1. Religion

- Confucianism (which is more of a philosophy than a religion) has had a significant influence on Vietnamese culture and thought. The two most popular religions in Vietnam are Buddhism and Christianity, while the majority of the population does not follow any religion and instead worships their ancestors.

2. Working

- Vietnamese employees are quite punctual, especially in business meetings.

- Vietnamese employees usually take meetings at work seriously.

- Gender discrimination is usually not popular in the workplace. However, in some fields, such as technology, politics, and transportation, there is considerably fewer female than male workers, and this has nothing to do with gender discrimination.

- Vietnamese employees usually need to build personal trust with others outside of the office to increase their teamwork and collaboration. This is the reason why companies in Vietnam usually have a budget for team members having dinner or drinking every few months or sponsor some sports activities for team members to play together. In business, a contract is more likely to be signed by inviting the business partner to dinner, drinking, and other entertainment activities.

- Influenced by the hierarchical structure in Confucianism, it is quite common that most Vietnamese employees think that they should respect people who have a higher position or are older than them.

- Vietnamese people are usually hospitable. You may be treated to lunch or dinner by a Vietnamese host, and Vietnamese people also expect the same in return when they are the guests.

3. Communication

During communication, Vietnamese people tend to avoid political topics, especially Vietnamese ones.

- A smile does not always mean “happy”. A smile can also mean:

          1. “Hi”

          2. I’m trying to look friendly

          3. I’m feeling embarrassed

          4. I’m sorry that I did something wrong

- Handshake: Not all Vietnamese employees know how to shake hands properly because they may not have been instructed. As a result, a sloppy handshake does not necessarily mean a lack of confidence or impoliteness, it could simply signify that the person does not know how to shake hands properly.

- Vietnamese may begin their response with "Yes" or "OK," but this does not always mean that they mean Yes or OK. It just signifies that they understand what you're saying or asking. After the "Yes" or "OK," comes the real answer. Consider the following scenario: 

"What do you think about solution A?" 

“Yes. I think that solution A is good but solution B is better." - says the Vietnamese person.

- Because of the differences in linguistic structure, English speakers should avoid asking tag questions because the answer from a Vietnamese can be confusing. For example: 

“Solution A isn’t good enough, is it?” 

“Yes”, says the Vietnamese person.

The answer “Yes” here means “I agree with you that solution A isn’t good enough”. We should ask this question instead: “Do you agree that solution A isn’t good enough?”

- When a group of Vietnamese is asked for their opinion on anything, if they are silent, that scenario can be interpreted in two ways:

          1. The group agrees (or at least has no objection) to the proposal. This is the most probable scenario.

          2. The group is surprised or shocked by the proposal.

4. Entertainment

The following entertainment events are quite popular in Vietnam, and you may be invited to them as a guest:

· Eating out and drinking

· Karaoke

· Hanging out at a coffee shop

· Hanging out at bar and pub

5. Dressing

Generally speaking, Vietnamese people dress more casually than Western people. This may be because of the hot weather in Vietnam, particularly in the South.

- A shirt and pants are considered formal enough for business situations.

- People only wear a suit and tie in very important business meetings (such as when signing a contract).

- Employees at foreign-owned businesses now can dress informally. Some companies have a free-style day on Friday or Saturday, so shorts and sandals are permitted in the office.

6. Annual leave and public holidays

- Employees in Vietnam are required to take at least 12 days of annual leave, but some can take up to 20 days.

- Employees in Vietnam do not normally save all of their annual leave for a long trip. Instead, they take several short trips throughout the year.

- Vietnam has 10 days of public holidays, with Tet (or Lunar New Year) being the most important (like Christmas in Western culture). Even though the Tet holiday is just 5 days long, many people make use of their annual leave to extend their vacation.

 We hope that you will better understand your Vietnamese employees through this post. Thank you for your reading.

Source: agilevietnam

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