ScandAsia Southeast Asia - December 2011 by Scandinavian Publishing Co., Ltd.

DEC 2011

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Coming Events

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

Royal Langkawi International Regatta Date: 9 - 14 January 2012 Location: Kuah, Langkawi

Malaysia will once again be the site of one of the world’s most competitive racing when the 10th Royal Langkawi International Regatta (RLIR) 2012. The premier sailing event of Asia which is scheduled to take place from 9th to 14th January 2012 in Kuah, Langkawi will host many different classes of competition, including Racing Class, IRC Class, Sports Boat, Multihull, Club Cruising and Ocean Rover. For further information on the RLIR 2012, race schedule and entry form, kindly log on to www.langkawiregatta. com or contact En Zack at zack@langkawiyachtclub.com.

We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Thailand, and Singapore.

Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher: Scandasia Publishing Co., Ltd. 4/41-2 Ramintra Soi 14, Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief: Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Advertising: Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer: Supphathada Numamnuay supphathada@scandmedia.com

Vietnam Summit Finding a way forward Date: 11 January 2012 Location: Sheraton Hotel Hanoi On the rise to prosperity, Vietnam’s economy has expanded in all manner of new directions, and foreign investment has increased dramatically. Its population has grown bigger, wealthier, more educated, more urban, and more plugged in to the world. To move forward, the country needs to tackle several challenges including reining in high inflation and commodity prices; strengthening the currency, the dong; and restructuring the economy in order to find a new growth model. You can register at www.economistconferences.asia/event/ vietnam-summit - select or contact Alice Wong by telephone at +852 2585 3312 or by e-mail at conferencesasia@economist.com.

DBA Christmas Party Date: 19 January 2012 Location: Borobudur Hotel It is never too late to celebrate Christmas! Danish Business Association (DBA) invites you to join the Danish Christmas Party on 19 January 2012 at Borobudur Hotel. Enjoy Danish food, wine, beer, snaps and experience Danish culture. The deadline of enrollment will be 16 January 2012. For more information, please visit www.dba.co.id.

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Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com

PNBC Networking Luncheon Date: 19 January 2012 The next Philippines Norway Business Council (PNBC) Networking Luncheon will be held on 19 January 2012. The venue has not been decided so please keep follow up on PNBC website: www.pnbc.ph. Advance register, please email to info@pnbc.ph.

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Halloween Kids Party by HIWC Photo by HIWC

n 30 October 2011, Hanoi International Womens´s Club (HIWC) organized Halloween Kids Party at Kinder Park. It was Halloween party for the whole family. Parents and kids were dressed up in Halloween costume and all joined buffet lunch together.

PNBC Networking Luncheon Held Anew By Philippines Norway Business Council

ith VP-Internal Affairs Jannicke Steen (Local Rep., Grieg Shipping AS) at the organizing helm, the Philippines Norway Business Council (PNBC) provided anew a first-rate venue for Filipinos and Norwegians to mingle and exchange business ideas and experiences by holding another Networking Luncheon on 10 November 2011. The event was held at the I’m Angus Steakhouse in Makati City. To kick-off the event, PNBC President Stein Eriksen gave a welcome message, highlighting how PNBC has gained a good foothold in the last few months. Among others it was mentioned that the PNBC website has so far received 35,000 page views from visitors all over the world. The event this time featured two guest presenters. Ms. Christine Low, District Manager for Scandinavian Airlines System flew in from Singapore to present on the topic, SAS Credits - A New Way to Earn on All Corporate Travel. Ms. Low explained how companies based in the Philippines can earn frequent flyer credits in addition to the Eurobonus points earned by its individual employees when they fly SAS. Moreover, Ms. Diis Bøhn, Senior Advisor of LO Norway, International Department covered the topic, CSR - The View of the Norwegian Trade Unions. A good number of participants signed up for SAS Credits in behalf of their companies. If interested, you may contact Ms. Nila Layug (nila.sas@ royalnordic.ph) of the Royal Nordic Airline Services Agency. After the event, members of the PNBC Board met with Bo Lundqvist from the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok, Thailand, who is also the President of Scandinavian Society to thresh out some areas of cooperation. Danish Consul Erik Moller Nielsen of The Regus Group, and Tarja Kuokkanen, Head of FINPRO in Manila also attended the meeting.

