UOB Vietnam appoints Pham Hong Hai as deputy country CEO

Singapore's United Overseas Bank (Vietnam) Limited on Monday appointed Pham Hong Hai, former CEO of HSBC Vietnam and later Vietnamese bank OCB, as deputy country CEO, effective immediately.

In his role, Hai will report directly to the country CEO of UOB Vietnam. Leveraging his extensive experience and proven leadership, he will support the Singaporean bank in accelerating sustainable growth, advancing strategic priorities, and further strengthening governance and risk management.

Victor Ngo, CEO of UOB Vietnam, wrote in a release: “Vietnam is a key market in UOB’s ASEAN strategy and continues to offer strong opportunities for growth. The appointment of Pham Hong Hai reflects our commitment to strengthening our leadership team as we deepen our presence in the market."

"With his extensive experience and deep understanding of the industry, Hai will play an important role in advancing our strategic priorities, supporting our clients’ growth, and contributing to Vietnam’s continued development and regional connectivity,” he added.

Hai brings more than 30 years of experience in banking and financial services, with senior leadership roles across both local and international markets.

Most recently, he served as CEO of Orient Commercial Joint Stock Bank (OCB), where he "reinforced the bank’s foundations, delivered strong business performance, and drove its transformation agenda", according to the release.

Prior to that, Hai spent 28 years at HSBC, where he held key positions including country CEO of HSBC Vietnam, as well as senior leadership roles in global banking and markets in Vietnam and Canada. During his tenure, he played an instrumental role in driving business growth, enhancing client segmentation, and building high-performing teams.

Hai holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and a diploma in financial services management from the Institute of Financial Services, United Kingdom.

UOB Vietnam officially commenced operations in July 2018. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UOB, a leading bank in Asia with a global network of about 430 branches and offices in 19 markets in Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific, Europe and North America.

The Singaporean bank has been in Vietnam for over 30 years, started from a representative office in 1993 and became the first Singapore bank to launch a branch in the country in 1995.

In 2019, UOB Vietnam expanded into northern Vietnam with a branch in Hanoi. With the completion of the acquisition of Citibank Vietnam’s consumer banking business early 2023, UOB now has a total five branches in Ho Chi Minh city and Hanoi.

UOB is one of the 10 foreign banks licensed to operate in Vietnam as a wholly foreign-owned bank. UOB and South Korea's Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) were the most recent foreign banks to receive such a licence, in 2017 and 2026 respectively.