” comments Henrik.”We needed to find someone to partner

with and put a finance package together and that’s where we approached the IFU (Investment Fund for Developing Countries).”

“IFU, fund manager of the Danish Climate Investment Fund, liked the idea as they could see that there’s a potentially big investment volume in doing this.”

This fund can participate as a co-investor in larger climate projects.

“Our concept - that we are working on a city or state scale and have a huge volume - is important for the cooperation. It’s the size of money interesting to the more institutional investors.”

The first stage of the project involved three buildings, followed by another six.

“The contract value increased to about 80 Million Danish Kroner. But it does not end there as Malacca has about 90 public buildings, which need retrofitting.”

The whole intention is that this will constitute a showcase and a pilot project for doing retrofitting of all state government buildings in Malacca.

“We can grow this as much as the market is willing to sign contracts. We’re starting up in Kuala Lumpur and Morocco as well and we’ll be doing a few more projects in Malaysia and are looking at opportunities elsewhere in the region.”


The name Ecolean can imply an inclination towards being eco-friendly [writer’s interpretation], and it turns out the be true that this Swedish company’s products are indeed

friendly to nature, mainly in the sense, as described by their representative for Southeast Asia, Mr Paul Mellbin, that they consume less material.

“This is our answer to the environmental concern; by using less material we are less harmful and which is something that is true wherever you go. Our approach is quite simple – we do the lightest possible packaging, and using less material is always better,” responds Paul at their new regional headquarters in Kuala Lumpur (opened in 2015).

“It may sound a bit pompous but we prefer to do this in the right way – which is to use less. Less also means less material, less energy and less in your waste basket both physically, visibly and to be handled.”

All packages are really a system in the sense that it includes the empty package, how it’s printed, the filling machine, the filling operation.

“It’s a long chain, and from an environmental point of view you have to look at that from a cradle-to-grave perspective,” explains Paul.

Ecolean is in the business of developing and manufacturing innovative packaging systems for the dairy and liquid food industry and innovation is at the forefront of its business, within a quite conservative sector and with relatively long cycles.

“We are the innovation,” says the Swede when the topic comes up.

Not much else has emerged since the carton box was launched in the 1960’s from the other Swedish player, the leader in this sector – until Ecolean (founded in 1996) came up with its innovative packages solutions. Only the bottle is a realistic alternative in some segments.

So gradually, thanks to this Swedish company, the packaging of beverages on the market in

Southeast Asia is going to change.Ecolean’s package is lightweight, based on the

multi-layer film structure used in the brand’s Air Aseptic packages, which is suitable for low and high acid liquid food products.

They replace part of the plastic with mineral filler, based on calcium carbonate (chalk), and thereby use less plastic. It is this innovation that enables a low environmental impact. They also supply the filling machines.

This flexible packaging also features an air-filled handle for greater convenience and an easy-to-open design. The pack is also microwaveable and can be accompanied by an optional straw.

One of their packages is the Air Aseptic Clear, about which Paul comments: “This transparent one is something absolutely new – you have not seen anything like it for sure. There has been a demand from the market for many years to have a transparent and aseptic packaging and we are first being able to offer this.”

Innovative package solutions provider takes on Southeast Asia

By Joakim Persson


Innovative package solutions provider takes on Southeast Asia “One side of the innovation is to look

different on the shelves. That is one key point. Our products offer the market something new and there aren’t that many alternatives when it comes to this type of safety aseptic packaging fulfilling very high requirements; you normally see square cartons from only one or two suppliers.”

“We also have a package that withstands transportation well, is not sensitive to water and can be sold even from buckets with ice. The fact that its environmental profile is also better than established packages is of course a plus.”

Coming back to the topic of waste, an independent study found that traditional cartons lead to food waste levels of around 10%, while packaging from Ecolean resulted in food waste levels of around 1.5-2%, as the container can be manipulated and squeezed to force out more product.

“The real business decision however relies on how it works; in distribution and consumers’ eyes, and of course market shares - or markets that you cannot reach at all today.”

The mainstream products are milk-based products, products similar to milk (like soy based products, rice-based, and cereal products) and beverages such as juices, still drinks, ice teas, ready-to drink coffees etc.

In order to meet the markets’ opportunities in the Asean countries, Ecolean opened a regional headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from which Paul Mellbin is spearheading the company’s market entry as well as further strengthening their presence in Asia.

“All the markets in this region are exceptional and offer a huge potential for innovative packages such as Ecolean’s. Producers and consumers all over the region are turning their attention to solutions, such as ours, that offers that rare combination of attractiveness, convenience and food safety,” says Paul.

The demand for such packaging solutions is strong in the liquid food industry in Southeast Asia. Ecolean made fur ther investment into increased production capacity in Tianjin, China, which enables their expansion in catering to food producers in the region.

“Previously our China factory was running on full capacity. Having more than doubled, it can now supply also the Asean region.”

Ecolean has been growing its business with double digit figures every year ; between 30 – 50 per cent annually. So it is part of their challenges to actually be able to keep up with that growth, explains Paul.

The family-owned company also takes a quite unusual approach for a Swedish company.

“Ours is quite different; we go where there is people and demand, and that has taken us to places like China, Colombia and Pakistan - a number of countries that are not top of mind for the typical Swedish export industry but places with young people and growth. It´s also so that a medium-sized Chinese town is the size of Sweden so it’s both an opportunity and slightly easier to convince than the conservative markets in Sweden to change into things like this. We are going for emerging, growing, interested markets.”