6 ScandAsia.South East Asia • December 2011

The Danes to the top

ietnam is a rapidly developing country where many events are happening for the first time these years. October 30th was one such first, with the Bitexco Financial Tower was included as a trial venue on The Vertical World Circuit organised by International Skyrunning Federation. A Danish team consisting of Erik Joergensen, Jan Frank, Kim Valbjoern and Thomas Jakobsen participated in the team category. It was the first attempt for any of them at a vertical run and they were happy to finish in respectable times. The Bitexco Financial Tower was completed in late 2010 and is currently filling up with tenants. The tower is 262 meters tall and has 68 floors. The tower is designed by award-winning architect Carlos Zapata. The inspiration for the design is Vietnam’s national flower - the Lotus, representing the energy and aspirations of the Vietnamese people. It is an urban masterpiece evoking beauty and progress as it rises above the skyline of Ho Chi Minh City. The tower was recently named as one of the Top 20 World’s Most Iconic Skyscrapers by CNNGo. The Vertical World Circuit consists of 8 races in USA, Euope and Asia, as well as 4 trial races, hereunder Ho Chi Minh City. The races include Empire State Building in USA and the Taipei 101 in Taiwan. In Ho Chi Minh City, the race was to the obervation deck on the 49th floor with the course totalling 1.002 steps. The race was run in a total of 11 individual catagories and 1 team category. Thomas Dold was the overall winner running in 4 minutes and 51.4 seconds. Thomas Dold also leads the Vertical World Circuit rankings for 2011. The best local runner was Nguyen Ngoc Quang, managing to beat many of the invited elite runners. This puts Quang in the Top 30 in the world despite having run only one race. The event was very well organised and hopefully it will soon become an official part of the Vertical World Circuit.

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Nordea Bank S.A, Nordea Bank Finland Plc and Nordea Bank AB (publ) are part of the leading financial services group in the Nordic and Baltic Sea regions. Being the leading Nordic pan-European banking entity in Luxembourg, Nordea Bank S.A. focuses on international Wealth Management, Fund Distribution and Fund Management services. Our 400 employees serve a wide spectrum of international clients in more than 125 countries. Some products and services mentioned may, due to local regulations, not be available to individuals resident in certain countries. Published by Nordea Bank Finland Plc, Singapore Branch, 3 Anson Rd #22-01, Springleaf Tower, Singapore 079909. AD_ScandAsiaThailand_Ingemar_192x135_eng.indd 1

13:45 December 2011 • ScandAsia.South 13/09/2011 East Asia 7

ScandAsia News Brief

Medals awarded to the Director of ILO in Vietnam

Nordea Acquisition Further Extends International Private Banking Base

ordea Bank S.A. has further expanded its international activities by acquiring part of Sydbank's private banking client base in Switzerland. The agreement was reached after a thorough examination by Sydbank (Schweiz) AG in order to find a partner prepared to take over part of Sydbank’s private banking client base in Switzerland following Sydbank’s decision to partly scale down its activities in Switzerland. Clients will be transferred to Nordea Bank S.A., Zweigniederlassung Zürich. This kind of arrangement is not a first for Nordea Bank S.A. In 2008 they took over Private Banking clients from Glitnir Bank in Luxembourg, and shortly thereafter made a similar deal with another Luxembourg based Icelandic private bank, Landsbanki. "Sydbank's client base can be incorporated in our existing business model," points out Jhon Mortensen, CEO at Nordea Bank S.A. "We have the expertise, infrastructure and language skills in place to provide a first class service. Coupled with our wealth management abilities, we are a strong Private Banking Partner. It's a testament to Sydbank (Schweiz) AG's professionalism that they were not only looking for a successor that could match their own high standards in private banking, but also needed to be sure that their clients would be well served in the months and years to come, in what is an increasingly challenging environment." A similar arrangement in 2008 saw private banking clients from Glitnir Bank in Luxembourg, and Luxembourg-based Icelandic private bank Landsbanki, transferred to Nordea. Nordea Bank S.A. was established 1976 and is the leading Nordic pan-European banking entity in Luxembourg and Switzerland. It has 380 employees and serves a wide spectrum of international clients. Nordea Bank S.A. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nordea group, the largest financial institution in the Nordic and Baltic Sea regions. Its Capital Markets and Savings division, with the Luxembourg-based operation as a substantial contributor, has created a strong pan-European market position within the investment funds and private wealth management market with a total of EUR 191bn assets under management as at June 2011.

