Introduction
Working with your business in today's global business environment, it's important to understand the people and culture you want to do business with.
The more prepared you are, the more successful your business negotiation will be. "Be warned, be prepared." This is your choice.
I have included some basic strategies and options that can improve and improve your success if used properly. These recommendations are based on years of personal business experience in the real world with real people. Taking this approach is effective and I can assure you that it works well.
Topic
Family culture
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2. Reputation - "Recover face"
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3. Name structure
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Greetings
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5. Bribery and corruption
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6. Gift giving
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7. Standard work practices
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8. Business Meeting - Preparation
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9. Business Meeting - What to Expect
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10. Business Culture - Communication
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11. Ask a question
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12. Festival / Festival
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13. Praise
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14. Social gatherings
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15. Superstition
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16. Others - Traditional Vietnamese customs
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17. Summary
Although using today's technology, we can do most of the business online, but in this case, it can only take you so far. In fact, there is no substitute for being experienced or immersed in the local environment.
I believe that we often overlook the fact that technology is just a tool that can help us get the job done. The essence of business is people.
Family culture
The first step in understanding how to do business in Vietnam is to understand the promising dynamics that define the parameters of its social structure. By familiarizing ourselves with these basic cultural aspects of Vietnamese society and using a bit of empathy, we can begin to understand the key elements of its social pillar and how it defines and influences its business culture.
- Chinese Confucianism plays a very important role in its philosophical beliefs and daily life
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- Older people are often respected and their life experiences are highly valued in the family
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- Why do you see a generation living under one roof, which becomes very obvious?
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- For most people, men make the final decision, if not everything, the traditional ideal of male superiority still exists today.
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- The eldest son of a family is considered to be the head of the household. In this case, the elderly are usually regarded as role models.
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- Worship ancestors are a commonplace because they are seen as a source of life, wealth and key tenants who promote family culture
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- Their ancestors were honored. On the day of their death, they often held special ceremonies and ceremonies. For the Vietnamese, the elders they feared were considered to be the source of their existence.
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- Traditional Vietnamese families generally do not celebrate birthdays
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- Vietnam is basically a collectivist society in which the needs of the group often exceed the needs of the individual, especially in the context of family values.
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- Family and community issues almost always appear before business or personal needs
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- Family spirit plays a very important core role in Vietnamese society
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- Family, extended family and community can have a major impact on the behaviour of individual family members, whether they are children or adults
The essence of "family" is one of the most important characteristics of Vietnamese culture, and "family" is everything. It is worth noting that Vietnam is also a social form of patriarchality in terms of family ethos. Most Vietnamese companies have adopted similar hierarchies to varying degrees.
Vietnamese society is changing rapidly. As the country opens up, as society becomes more affluent, Vietnamese become more "westernized" over time. Some long-standing family traditions have begun to fade away.
As the younger generation is exposed to more and more Western culture, some long-standing traditional family values are being eroded, and Western thinking and culture are rapidly becoming more common.
2. Reputation - "Save Face"
The concept of saving "face" appears throughout Asia, and in some cases it is the most important factor in everything they do. Today, in some of the more developed Asian countries, this way of thinking is not strictly adhered to as before.
- The concept of saving faces is still very important
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- Reputation gives people dignity and prestige, and with family members
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- Especially for Vietnamese, their hearts are deeply rooted, and "reputation" is considered to be the only thing that can be left to family after death.
As people get older and more educated people begin to feel their own existence in their own culture, these changes will become more apparent. Some of these types of traditional beliefs are beginning to take a step back, but don't underestimate how much impact; "reputation" will have an impact on your business negotiations in Vietnam.
3. Name structure
- The names are written in the following order: 1. Last name. 2. Middle name and 3. name [Christian name]
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- First place the last name because it emphasizes the human heritage, family, as mentioned earlier, "family" is everything
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- The middle name "Thi" indicates that the person is a woman and "Van" indicates that the person is a male
Greetings
- For more important occasions, use the last name, middle name and last given name
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- Use the word "Thua", meaning "please" to evaluate you more politely in your eyes
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- Resolving people older or higher than your name is considered to be disrespectful; even in family or relative relationships, include their title with their name
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- Usually women don't shake hands or shake hands with men; they bow down slightly to each other
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- If age and ranking are involved, people with higher rankings will usually have talent first.
5. Bribery and corruption
Please note that there are various forms of Vietnamese society at all levels; it is an integral part of their culture and has been around for a long time. One of the main reasons for this is that the "standard" wages in many commercial sectors in Vietnam are low, which also includes government departments. At the lower end of the scale, the monthly commission can be as low as $100 per month.
- Recommended resources: Transparency International
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The 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index covers 174 countries. The higher the number, the higher the degree of corruption considered by one country:
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o Vietnam - 123
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o Cambodia - 157
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o Laos - 160
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- Recommended resources: Tuoitre News [Vietnamese English News website]
This is often considered a sensitive area, and from an ethical perspective, you need to make your own decisions. Some business units are different from others, so you need to understand the situation. What I can suggest is to do a considerable amount of research, from which you can draw your own conclusions and make informed decisions.
I suggest that your research should focus on understanding how and where to make decisions. Somewhere, whether you know it or not, you will pay for the contract. You need to know where this will happen, how it will happen, and most importantly, how much it will cost and be prepared.
Make sure you are as close to the source as possible when doing business in Vietnam, and only deal with the manufacturer if you purchase the product.
The farther you are from the actual work, the higher the cost, because everyone must get their commission and you will pay.
6. Gift giving
Gift giving is a common practice in Vietnam and is not considered a bribe of any kind; these thank-you gifts don't need to be expensive and should be considered a small part of your appreciation.
Surprisingly, when you give them a small gift, how grateful the Vietnamese will be, it will make you more conducive to further negotiations, there are some options to choose from.
- flowers
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- Chocolate / Candy
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- fruit
One of the most effective gifts you can give them is a small souvenir representing your home country. For example, if you buy more than a dozen small key rings from Australia, including kangaroos, koalas, boomers, etc., they cost only a few dollars each.
Wrap them in a box with bright wrapping paper. This method will bring you a lot of "Brownney points", far more than the cost of buying these types of gifts, which is a great investment for the future.
7. Standard work practices
Standard working hours apply to larger cities from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Some corporate offices and government departments are open for a long time on Saturday. In regional areas, business hours may vary and stores may be closed for one hour or more during lunch hours.
- Vietnamese business people use English extensively when doing business in major cities in Vietnam. Don't automatically assume that their English is good at giving you all the information you need.
- The further you enter the region and the province, the harder it is to find these small family businesses and the less English you can speak. So plan your trip to cover any possibilities
If you have any questions, please hire an interpreter and save yourself a lot of brains. It is very important to find the right translation for you, this is not a simple process. I suggest you to have your translation sign a company confidentiality agreement.
A copy in English and a Vietnamese, let them sign two copies and make sure you give them...
Orignal From: Doing business in Vietnam: understanding cultural differences
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