Manulife Vietnam, the first foreign

Manulife Vietnam, the first foreign life insurance company in the country, is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. VIR speaks to Mr. Robert A. Cook, President and Chief Executive Officer of Manulife Asia, about the strategies leading to their great growth in Asia and specifically Vietnam, as well as how they plan to seize the growing opportunities in the region.

Fifteen years ago, Manulife entered the Vietnamese life insurance market. Do you feel you made the right decision? Are you pleased with Manulife Vietnam's growth rate in the last 15 years?
We’re very happy with what we’ve achieved in Vietnam and very optimistic about the future. Being a multinational financial services organization, and with more than 100 years of experience in different markets, we saw great potential in Vietnam. We were the first fully foreign-owned life insurer to enter the country 15 years ago and the first life insurance company here to declare a profit. Manulife has businesses in seven ASEAN countries and Vietnam is now one of the fastest growing and biggest markets.
For several consecutive years, Manulife Vietnam has posted impressive double-digit insurance sales growth, has successfully built a strong reputation, and is a top 3 player in the industry. We are very proud to be honoured by The Ministry of Finance two times for our significant contribution to the Vietnamese insurance sector.