8 ScandAsia.South East Asia • December 2011

ie Vejs Kjeldgaard, Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Vietnam, was on 26 October 2011 award a medal “For the building of trade union organizations” by the General Confederation of Labour, Hanoi Speaking at the ceremony, the president of Vietnam Labor Federation Dang Ngoc Tung noted and appreciated Rie Vejs Kjeldgaard’s work as Director ILO Office in Vietnam. Her contributions helped to promote and strengthen relations between the social partners in Vietnam, including trade unions, he said. Rie Vejs Kjeldgaard has been the Director of the ILO Office in Vietnam since 2008. She has contributed with activities that support institutional development, policy and capacity building among partners in Vietnam to provide jobs and social security. As the director of the ILO office in Vietnam, she has helped build an important relationship between the social partners in Vietnam and supports many activities of the Vietnam Trade Union. Rie Vejs Kjeldgaard will finish her assignment in Vietnam by December this year to assume her new duties as the Coordinator for special initiatives on knowledge management at the central ILO office in Geneva. Rie Vejs Kjeldgaard said, the experience acquired in working time in Vietnam will help her very much on the new position.

Business Delegation from Vietnam Visited Norway Hanoi Women Association of Small and Medium Enterprises

business delegation from Hanoi Women Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (HAWASME) visited Oslo September 21-22 on their promotion trip through the Nordic countries. The Nordic tour was organised by the Embassy of Vietnam, Trade Office in Stockholm, initiating new matches between Vietnamese and Nordic businesses. The delegation consisted of a wide variety of industries, i.e. tourism, health care, wood processing industry, jewellery, packaging and textile. Ms. Vibeke H. Madsen, CEO of Virke, The Federation of Norwegian Enterprises, welcomed the delegation to Norway and to Virke, followed by a presentation of the Norwegian market, main trading partners and consumer and buyers preferences when choosing products/ services and partner businesses. The businesses had matching meetings at Virke, with presentations of product ranges, and visited Norwegian business. The meetings constituted several possible matches; a tailor made tour programme will be developed for the Norwegian Tour operator, for women to go to Hanoi and the surroundings, including special events and activities, encouraging exchange between Vietnamese and Norwegian women. Further, the private Vietnamese health care company discussed the possibilities of sending Vietnamese staff to Norway for training. The wood processing company in the industrial sector met the largest dealer in the Norwegian market of wood processing machines. The export prices seemed reasonable, however, calculations of transportation as well as the import tax in Vietnam for these machines must be obtained first. The imported machines would be distributed locally by the importer.

December 2011 â&#x20AC;˘ ScandAsia.South East Asia

Portensis Strongly Be in Malaysia Malaysia is aiming to become a highincome nation based on a high-skilled, knowledge-based and innovationintensive economy. Portensis is a group of Swedish linked experts established with the purpose of helping Scandinavians in getting their share of the cake.

15 years been coaching Malaysian top and middle level managers within marketing, leadership, strategy and economics.

One stop business center

By Joakim Persson

or a few years now, MalaysiaSpecialisten has been promoting Malaysia to Scandinavians as a tourist country and also its Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme targeting foreign investors. The former Astra Zeneca employees Jan Orrnert and his partner Sarojini Thangavelu, have promoted

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as it looked in Jan Orrnert’s old school World Map. Photo: Pontus Edenberg 10 ScandAsia.South East Asia • December 2011

MM2H along with Prakash Aramugam, who is an expert on visas and other permits and with excellent access to various government agencies in Malaysia. Now the time has come to expand these services and with Sweden and Scandinavia primarily in mind as target area, to become a gateway, a door opener, to Malaysia with a new service entity called Portensis. Various fields of expertise have been brought in to form an expert group that can fully help investors and business start-ups in Malaysia. Key to the constellation is the combination of Swedes and Malaysians. Behind the thinking is that they understand Sweden and know Malaysia so they are the bridge between these two countries, and to a larger extent Scandinavia. The name Portensis is derived from the Swedish word ‘port’ which means door, or gate in English, explains Jan. In Malaysia this name also reflects the word ‘potential’, which is typically a very Malaysian thinking, adds one of the newly added experts, Richard Jacob. Richard Jacob has for the past

“The idea with Portensis is to offer a one-stop centre,” adds Jan. “We started thinking of it when the embassy closure was announced and realized this is a business idea where a lot can be done. There’s a lack of knowledge in Sweden of the tremendous potential that Malaysia has.” Establishing a business in Malaysia as a foreigner one needs help, This is where Portensis comes into the picture. “If you compare to the Swedish Trade Council, we can offer much more than basic advice,” says Jan. “If they come to us they’re already there - we can get the job done. We have been there, gone through the processes of starting companies ourselves, including obstacles and having serious problems. We have a much wider, hands-on perspective.” “If you’re going the wrong way you can make very expensive mistakes and it could cause a lot of delays, so knowledge about a new environment and understanding are of key importance that we can bring to companies,” Jan adds. “If you see a window of opportunity go out and grab it! And there are many of those. So it depends on the type of investor and it’s a question of how smart you are rather than working with certainty and with assurances - that’s a very slow strategy. And the investors from Scandinavia are smart.” “Within education, and oil and gas, clearly there is massive interest for foreign direct investment.” In order to facilitate this, Malaysia is implementing simpler and streamlined processes for hiring expat labour. A host of restrictions on foreign investment - including a controversial rule requiring businesses to be partly owned by ethnic Malays - have also been relaxed. Referring to the abundance of natural resources Richard Jacob de-

