Who Should Attend ?

Company managers and staff working and dealing with the Vietnamese

Benefits of Attendance

The aim of this seminar is to significantly improve the participants’ effectiveness in their professional relationships with the Vietnamese, enabling them to be operational right from the start.

At the end of this training, participants will have acquired insights and techniques to:

• Be aware of their own cultural baggage
• Fully understand Vietnamese context and culture
• Analyse possible situations in which misunderstandings may arise and identify ways of communicating
• Reduce stress and misunderstandings
• Decipher and understand Vietnamese decision-making and negotiation processes

Training Approach

Programme Outline

Module 1 : Understanding cultural differences

1. Intercultural awareness, the key to success in international business

• Taking stock of one's own cultural baggage
• The basics of effective intercultural management
• Identifying and going beyond cultural stereotypes

2. Key aspects of Vietnamese culture

• A multi-ethnic country with significant regional variations
• From Indochina to partition
• The impact of Chinese domination and French colonisation
• The Communist regime
• Highly encouraging economic growth levels

3. The impact of values and behaviour patterns on professional dealings and relationships

• The family unit at the heart of all Vietnamese traditions
• The importance of one's geographical origin and village.
• The country's significant Confucian heritage
• Attachment to customs and spirituality
• A culture based on prudence

4. The Vietnamese corporate world

• The weight of the Vietnamese hierarchy
• Perseverance in work
• Party domination and corruption
• Professional relationships

Module 2 : Succeeding in work with the Vietnamese

1. Effective communication with the Vietnamese

• The benefits of "small talk"
• Deciphering smiles and unspoken messages
• Creating, maintaining and reinforcing network
• The vital role played by the interpreter

2. Adapting your working methods

• Establishing your personal credibility: availability, openness and charisma
• Building trust and confidence
• Encouraging a team spirit and group working
• Working to achieve consensus
• Issuing recognition and praise: the importance of respect and allowing others to save face
• Pitfalls to be avoided

3. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Vietnamese

• Identifying decision-makers and power chains
• Identifying negotiation styles
• Effective tactics
• Taking your time... in order to save time
• The verbal aspect of agreements
• Understanding written contracts, their interpretation and implications
• Organising the post-negotiation phase

4. Final handy tips

• Caution, patience and humility
• Protocol and etiquette
• Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code, etc
• Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion
• Humour: a double-edged sword