Open Letter from the General Director to All Ashico Staff during the Pandemic

Ho Chi Minh City, 23 August 2021

OPEN LETTER

Dear brothers and sisters, staff, seafarers and workers across the Ashico system!

In recent days, the fourth wave of Covid-19 with the Delta variant has arrived with a speed of spread faster and more dangerous than previous waves. The world is facing countless challenges and difficulties. In Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces, the daily number of Covid-19 infections has surged with thousands of cases in the community, spreading across the country and causing enormous difficulty for business operations and threatening people’s lives.

For Ashico, the prolonged outbreak has significantly affected the company’s operations, and there remain many challenges for Ashico’s core businesses such as offshore activities and labour dispatch. Revenue has dropped substantially compared to previous years, and the pandemic has placed heavy pressure on the lives and work of our staff — especially seafarers at sea, where applying the strict safety standards of the Company and contractors creates hardships and inconveniences. Achieving the 2021 business targets has become very challenging.

In this context, society is full of people fighting for every breath against “Covy” on a hospital bed, people in isolation, those lucky enough to eat at home with family, those urgently opening packs of instant noodles from aid because they have run out of money, those struggling to find a way home due to unemployment… I and all of you feel fortunate and happy to still be healthy and working. Therefore, to contribute to the nation’s battle against the pandemic, Ashico’s culture of “Sharing” has been strongly upheld through charity work. From mid-July to August 2021, the leadership delivered over 10 tonnes of rice and hundreds of food packages to people in difficulty across districts in Ho Chi Minh City; donated medical protective equipment to doctors at Thu Duc Regional General Hospital; and helped transport food and goods from the Thanh Hoa Fatherland Front to support people in southern provinces. I hope that in the time ahead, our company will have more opportunities to organise charity programmes and join hands with the Government in the fight against the pandemic.

Above all, fully understanding the worries and concerns during the period of social distancing under Directive 16+, in a situation where most people cannot come to the office and must work from home, the company leadership is doing its utmost to maintain employees’ income to keep lives and families stable.

In the spirit of overcoming these challenges together with the company, the Board of Directors has voluntarily decided to reduce their own salaries by 15% to share part of the company’s current difficulties.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Ashico will do everything possible to support and accompany us through this difficult time. I believe the country will overcome the pandemic soon, and everyone will stabilise their work. I hope all staff will give their best, build effective home-working routines based on the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” we have studied, and proactively choose a positive way of life during the pandemic — never complacent. Always set specific goals, prioritise your work, build and develop the spirit of unity to help one another complete tasks, continuously improve your knowledge, and above all protect your health and minimise infection. Departments must proactively plan for worst-case scenarios to ensure the safety of all Ashico operations. Managers should regularly check on their staff to provide moral support and contribute to pushing back the pandemic.

Once again, I wish all members of the Ashico family strong health, clarity, and optimism to overcome this pandemic together; let us unite to successfully implement the 2021 business plans and achieve our set goals.

With warmth and peace!

General Director, Ashico

Nguyễn Sơn