elieves

Christmas in Asia Real Christmas in Sweden

scribes Malaysia as a very blessed country. “Having said that - looking at these ambitions and goals that the government has - the opportunities are tremendous for Scandinavians. But a key to the success of tapping these opportunities are networking and connections that gets you into that.”

Confidence in Malaysia “Kuala Lumpur is a fantastic place to have a regional head office,” he says. “The infrastructure is so good in this country. You also have Englishspeaking people on all levels. You can find highly qualified people for the positions in your company and with a fairly low cost level. And you can find very good housing. And it’s very easy for families to live here, you have very good international schools and the cost of living is low.” The strong belief in Malaysia’s advantages as a country to live and invest in by purchasing a home or setting up a business and production, is the main driving force for the group.

Not only newcomers Portensis can also offer a lot of support for companies already established in Malaysia, including staff training, productivity improvements, recruitment. A head hunter will be

added to the group for this service part. The third group of customers could be individuals who move here on their own. Among people coming within the MM2H programme there are entrepreneurs, for example, keen on investing. Tommy Lagerhjelm - another Portensis partner - mentions Malaysian companies wanting to target Europe. “If you want to establish yourself as a serious player in Europe, Sweden is the perfect target market because the standards are so high. Then we really can help preparing those companies who are going there. We know Sweden, and Swedish people and among us we have the network.” Malaysia is a tax haven Tommy Lagerhjelm is a tax advisor and asset management expert and Portensis’ expert on taxes and company setups, both in Malaysia and offshore in Labuan tax haven. “Malaysia is a tax paradise because it is a tax paradise. It has just not yet been discovered by the majority of Europeans with money,” states Jan. Full presentation of the group: www.portensis.com/vara-experter. html

Since Anne Höglund was appointed as the first Swedish Ambassador to Cambodia, her family life has turned almost upside down. Christmas is one in a few occasions when the Höglunds can be together. ”We will celebrate Christmas in Sweden together with our relatives as we do every year. Christmas is very important for us, especially for our three children. We will be 20 people from 13 to 90 years old in our house on Christmas eve this year”, the Ambassador explains. The Höglunds start the Christmas party from the very morning enjoying a breakfast together. The first carols sounds trough the house, and the children gets their first gift. ”Late afternoon the guests start coming and we prepare for the Christmas smörgåsbord together. There are lots of different food on the table - ribs, meat balls, sausages and pates, herring of different kinds, Jansson’s Frestelse, “sylta”, lamb leg, cheeses and bread, both fresh and dried fruits and nuts, etc.”

Markussen’s Norwegian Christmas in Singapore Bjørn Tore Markussen, Managing Director, DNV Singapore, will celebrate a traditional Norwegian Christmas there. It is the fifth year in a row for Bjorn and his family. “The day starts with breakfast and then some time by the pool. After that, we’ll put on our Christmas clothes and go to Norwegian Seamen’s Church for Christmas Mess. Then back home to Tanglin for family dinner and gifts. And of course Skyping with family in Norway and France during the evening after we have opened the presents.”

“Christmas in 2009 was special with our one month old third child, Oskar, born in Singapore, together with us. We also have a tradition of renting a bum boat on New Years eve and view the fireworks at Marina Bay with friends and we are already looking forward to do that again this year.”

MASBA Celebrating

When the Malaysia Sweden Business Association celebrated its 25 years anniversary with a bonanza on October 13 it did so without any representatives from the Embassy of Sweden, Kuala Lumpur, which had closed down, but instead from the country’s mission in Jakarta. By Joakim Persson

owever it was by then also cleared that the closure would thankfully be shortlived - as it had been announced in early August that the embassy would be reinstated. Thus the business members and friends had more than one reason to be merry as they celebrated in style at the Upper Deck of Tanzini, G Tower. Welcoming the party was Sweden’s new General Consul in Kuala Lumpur, Yang Mulia Tunku Dato’ Ya’acob bin Tunku Tan Sri Abdullah. In addition, President Hans Björnered, as well as Jan Orrnert who was running the Astra Zeneca operations back in 1986 when MASBA was started, held welcome speeches. Jan recalled how he had then just been called back to Malaysia to take over the operations for the second time, while he has these days chosen the country as his second home. He related how he got a phone call from Volvo, wishing to set up a platform for Swedish companies and their contacts within Malaysia.

