The Adora Legend Banquet & Convention Center, 32 Hoang Viet Street, Tan Son Nhat Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
Business /18/09/2026

1989 Law – Protecting Corporate Intellectual Property in the Digital Age: Highlights from the BNI Substance Chapter Business Networking

On the morning of Thursday, 17 September 2026, at Adora Legend Convention Centre (32 Hoang Viet Street, Tan Son Nhat Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), BNI Substance Chapter (BNI HCM West) held its weekly Business Networking meeting with 30 business owners — members and invited guests. The atmosphere was warm, professional and full of the collaborative spirit of BNI.

The BNI Substance Chapter welcome desk, ready early in the morning.
The BNI Substance Chapter welcome desk, ready early in the morning.

Open networking: every handshake is an opportunity

From 07:30, the Open Networking session was in full swing. Members and guests exchanged business cards, introduced their businesses and looked for common ground. In BNI, this is never small talk — every conversation can open a lasting business relationship.

Members and guests connecting during the Open Networking session.
Members and guests connecting during the Open Networking session.

Skills sharing: “Sow value – Attract relationships – Harvest opportunities”

The networking skills segment was delivered by Mr. Nguyen Minh Tan — Chairman of AntKing Group, on the topic “Sow value – Attract relationships – Harvest opportunities”.

He challenged the familiar sequence many people follow: chase the opportunity, then look for relationships, and only then prove value. The sustainable order, he argued, is the reverse — sow value first, trust follows, and opportunities open by themselves. Value does not have to be big: the right introduction, the right information at the right time, a referral with a clear need, or a sincere act of support.

He also stressed that a referral is the result of trust, because the person referring puts their own reputation in our hands. Trust is built through very concrete behaviours: showing up, keeping your word, listening, and giving consistently. The session closed with a simple practice for the week ahead:

  • 1 person to understand more deeply
  • 1 piece of value to give proactively
  • 1 action to follow through completely
Mr. Nguyen Minh Tan on the sustainable order: sow value first, opportunities come later.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Tan on the sustainable order: sow value first, opportunities come later.

Member recognition and 30-second introductions

The Chapter recognised its outstanding members for Week 41:

  • Tran Duc Thinh (Thien Kim Corp) — Most visitors: 08 guests
  • Le Van Vu (Trend Realty) — Highest TYFCB: VND 16,800,000
Recognition of the highest Thank You For Closed Business value in Week 41.
Recognition of the highest Thank You For Closed Business value in Week 41.

Membership renewal: one year measured in numbers

Another meaningful moment of the meeting was the membership renewal of Mr. Nguyen Minh Tan — Founder & CEO of ANTKING Group, marking one full year with BNI Substance Chapter. The Chapter leadership pinned the one-year member badge and recognised his contribution over the term:

  • 52 referrals given to fellow members
  • VND 478,954,672 in closed business (TYFCB) passed to fellow members
  • 77 one-to-one meetings
  • 15 guests introduced to the Chapter

The numbers illustrate exactly what the morning’s sharing was about: give first, results follow. A renewal, then, is not simply extending a membership — it is a commitment to keep sowing value for the community.

One year with BNI Substance Chapter, measured in very concrete numbers.
One year with BNI Substance Chapter, measured in very concrete numbers.

Next came the 30-second introductions by Power Team — Health & Beauty, Business Support, Construction – Real Estate – Manufacturing — where each member stated their industry, ideal customer and the connections they were looking for that week.

The Health & Beauty Power Team with guests interested in the field.
The Health & Beauty Power Team with guests interested in the field.

Guests also had their own introduction slot: company name, industry, who their customers are and how the Chapter can help. This is often where the first connections are made.

A guest introducing her business and networking needs to the Chapter.
A guest introducing her business and networking needs to the Chapter.

Feature Presentation: Protecting corporate intellectual property in the digital age

The highlight of the meeting was the Feature Presentation by Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Chung — Director of 1989 Law Firm, on “Protecting Corporate Intellectual Property Against Risks in the Digital Age”.

She opened with a familiar reality: a business does not only create products to sell, it also creates intellectual property — brand, logo, design, packaging, technology, processes, software, operational know-how. The catch is that creating value and owning value are two different stories. The greatest risk does not appear at the start; it appears once the brand is worth something: losing the right to a brand built over years, logos and designs copied, know-how exploited by others.

The digital age adds another layer of risk: a trade secret can be lost after a single careless disclosure; artificial intelligence creates exposure both on the input side (confidential data and documents fed into AI tools) and the output side (AI-generated content may reproduce third-party rights); social commerce spreads infringement faster; and domain names and online identity are now part of brand protection strategy.

From there, Ms. Bich Chung introduced a four-step approach to managing intellectual property:

  • IDENTIFY — brand, designs, technology, data and business know-how
  • PROTECT — register the right forms of protection and establish ownership
  • MANAGE — manage IP in daily operations: staff, partners, customers, internal processes
  • ENFORCE — monitor, handle infringements and defend your rights

The message throughout: intellectual property is not only the legal department’s job — it is part of how the whole company is managed. 1989 Law is a law firm and a registered industrial property agent in Vietnam (agent code 469), accompanying businesses across the entire life cycle of intellectual assets, from identification and protection to management, enforcement and dispute resolution.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Chung delivering the Feature Presentation.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Chung delivering the Feature Presentation.

She also made the referral triggers very clear: when a business owner says “I built this brand for years and someone else has registered it”, when another party is using a similar name or image, when they are about to open a branch, launch a new product or go overseas, or when they outsource logo design, website development and product development.

The Chapter thanks the Feature Presentation speaker of the meeting.
The Chapter thanks the Feature Presentation speaker of the meeting.

Partnership signed between Trend Realty and 1989 Law

During the meeting, Trend Realty and 1989 Law Firm signed a cooperation contract, witnessed by the Chapter leadership and all members. It is the clearest possible proof of what networking in BNI is for: from one-to-one conversations and introductions around the table, a formal partnership took shape.

Representatives of Trend Realty and 1989 Law signing their cooperation contract before the Chapter.
Representatives of Trend Realty and 1989 Law signing their cooperation contract before the Chapter.
The signed partnership — a concrete result from the BNI Substance Chapter network.
The signed partnership — a concrete result from the BNI Substance Chapter network.

Connecting and spreading value

The meeting closed with thanks to the guests and a group photo. In the spirit of Givers Gain®, BNI Substance Chapter continues to be a place where business owners learn, broaden their thinking and find partners they can trust. The Chapter also introduced members and guests to APAC SME’s Expo 2026, organised by BNI APAC in Ho Chi Minh City.

Members and guests of BNI Substance Chapter on 17 September 2026.
Members and guests of BNI Substance Chapter on 17 September 2026.

Contact

BNI Substance Chapter sincerely thanks both speakers, all members and guests. The Chapter meets every Thursday morning, 07:30 – 10:30, at Adora Legend Convention Centre, 32 Hoang Viet Street, Tan Son Nhat Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.

Registration: 0989.212.273 (Ms. Minh Thu) · Chapter President: Mr. Le Van Vu · Growth Director: Mr. Alan Nguyen.

Author: adminquantri

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