Food is also linked to the disposable household income and those who can afford it spend on high quality, safe food for their family. And that includes Southeast Asia – which is a picture many who doesn’t know the region well find hard to be true, according to Paul.

“Another trend which works in our favour is to include no additives. What we offer is aseptic packaging, which means that we actually take a product that is clean in the sense there are no microorganisms and put it into a package which is free from microorganisms. Then it stays fresh without preservatives, without additives and any stabilizers.”

“Here in these markets you see a lot products that are not clean label, not only bright colours; there are still a fair amount of preservatives being used and in a B2C perspective it is important,” adds Paul.

Indonesia is Ecolean’s first priority because of the large population and the demographic changes. Thailand and The Philippines are also in focus, being used to flexible packaging.

“Malaysia and Singapore are extremely interesting in the sense that they are home to the regional head offices from some of the big companies within the target sector, where we also need to work with head office functions.”

Committed to the region for the long term Ecolean will act as a strategic partner to diary and liquid food producers in both established and emerging markets.

“We view our position in Kuala Lumpur as a really good location for a regional office – it’s easy to access and travel to and from, plus it offers good infrastructure. Onwards we will have a warehouse for spare parts, technical expertise and a workshop, but we have started out with sales. When we get customers in other countries in the region we will recruit service personnel and customer support there,” says Paul, who personally favours Malaysia.

“We have applied for and been granted an OHQ status by MIDA from next year.”

Paul, who was heavily involved in setting up the regional office (during which he says he encountered some smaller hassles and calls for higher efficiency to start things up), stayed neutral in the selection. Ecolean hired Business Sweden to make a comparative study of potential locations such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

“We also consulted other companies, who have decided to relocate here. It was either Singapore or Kuala Lumpur for the final decision and there was a fair amount of bias against Malaysia back in Sweden; there is still unawareness and uncertainties – there is view of Singapore as being paradise on earth. Compared to Singapore it’s a value for money decision. Here you get up to 90 per cent of whatever what you measure in Singapore but for a third of the cost.”

The real business decision however relies on how it

works; in distribution and consumers’ eyes, and of

course market shares - or markets that you cannot

reach at all today


At a small garden cafe in Ho Chi Minh City (locally known as Saigon), the heat of the noon sun poured over the wrought-iron tables. With iced coffee in hand, I met with singer

Luna Rosendal to talk about her journey to South East Asia from Danish Freetown Christiania, ahead of her upcoming appearance at the Vietnam premiere of the new Bond film Spectre.

Ms. Rosendal, 26, hails from Copenhagen, specifically the free-town located within the city called Christiania.

”We have our own laws and flag and community. It’s a super creative place,” remarked Ms. Rosenthal, ”a very different place from what you would see in the rest of Denmark.”

Christiania’s fame is well established across the EU as an independent hub of creativity. Over the past 4 decades, criticism from Danish government over the free-town’s open sale of cannabis, property-ownership models, and involvement with organized gangs, continually threaten to shutter the Anarchist community of under 1000 people.

In this creative enclave, Rosendal’s musical history began early.

”It came to me slowly since I was very young,”

she said, starting singing lessons at the age of 7, the “early years around all this creativity is what started my passion.”

Life in South East Asia Rosendal’s travels to Southeast Asia also started early, since the age of five - returning with parents that worked as freelancers half the year in the region.

In 2010 she visited the region solo, until finally settling in Vietnam in 2014. Expectedly, Rosendal found the experience adjusting to living in SEA easy.

“Culture wise I felt very much at home,” she said, comparing her travels from Malaysia and Indonesia. “I wasn’t surprised about things that didn’t go the way Í wanted them to or things being slow,” laughing and sipping her drink, “I also realized after a few months – it still annoyed me.”

Knowing the market in the region for teachers, Rosendal taught singing lessons privately for mostly expat clients. It was not long before she received a call from famed Soul Music Academy about hosting foreign vocalists. Soon, Rosendal was instructing and developing teaching methods with her Vietnamese colleagues for student instruction.

“I came to love it a lot,” she said, “this is where they are producing young Vietnamese stars.”

But this recognition was only the beginning, as Ms. Rosendal began regular performances at Ho Chi Minh City nightlife institution La Fenetre Soleil, while providing backing vocals for Funk act Dat Phonk. This led to Ms. Rosenthal’s collaboration with American vocalist/guitarist Lindsey Sanna and Irish singer Maeve Meleady on harmonic project Red Amity. As Ms. Rosendal’s popularity spread, she produced music with artists from other genres including electronic duo Space//Panther and James and the Van Der Beeks lead bassist Gareth Katz.

Bond PremiereRosendal’s tenacity put her in touch with VBL Breweries and Heineken Vietnam.

“[The organizers] called me one day, and said that [they] had heard Red Amity at a gig,” quipped Rosendal, “[they] knew another singing teacher at Soul Music Academy and saw my photos.”

The premiere , which included A-l ist Vietnamese stars and a red-carpet gala, was one of the biggest premieres in recent memory for the South East Asia nation.

Christiania-born singing teacher established in Vietnam

Photos and Words by Seamus Butler

Bangkok, Thailand

ScandAsia South East Asia - February 2016

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Transcript of ScandAsia South East Asia - February 2016