Being the only one still around in Malaysia from back then, Jan reflected that it was like being asked to be interviewed for a history book as he had been asked to relate how MASBA had been set up. After some sleepy years during the early 1990s MASBA was reignited in 1998 to form the basis it still has today, says its president. “We had decided quite soon regarding this 25-year anniversary to put on a party,” says Hans. The celebration suitably had a 1980’s theme and Hans’ organising colleagues within MASBA, Claudia Stenström and Ann-Sofie Jangbäck, had come up with this idea to reconnect to the inaugural year. They had researched the culture and some milestones from back then relating to Sweden: it was the year Sweden’s Prime Minister Olof Palme was murdered and the Triss lottery was introduced, for instance. Miami Vice, the legendary 1980’s clothing culture, the balloon dance etc. were also part of the event’s cultural theme.

Hans Björnered in the middle together with the two MASBA volunteers Claudia Stenström and Ann-Sofie Jangbäck helping with the activities and events of the association. 12 ScandAsia.South East Asia • December 2011

The jubilee was also a suitable replacement for the annual Ambassador’s Dinner, a tradition since 2003, which could for obvious reasons not be held this year. Sponsored by either Handelsbanken och SEB, MASBA is however confident that the Swedes and their colleagues in Malaysia will get that dinner tradition restarted in 2012 as both a Swedish ambassador as well as a new embassy residence are expected to be fully operational by that time next year. It should also be mentioned that the former mission hosted an auspicious Nobel dinner earlier in the year, during the Innovation Week and coinciding with a touring Nobel exhibition visiting Malaysia and where former prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad was guest of honour. On the more party-oriented front MASBA also co-organises the annual Christmas dinner in December together with its other Nordic friends - usually featuring the Swedish chef Michael Elfwing - and which draws no less than 400 guests and is something to be proud of, thinks Hans. Another activity MASBA has had up to now is breakfast meetings at the Swedish embassy twice per year. “Then the Swedish ambassador has spoken on the Swedish analysis of politics in Malaysia, and his deputy has briefed on the economy in the country. The latter we can we can get info on from various sources but it is always interesting to have a dialogue about Sweden’s view on the country and where Swedish companies get to give input.” When the embassy was replaced with General Consulate earlier this year, MASBA were to meet with the Swedish Trade Council to

25 Years

Christmas in Asia Finally a Beach Christmas

discuss the new reality and how they could fill the gaps; Sweden’s view on Malaysian politics, for example. “But we did not even get started before the decision came of the U-turn to reopen the embassy as soon as possible. Then we decided to quickly establish contact with our General Consul in order to see in what way we can benefit from him during this interim period.” As for analysis and initiatives regarding business sectors, new patterns for investment and niche markets the Swedish Trade Council does such analysis and sees the trends, according to the MASBA president. “The pattern we can see is that there are less new companies being established and significant changes in the large corporations. The largest Swedish employer here is Ericsson and they no longer have the regional hub in Kuala Lumpur in the way they used to. And I believe the number of Swedish expats in Kuala Lumpur has drastically decreased in a year - we are now guessing at around 350 - 400. That’s a significant decrease compared to the top in 2001, when we were 1200.” Initiating business and trade promotional activities traditionally fall on the trade section with Sweden’s embassy as well as on the Swedish Trade Council while MASBA plays a role as a party coinciding with any events such as when business delegation visits Malaysia - which the Embassy of Sweden in Singapore for example did in early 2011. “Regarding doing something for any specific sectors, such as health tourism etc., we work tightly with them and where we have different responsibilities. Our role is to attract Malaysian companies to join and to

arrange a dinner, for instance. If coming from Sweden there could also be couples and perhaps feature a programme for joining spouses.” A more immediate concern for MASBA is to try and compensate for the ten corporate members they have lost due to these companies no longer having a Swedish management. It’s a trend, says Hans who have been in Malaysia for 12 years, that it is no longer only Swedish managers in Swedish companies. “It clearly goes towards cutting down on the number of expats and recruiting locally. There are Swedes here staying on who’ve had to accept other contract deals and are now employed locally instead of as expats.” MASBA is based on volunteer work except for one locally employed administrative manager. “Then we are seeing this as a bit worrying, as our whole operation is based on membership fees and sponsorships. With fewer members the budget gets slightly tightened and we have less leeway than before.” Given the new situation the board is now working on these financing issues and have actually identified a number of new companies that are potential members. As for any particular sectors where Swedish competence could enter Malaysia, Hans mentions healthcare, environmental issues and car security but also IT and biotechnology, which have been focus areas for 6-7 years now. “Within health tourism: sending patients to Malaysia for rehabilitation at an inexpensive price is a big one – there are loads of things for Swedish businesses to do within this.”

