Hong Leong Bank now open in Vietnam

Kuala Lumpur, 21 October 2009

On 8 October 2009, Hong Leong Bank officially launched its Head Office in Vietnam , with its first branch located in bustling Ho Chi Minh City. HongLeong Bank is the first Malaysian and Southeast Asian bank to be granted a license to operate a full scale commercial bank in Vietnam .

Speaking at the launch, the General Director of Hong Leong Bank Vietnam, Mr Le Dinh Long said, "While we have invested in studying the Vietnamese market and what will be relevant to your needs today, we will keep an ear to the ground to ensure that we continue to understand you and be able to adjust to yourchanging needs and offer you innovative products. Meantime, we will continue to invest heavily in technology, training and the development of our people."

Hong Leong Bank is committed to serving the Vietnamese community, offering affordable and relevant banking products and services. This early, Hong LeongBank already has plans of further expanding its reach beyond Ho Chi Minh City with the establishment of branches and transaction centers. For her part, MsYvonne Chia, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Hong Leong Bank had this to say, " We will be bringing in our very best practices, culledfrom over 100 years of banking in our home ground in Malaysia , as well as from our footprints in Singapore , Hongkong and Mainland China . You can expecta modern and responsive bank that you can trust to serve your needs today."

Hong Leong Bank Vietnam is the third of a growing stable of businesses of Hong Leong Group in Vietnam . The Group started in Vietnam with a 20% stake inYamaha Motor Vietnam Company Limited more than 11 years ago. In the last 2 years, the Hong Leong Group has grown its investments in Vietnam to include aproperty development company.

GuocoLand Vietnam is developing 'The Canary', an integrated development located in the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park in Binh Duong province. And today,the Group is officially opening the doors of its banking investment - Hong Leong Bank Vietnam - with an initial capital of 1 trillion Dong.

"Banking should be simple and straightforward. You need to be able to know that your money is safe and your interests are being looked after. With this inmind, we are starting out with four easy to understand, highly relevant banking products that you will appreciate - Savings Account, Current Account,Remittance and Basic Treasury," emphasized Mr Long.

"We want our customers to grow with us, to keep trusting us with their hard-earned money. Over time, we will add more sophisticated products and servicesthat will help you grow your money even further."

Hong Leong Bank is one of Malaysia's anchor banks which has been accorded over a dozen awards and accolades in the last decade alone, including theAsiamoney FX Poll 2009's "Best Domestic Provider of FX Services in Malaysia" as voted by Financial Institutions in its largest ever FX Poll, the top 10most valuable brands in Malaysia for 2007 and 2008 in "Malaysia's Most Valued Brands" by Interbrand, the top 5 in the Financial Reputation category andamong the top 10 for Corporate Reputation in The Wall Street Journal Asia's "Asia 200 Most Admired Companies", The Asian Banker Best E-Banking Project2007, JPMorgan Chase 'MT202 Elite Quality Recognition Award' in 2006, 2007 and 2008 for excellence in funds transfer operations management, The AsianBanker's Best Credit Card Product Award 2006, CGC Top SMI Supporter Award 2004 and more.

Hong Leong Bank is part of the Hong Leong Group whose core business are banking & financial services, manufacturing & distribution, propertydevelopment & investments, hospitality & leisure and principle investments with presence in North and Southeast Asia, Western Europe and the UK ,North America and Oceania.

Mr Le Dinh Long , a veteran career professional in Vietnam , is the first Vietnamese to be appointed to helm a wholly-owned foreign bank subsidiary inVietnam even from inception. Working with Mr Long is a team composed of seasoned banking professionals from Vietnam and Malaysia as well as crop ofpromising young recruits eager to make their mark in the financial services industry in Vietnam .

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Press Release - 21/10/2009