The U.S & Vietnam Bussiness Comparison

The Comparison Between American Culture and Vietnamese Culture In Business

In business, understanding each other to get the best result for your company is really important, especially when two companies are from two different countries work together. In Vietnamese and American business culture, there are many different things in common such as communication styles, dresses, and meetings. How is it different between American and Vietnamese in business communication style? How about the style of clothing? In meeting, is there any similar thing in common between the two cultures? These are what both American and Vietnamese companies need to hold and catch if they want to be succeed in business.


BUSINESS COMMUNICATION STYLES: absolutely opposite style.

Vietnamese is indirect. This is the most different thing between Vietnamese and American style in business. You should not be angry with Vietnamese businessman if they talk outside the box because Vietnamese considers talking directly could be impolite. Example, if a Vietnamese businessman wants to borrow your company’s money, they will first ask some questions like: How is your company at the moment? Does it work well? Or does your company pass through the 2009 economic crisis well? And then, they ask for borrowing money.

Americans are absolutely opposite, they are direct. They value logic and linear thinking and they expect people to speak clearly and in a straightforward manner. To them, if you don’t tell them how the problem is, you simply waste time, and time is money. If you are from a culture that is more secret in communication style, try not to be insulted by the directness. Try to get to your point more quickly and don’t be afraid to be more direct and honest than you are used to. Americans will use the telephone to conduct business that would require a face-to-face meeting in most other countries. They do not insist upon seeing or getting to know the people with whom they do business.

So, both American and Vietnamese businessman should know that manner to avoid misunderstanding if they do business together.

DRESSES: Vietnamese business culture is quite different from American business culture in clothing.

For Man
In Vietnamese business culture, suits and ties in subdued and dark colors are the suitable. Bright color of any kind is not appropriate. The accepted style of dress for a business meeting in Vietnam is conservative (a dark colored, un-contentious suit and tie are customary for men). It is quite distinct with American; American is more informal, except the executives – who are responsible for the administration of a business – usually dress formally.
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In American business culture, it is more informal than Vietnamese business culture. What is considered appropriate business clothes in the U.S varies by geographic region, day of the week and industry. In the U.S, casual Friday is common in many companies. High technology companies often wear casual clothes every day. For an initial meeting, dressing conservatively is always in good taste. Men should wear a business suit unless you know the firm to be quite casual. In the U.S, you don’t have to wear only suit or just shirts and European-style trousers in business office. You can also wear shirt and tie or T-shirt and shorts. It is really strange to Vietnamese businessman because T-shirt and shorts are considered as a very impolite in business. You will be hardly seen any Vietnamese businessman wear T-shirt and shorts in his office. But Americans do. It is awesome.

For Women
That is for man. How about the clothing for women? Women in business in Vietnam should wear conservative suits or dresses; a blouse or other kind of top should have a high neckline. Women must be careful that their skirts are not above the knees. Good quality jewelry that is neither ostentatious nor overly expensive is recommended for making the right impression. Flat shoes or very low heels are the main footwear options for women due to the emphasis on conservative, modest, dress in Vietnamese business culture, especially if you are relatively much taller than your hosts. High heels are acceptable only at a formal reception hosted by a foreign diplomat. In general, clothing for women is similar in some ways but it still has some differences. American business women have more changes than Vietnamese business women in choosing clothing. In initial meeting, female American businessman can wear business suits, dresses or pantsuits.

In brief:
One general dictum for clothing in the U.S is: The further West you are doing business, the more likely you are to encounter informal dress in business. But this is not always the case. The best advice would always be to check before you come with others who have visited your particular destination. Dress code for women is as varied as that for men and the above advice would hold true. That is what Vietnamese businessman should know about dresses in the U.S.

And this is for Non-Vietnamese businessman: Jeans may not be acceptable casual wear for both men and women especially when you working with state company. Do not wear jeans when you do a business with Vietnamese businessman.

MEETING: Similar in some keys.

It is totally similar in the time-habit of both Vietnamese and American businessman. Arriving on time for meetings since time and punctuality are so important to Americans. In the Northeast and Midwest America, people are extremely punctual and they view it as a sign of disrespect for someone to be late for a meeting or appointment. In the Southern and Western states, people may be a little more relaxed, but to be safe, always arrive on time, although you may have to wait a little before your meeting begins. But it is still have some differences between American and Vietnamese in time of meeting. That is: if you are the boss (in Vietnam), you can arrive lately than your worker a little bit, just that one.
In American business culture, meetings are prepared well and meetings often include formal presentations by one or more of the participants. These presentations are an essential element in the demonstration of professional competence. Therefore, presentations should not only be relevant and well researched but also delivered in a positive, excited and committed manner. The meeting and especially one in which a presentation has to be made, is seen as an opportunity to impress. It is important if personal success is to be achieved. It is dissimilar with Vietnamese business meeting. Vietnamese business meetings do not often include a presentation. Vietnamese businessman does not prefer to use presentation in meeting. They just talk with the statistics that they have prepared before, not a complete formal presentation like American culture.

And in Vietnamese business culture, meetings get one unlike manner with American culture . It is not common to commit to meeting a long time in advance. In Vietnam the meeting will be confirmed at most one week prior to the appointment. It may make it difficult for you planning a trip but it is a reality in Vietnam. You should reconfirm your meeting one or two days ahead. You also should contact with your partner first to get a list of participants and their ranks so you know who you will talk with. It is really strange to foreigner, especially a Western country like America.

IN SUMMARY

Generally, Vietnamese and American business cultures still have some similarities and differences. We can not say if a specific Vietnamese manner is better or worse than an American manner. All is just the custom. Vietnamese is more indirect than American in communication style. American seems informal than Vietnamese in clothing. In meeting, both hope the participants to be on time. All these things need to be known by the businessman, if not, his/her business could be declined just by misunderstanding.

January 20th 2010