Alexandra Leyton Espinoza, ScandAsia’s busy journalist in Beijing, will be leaving the cold and smoggy capital for warm and sunny Thailand this Christmas. “ I used to envy people that went to Thailand for Christmas or any other hot country for that matter, because I can’t stand Christmas carols and all the Western shopping mania. It was quite OK when I moved to China since they don’t celebrate Christmas here,” Alexandra says. But she admits her fiancée has bought a Christmas tree and decorations to make her feel more at home previous Christmases. “Christmas is not where you are but who you spend it with, and this year we will spend it with my mother for the first time since I moved here in 2008. That means a lot to me.” What she misses around Christmas time in China is Pannetone, an Italian bread that is very popular in South America during the festivities, you can easily find it in Sweden but it’s trickier in China. “ If you find it here, it cost a fortune so my mum is bringing me as many as it fits in her language,” she says laughing.

Christmas on a Riverboat in Copenhagen Martin F. Olsen, Destination Beauty in Thailand, is the man behind thousands of Scandinavians coming back from a medical trip to Thailand with a new look. The Dane also runs two lamp factories that have been busy delivering Christmas presents to five continents. ”I usually celebrate Christmas with my Thai family. There are lots of children and it is usually a big hit,” Martin says. But this year, Martin, his wife and three year old son will celebrate Christmas in Denmark. “We are going for something completely different this year. We have booked a riverboat in Nyhavn in the center of Copenhagen as our base!” Working is usually forbidden during Christmas. But if you promise to keep it a secret, the Dane admits that he is planning a couple of appointments now that he is there.

December 2011 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

They Bring the Nord to Ho Chi Minh City Sari Thuijs and Nick Jonsson - both 36 years old, form together with the Chairman Sigmund Stromme the “backbone” of the Nordic Chamber of Commerce in Ho Chi Minh City.

Sari Thuijs with her husband Roger.

he Chamber is hosting a range of social and business s that gives Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, Icelandic and Fins who are living in the metropolis, an opportunity to network and to enjoy special annual events like: Christmas, Crayfish party and Viking fest, together. Sari - who is from Finland, just arrived in Vietnam three months ago and works as Executive Officer for the Nordcham office in District 1. She has followed her husband, Roger Thuijs, who works for Maersk Line to Asia and now resides in her 8th country outside Finland. “I was hooked from the first time I lived abroad!” she says, explaining why she now is on the 6th consecutive year away from Finland. Nick - the Vice Chairman of the Nordic chamber of Commerce is from Sweden and has lived 4½ years in Ho Chi Minh City. He shares her view and started his 14 ScandAsia.South East Asia • December 2011

“foreign career” when he first lived abroad as a student in Australia in 1998. He has since lived in England, Thailand and now Vietnam. “Vietnam offers some unique business possibilities because of its recent membership with WTO” he points out and with his founding business -the fashion house of Sophie Paris, which he is the General Director for, Nick is fully realizing Vietnam’s business potential. Sari has a dream of trying to live in all the inhabited continents and for her it’s the first time living in an Asian country. “It’s different… but I love that it’s so different in terms of language and culture and yet so easy to adjust”, she says. “…And it’s very safe to live here too -especially when you have a family”, Nick adds. He is living with his Swedish wife, Sofi, and 2½ years old son, Percy, who is already attending a Dutch owned international school in the city. Nick has never tried to raise a family back home in Sweden,

dic Feeling

Christmas in Asia The Christmas Grinch Jojje Olsson, photographer living in China, doesn’t like Christmas and can’t think about anything worse than ending up in a hot beach when finally the winter has arrived in Beijing. “Christmas doesn’t affect me, it’s a time to spend with your family and since they are not here it doesn’t really matter. I run my own company so it’s not convenient to take time off like everyone else during that time and I don’t like the heat.” Last year, he went for a Chinese dinner on Christmas Eve and went skiing on Christmas day. “It had nothing to do with Christmas but that’s what I remember I did those days,” he says. He admits even though he doesn’t like the commercial hysteria of shopping during Christmas time he will still get his girlfriend a Christmas present.

