First Grand Stevie Award for Vietnam Highlights IOR and EOR Services Breakthrough

ExtendMax becomes Vietnam’s first company to win a Grand Stevie Award, setting new standards in global compliance and trade facilitation services.

HANOI, Hà NộI — HANOI CITY, VIETNAM, August 20, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- For the first time in the 20+ year history of the Stevie Awards, a Vietnamese company — ExtendMax Vietnam Company Limited — has won the Grand Stevie Award, the highest honor in the prestigious global business awards program. This recognition is not just a remarkable achievement for a Vietnamese B2B service provider, but also a signal of the country’s rising capability in regulatory, logistics, and compliance services for global supply chains. It reflects a broader narrative of Vietnam’s ascent in the international business community, especially in sectors once considered niche or too technically complex for emerging markets.

According to the official announcement, ExtendMax’s winning nomination — titled “Pioneering End-to-End IOR/EOR Services in Vietnam’s Compliance Market” — was recognized as the Best New Business-to-Business Service and received the highest score across all new product and service nominations globally. This made ExtendMax the first Vietnamese winner of a Grand Stevie, ranking among the Top 10 organizations worldwide with the most Gold awards in 2025. It is a recognition that celebrates not only a successful business model, but also the resilience, creativity, and technical depth of a company that dared to innovate in one of the most heavily regulated sectors.

IOR/EOR (Importer/Exporter of Record) services are common in developed economies, but implementing such a model in Vietnam — where legal frameworks are fragmented and licensing is highly technical — requires interdisciplinary expertise. ExtendMax created an integrated model that bridges legal consulting, customs clearance, technical documentation, product conformity, and risk mitigation in regulatory compliance. The company’s model does not simply assist clients in fulfilling paperwork but plays a pivotal role in shaping their entire compliance strategy. Their services are especially crucial for controlled products such as civil cryptography, telecommunications, and industrial electronics — categories subject to national security and technical regulation. ExtendMax not only assumes legal responsibility as an importer/exporter but also helps foreign and local clients ensure full compliance, saving time and minimizing risks. In doing so, ExtendMax allows global enterprises to operate confidently in Vietnam’s dynamic market without being slowed down by bureaucratic complexity or legal uncertainty.

Over the past years, ExtendMax has supported a wide range of strategic projects involving high-tech infrastructure and foreign investment. Among them, the $1.86 billion Quang Trach 1 Thermal Power Plant project stands out. Here, ExtendMax acted as the legal importer for electronic and control equipment, ensuring that licensing and customs procedures were completed accurately and on time. This support was vital for the successful execution of the EPC contract. In Ho Chi Minh City, the company played a crucial role in enabling the compliant import of advanced control systems for the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien Metro Line, one of Vietnam’s most ambitious urban transit developments. Similarly, ExtendMax was selected by LEGO to manage the importation of encrypted ICT devices during the early construction phase of the company’s $1.3 billion manufacturing facility in Binh Duong. These projects, spanning the fields of energy, public infrastructure, and foreign direct investment, illustrate the indispensable role ExtendMax has played in facilitating large-scale technology deployment and cross-border collaboration.

What truly distinguishes ExtendMax from its peers is its proactive mindset and service philosophy. Rather than simply reacting to client needs, ExtendMax anticipates regulatory hurdles and proposes comprehensive, forward-looking solutions. This positions the company not just as a legal or logistics provider, but as a long-term compliance and strategic partner. It is a rare quality in the Vietnamese business landscape and a key reason behind ExtendMax’s strong reputation with global clients. The Grand Stevie Award reflects this transformation in how Vietnamese B2B services are perceived — moving from transaction-based roles to trusted partners in innovation and market expansion.

ExtendMax’s contributions extend beyond regulatory services. The company is also at the forefront of sustainability and ESG integration. In 2025, ExtendMax was awarded the Green Leadership honor at the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) for its advisory work on energy labeling and contributions to Vietnam’s National Program on Energy Efficiency (VNEEP). By guiding businesses through the environmental compliance landscape, ExtendMax supports Vietnam’s broader green development goals while positioning itself as a responsible and forward-thinking service provider. Its long-term strategy involves embedding ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) principles into all facets of its operations — from supply chain risk assessments to green trade facilitation and digital transformation consulting. This ESG commitment is particularly relevant as more countries adopt carbon border regulations and sustainability becomes a non-negotiable part of doing business.

Tran Thanh Phuong, also known as Alex, the Founder and CEO of ExtendMax, has been the driving force behind the company’s strategic growth. Speaking on the occasion of the award, he remarked that the Grand Stevie is a testament to the team's unwavering efforts over the past decade. He emphasized that each regulatory challenge offers a chance to deliver new value and deepen trust with clients. According to Phuong, ExtendMax’s success is built on a core belief that compliance should not be a burden, but a competitive advantage that drives efficiency, market access, and stakeholder confidence.

The recognition from the Stevie Awards is more than symbolic. It opens the door for further engagement with international partners, regulatory bodies, and development organizations interested in strengthening Vietnam’s integration into global trade systems. It also encourages other Vietnamese enterprises to invest in quality, transparency, and international benchmarking — values that are increasingly important in an interconnected world.

With Vietnam’s evolving role as a manufacturing hub and logistics center in Asia, the need for high-quality compliance infrastructure is more urgent than ever. ExtendMax’s award-winning service model proves that domestic enterprises can fulfill that need with excellence. The Grand Stevie Award is not just a trophy on a shelf; it is a powerful affirmation of what Vietnamese innovation, leadership, and perseverance can achieve on the world stage. It marks a new chapter for ExtendMax, but also a new aspiration for Vietnam’s broader service economy.

Tran Thanh Phuong
ExtendMax Vietnam Company Limited
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