Down to Business: May 27th @ 11:45pm. Saigon Vietnam
Today was all about business. Well, some leisure too, but mostly business.
Manpower Group
We did two separate company/ organization visits. First was Manpower Group. Manpower set up an operation in Vietnam in 2008 and they have been growing ever since. The people we met with said Manpower has a great value proposition because of Vietnam’s massive economic growth. **The more foreign direct investment, the more companies in Hi Chi Minh, the more demand for low and high skilled labor. Manpower has been capitalizing on this circle of progress and has found quite a good niche in Ho Chi Minh.
Another thing I was very curious about is the skills that Vietnamese companies are looking for in their employees. I have been very passionate about what skills are really needed to be successful after college. They said that the number one attractive skill for employees is the desire to learn. After she said that it all made sense. Commerce is booming here and since expansion is happening so fast, employers and employees have to be incredibly quick to learn. When we left, I knew that working in an emerging market country would be an amazing adventure and I will certainly have to consider it at some point in my own pursuits.
Harley Davidson
I know what your'e thinking, and no I’m not kidding. About 6 years ago, Harley Davidson finally got permission to open a dealership right outside Ho Chi Minh. We got a chance to go inside and ask some questions about their operations. They said that it took years for the government to allow Harleys to be sold. In addition, the taxes are so high on imported vehicles, a Harley there is almost 2x as expensive as a bike here (between 600,000,000 Dong - 800,000,000 Dong). All of this means that Harley is a very luxurious product in Vietnam and only those who REALLY want one have the ability to buy one.
United States Consulate in Vietnam
I don’t have any pictures here because security takes all of your electronics before you go in.
Here we had a chance to chat with some of the top economic and political analysts in Ho Chi Minh. We got a lot of really good insights into how the government landscape is changing, how economics is shaping daily life here and how conflicts with other countries are effecting people.
Very enlightening take on world politics and working for the State Department. I was so glad we had a chance to do that.
Needless to say, today was what this trip is all about. We are here to gain insights into how doing business in Vietnam is similar and different to the US. Overall today showed me I have to broaden my horizons when it comes to my career. There is so much progress happening in parts of the world I never even considered before.
Before I left, I said this trip was gonna make want to go back so bad. After today, there is no way that this is my only time in Vietnam. I’m hooked!
-Aaron