Pre-Christmas in Singapore But Finland Is the Real Deal Nick Jonsson with his wife Sofi and little Percy

and also have no immediate plans to do so as his business only allows him maximum one month holiday in Sweden per year. But “I think it’s easier to raise a child here because you can outsource many things like cleaning, cooking and washing”, he states with a smile. For Sari a great deal of the family life is spend taking care of their two Labrador retrievers. “It was a bit of a hassle to come to Vietnam with two dogs and it took about three month of paperwork”, she says. In her spare time she loves to go swimming in one of the many public swimming pools in Ho Chi Minh City and to take long walks with the dogs. For her it’s important to have a bit of space around, coming from the Arctic Circle in northern part of Finland, Vietnam offers somewhat a different climate and population density. “In district 9 we have a big garden for the dogs which I really love”, she explains, referring to the lack of good opportunities to walk them on

the streets in the city. Being told as a joke that she is sometimes walking with “lunch and dinner”, she doesn’t appreciate the common Vietnamese appreciation of dogs. Nick likes to travel and play golf in his spare time, which is sometimes done on small weekend trips to Thailand or other Asian countries. “I play golf 1-2 times a week, but it takes quite a long time to travel to the golf courses which are located outside the city, so it’s sometimes easier to fly to another place”, he says. His previous experiences in supporting Swedish’ Chamber of Commerce in both London and Bangkok, gives him the necessary skills of hosting big events for Nordics living in Ho Chi Minh City. Both of them acknowledge the importance of Nordcham for many Nordic people living abroad like themselves and consequently try to do a better job in making it a very joyful time for everyone coming to live in Ho Chi Minh City for the first time.

Petteri Kostermaa, Finnair’s Sales Director in Singapore, enjoys taking part in the many Finnish community events in Singapore. “We have enjoyed the various Scandinavian Christmas Bazaars in Singapore. We also plan to attend a Finnish Christmas Carols singing event and really enjoy Singapore’s great Christmas decorations and festive mood,” Petteri Kostermaa says. “But as we also do love white Christmas and winter sports, we are heading back to Finland for a week’s vacation. We hope that there will be enough snow for either cross-country or alpine skiing. “Last December we were in the process of moving to Singapore. We were eagerly looking forward to a cosy Christmas in our new home in Singapore when the shipping company told us, our container would not make it on time. So what do? There were two vacant seats on Finnair Bangkok flight so we flew to Helsinki and then drove 400 kilometres to the Finnish West Coast (known as Österbotten to Swedes) to spend the Christmas with my wife’s father and siblings and with my sister’s family. There was plenty of snow and we feasted on traditional Nordic Christmas food. We then drove back to Helsinki on the night of the Boxing Day. The white scenery in the early morning hours was beautiful and it was really enjoyable listening to the Christmas carols on the radio while driving.

December 2011 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

The Foldager Family Thriving in Kuala Lumpur Moving from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Bjarne and Henriette Foldager thought the quality of the school was going to drop. But the kids are now thriving in Mont’Kiara International School and their parents enjoy the overall quality of life. By Joakim Persson

hanks to his wife, Bjarne Foldager today is the Managing Director for Maersk Line in Malaysia and Singapore and their three children are growing up studying in English and getting a high quality international education. And they seem to be very much in harmony and at ease in their newly adopted hometown Kuala Lumpur. Back in the spring of 2008 Bjarne was in Switzerland, taking a course as part of his MBA programme, when he got a job offer in Southeast-Asia. While Bjarne was initially hesitant Henriette was immediately hooked: “Singapore, are you crazy? We’re moving tomorrow!” he recalls her saying. In June the same year Bjarne and Henriette went to Singapore and then back to Denmark and closed down everything for the move. Only their oldest daughter, Mette, who had already done three years in school was unhappy to leave. Bjarne and Henriette had signed their children up for the Overseas Family School in Singapore on the recommendation from other Maersk families. “When we moved the kids did not speak any English at all,” Henriette recalls. But when she told the teacher about her worries, she had pointed

Mette

16 ScandAsia.South East Asia • December 2011

out that none of the fifteen kids in that room knew any English either. “Then she said: Now, if you parents would please leave!” Bjarne adds. Fast forward and in January 2011 it was time to move again. Bjarne’s assignment in Singapore had come to an end but he was offered another position as MD for the commercial activities of Maersk Line, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. His area of responsibility now covers Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore. Moving and changing school from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur was smooth. “Plug out and plug in,” Henriette laughs. “The curriculum is roughly the same, so it was very easy.” Bjarne elaborates: “Schools in Singapore are so much better than in Denmark, so we thought the standard was going to drop now that we were moving to KL. But in reality, it could actually improve even a bit more,” he says. “I think the difference, compared to Singapore, is that here they place a higher emphasis on the social aspects for the kids here. I think it’s part of their philosophy; you have to grow up to become a whole human. So you have to stay as a human being in order to become a whole human being, and I

