Hasty Hanoi Experience (4-7 Jan)
Business Culture
I only visited the financial sector in Hanoi, both banks are state-owned. The culture of civil service is almost identical with other countries. One of the banks I visited is owned by the military! There are always opportunities for training and consultancy in customer service, soft skills, grooming, workplace communication, social media, etc. The internet community is very savvy and there is great growth in social media community in the past 1.5 years.
Language
It is still a barrier. Even with people who knows English they prefer to converse in Vietnam and require a translator. Entertainment your client if you are doing business in Vietnam can be a whole day affair from lunch to meeting to tea break to more meetings to dinner.
Weather from Dec to Jan
Yes! At 12 degree, we were on the road trying to smile and look cool in front of the cold camera
Honestly, I didn’t research on the weather before I reached Hanoi on 4 Jan. It was the 2nd week of winter and it went down to 10 degree. The fun was I didn’t bring any warm clothes except my jacket. It was manageable and I survived. The winter is relatively short in Hanoi about 5-6 weeks. The bad weather led to heavy fogging and plane delay. This bring me to another point.
Transit or Direct?
If you are going to Hanoi, just fly direct and avoid transit. Domestic planes in Vietnam are smaller and has frequent delays due to many reasons. Spending 5-6 hours in Ho Chih Minh airport can be like eternity without internet access. I had to walk some distance from international airport to domestic airport for my flight. The only consolation is I walked into the Business Lounge and rested there with drinks and food all on the house without showing my boarding pass. Just because I dress as a business class passenger, the staff assumed I am on business class 🙂
Choice of Accommodation
I know most business travelers would prefer 5-star hotel for comfort. However, if you are on your own and exploring business opportunities, choose a 3-star hotel with good customer service and free wi-fi. I stayed at Asean Hotel which provides a netbook for every guest regardless of room type. The rooms are very clean and food is above average.
It is near to the market place and allow me a chance to experience the authentic Vietnamese lifestyle. Personally I do not see the need to find a posh hotel if I am not on a holiday.
Amazing Traffic
Remember the time when we were young, we were taught to look left, then look right and finally left again before crossing. In Hanoi. I have to do that a lot. This video shows the better traffic condition on a normal weekday afternoon. In a busy T-junction, every car can be turning at 8 different directions without stopping. In some roads where there is no dividers, the view is even more scary inside the taxi. Amazingly I didn’t see any accident in 4 days. The only accident I witnessed was caused by me. I knocked down a motorist while I was opening my car door! She toppled along with her motor and caused a one-minute delay of traffic. I was told not to get out of the car while my Vietnamese friends did the talking.
Food
Food in Hanoi is a little different from the south like Ho Chih Minh. Pho Bo is everywhere, Vietnamese have it mostly during breakfast and dinner. As I am crazy over raw beef, it’s heaven to me. I have only tried the street food from a run-down shophouse, yet to venture into those on the road side. In restaurants, there are a wide selection, the hot pot which is the chinese equivalent of steamboat is mostly vegetables and beef. So if you are not a beef lover, you may have your choice rather limited.Vietnamese food to be is already a fusion on its own. It has a little Chinese, French and Vietnamese elements.
Urban Development
The Seaprodex building which houses the office of my Vietnam representative – Talent Pool; used to be the most modern building in Hanoi some 15-20 years ago. The first to have a lift serving every floor. Now it is dwarfed by other sky scrappers. The skyline of Hanoi is painted by ultra modern buildings next to shop houses built before World War 2. The income gap is widening as the boundary of Hanoi keep expanding; now 7 districts. Almost everyone own a vehicle be it a car, motor or a bicycle. It’s hard to flag a cab on the road, faster to make a call to book one. There are very little night life in Hanoi except in 5-star hotel. Pub usually close by 11pm. SPA closes at 10pm; and I mean real SPA not some prostitute dens in disguise.
Surprise Surprise
I like to make a special mention of SF SPA (www.sfcompany.net). The biggest surprise isn’t how professional the SPA is, or how spacious the venue was. The lady I found who speak the most fluent English in Hanoi happen to be the masseur who serviced me. She was in training in Singapore for the SPA industry for 6 months before the law changes on Work Permit. I encouraged her to become a tour guide or work as a customer service officer in the bank rather than to work 12-14 hours a day with only 2 days off in a month.
Talent Pool
Duong, the CEO of Talent Pool leads a team of dynamic ladies. Their forte is in Human Capital matching talents with job requirements from reputable clients who top players in the banking, oil and gas industry in Vietnam. With a branch in Ho Chih Minh, they can serve anyone; anywhere in Vietnam. Any regional search firm in Asia who is keen to have a Vietnam partner can consider working with them (www.talentpoolvn.net).
Talent Pool will be my official marketing representative in Vietnam for all my training courses. I will be delivering the keynote for the upcoming Professional Image and Grooming Seminar on the 19 Jan, 2011. the details are attached in the above slideshare and those who are interested may contact Ms.Huyen, huyendt@talentpoolvn.net (097 379 1092)
Andrew Chow (aka IdeasAndrew) 