Marten

think playing and performing arts is an important part of that. It’s not enough to focus solely on the academic skills.” “They have counsellors whose only job is to ensure that the kids function well personally and socially and have friends to play with. And a lot of emphasis is put on music,” Henriette adds. “In this school system it’s important to learn reading and writing but likewise to do your best in music and arts.” At Mont’Kiara, they also try to teach the children how to think. “In Singapore it was very important that you could repeat what the teacher told you. Here they actually try to teach the children to try to think for themselves. And I think that’s very good,” says Henriette who is a teacher herself. As for learning Danish they are back to mom’s school after having had that in the Danish Supplementary School in Singapore. They always speak Danish at home and also stays in touch with friends and relatives in Denmark via Skype and social media. Henriette also try to get the kids to write a letter to them now and then. Henriette adds, that expat families from the other Nordic countries get help from their respective

Marie

governments to teach their children their mother tongue, Danes are left on their own. The Foldager’s new home is a stone’s throw from Mont Kiara school, on the highest floor in a penthouse condominium unit. “When we moved to Singapore I was convinced we would live in a

house, But then we started looking at apartments and I realized that condo living is actually quite nice.” “We’ve got a convenience store where we can buy all the daily necessities, and very nice restaurants, a fitness centre, and a swimming pool. And there are a lot of other kids also within the complex.”

A family pastime is to play the dice game Balut. They also try to go on a nature-oriented weekend trip once a month. The next one in the pipeline, a trip to Selingan Turtle Island outside Borneo, gets all the children talking excitedly about maybe actually getting to see turtles coming on shore to lay eggs!

I think the difference, compared to Singapore, is that here at Mont’Kiara International School they place a higher emphasis on the social aspects for the kids here. The children have to grow up as a whole human, and I think playing and performing arts is an important part of that. It’s not enough to focus solely on the academic skills.

The Daily Maersk Challenge Bjarne Foldager and his team has just launched the Daily Maersk service in Malaysia, introducing absolute reliability.

orkwise Bjarne has just accomplished a very big project for Maersk Line by launching a ground breaking new service on 24 October: Daily Maersk. So it’s actually about making it easier for our customers the way they conduct business and taking the cost out of their system by reducing their inventory and taking buffer out. This can lead to huge savings for them.”

This shipping service means that any cargo gated by 8 pm every night at four key ports in Asia will be available on a certain day at any of three selected ports in Northern Europe. “Effectively it means we are building a conveyor belt, so every night the customer can deliver whatever they have ready from the factory and production in Malaysia and Singapore. We promise what time the cargo will be available in

Europe, so we’re talking about introducing absolute reliability. Then the customers can plan their supply chain much better.” Maersk Line has already seen some good response from customers and already quite some new business as a direct result of the promotion activities, says the country manager.

December 2011 • ScandAsia.South East Asia

Pepparkakor

cookies with black pepper

epparkakor in Swedish, piparkakut in Finnish and pepperkaker in Norwegian are not to be confused with Danish Pebbernoedder. Pepparkakor - ginger cookies - are rolled quite thin (often under 3 mm, and cut into shapes. This is where the fantasy of the children come in! Whereas Danish Pebbernoedder are more like little lumps of ginger cookies. But the basic taste is the same. Cloves, cinnamon and cardamom are important ingredients of these, and the actual ginger taste is not prominent. Allspice was used formerly to season ginger biscuits, but cloves replaced it later. 1 cup (2 dl) water 1/2 cup (1 dl) syrup (molasses) 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon of ground cloves 1 tablespoon of ground ginger 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom 1 teaspoon black pepper (opt) 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate (baking soda) 10,5 oz (300 gr) butter 2,5 cups (5 dl) sugar 7,5 cups or about 1 lb. (1.5 liters) flour • Mix butter, sugar and syrup. Add spices and bicarbonate, then water and finally part of the flour. Mix in the rest of the flour. Let the dough sit over night, wrapped in foil in the fridge. Roll the dough as thin as possible using flour. Cut out figures - preferable Christmas figures, hearts, stars etc. • Bake in oven for about 5 minutes at 200-225 degrees C. Watch them! They burn fast once they start. • You can get about 300 cookies, depending on how big you make them. It´s nice to make some quite big hearts, decorated with frosting and maybe hang them up in the window.

Are you done?

ENJOY!!!!

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Deadline for submitting your solution is 15 January 2012 18 ScandAsia.South East Asia • December 2011

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