Vietnam Business Guide: Getting Started in Tomorrow's Market Today

分類: 图书,进口原版书,Business & Investing(商业与投资),International(国际),
品牌: Kimberly Vierra
基本信息·出版社:Wiley
·页码:224 页
·出版日期:2010年01月
·ISBN:0470824522
·International Standard Book Number:0470824522
·条形码:9780470824528
·EAN:9780470824528
·装帧:平装
·正文语种:英语
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内容简介Kimberly and Brian Vierra have written the most useful guide I have seen for foreigners who want to do business in Vietnam. I’ve spent years in the country, but I learned a lot from this book. It’s full of practical information about unique aspects of Vietnam’s business culture; registration, legal and tax issues; working with local business partners; living conditions in Vietnam and industry-specific opportunities. Interviews with experienced expatriates bring the issues to life. The Vierras are very frank about tough problems such as corruption, but they also convey a real affection for and understanding of this wonderful country.
Raymond Burghardt
Former US Ambassador to Vietnam
Director, Indochina Capital Corporation
Vietnam Business Guideis the book that every seasoned Southeast Asia hand, bellied up to a Saigon bar, says he ought to write. Be thankful the Vierras made good on this common boast. Unstinting, pragmatic, penetrating and incredibly accessible, this highly readable volume may not keep you from the suffering the pain of starting up, but—if read closely, with a yellow highlighter—may very well spare you the agony of undue blood-letting. There will be blood, butVietnam Business Guidewill mitigate the flow.
James Sullivan
Managing Director, Mandarin Media
Author, National Geographic VietnamandOver the Moat
Vietnam Business Guideprovides practical and balanced information about Vietnam for foreigners to plan their first steps to enter the market. What separate this book from others are its reality and practicality, brought about by both the authors who themselves are entrepreneurs having walked the same journey and the experts who contributed their experiences on different topics throughout the book. The business landscape in Vietnam is speedily changing. Some facts, by the time you read the book, may need updating but still it serves best in providing newcomers essential starting points—a should-read book for those who consider doing business in Vietnam!
Vu Minh Tri
General Director, Yahoo! Vietnam Co. Ltd.
I believe thatVietnam Business Guidehas been very objective and true to its purpose. It covers almost all relevant business and personal challenges that one would face in Vietnam, with the authors’ firsthand experience shining through in their handling of culture issues and the Vietnamese mindset. Despite the constraints on size, it has sufficient details and a wealth of references to guide entrepreneurs and business executives in the right direction. Crisply written with interviews and real-life anecdotes, it makes for a very interesting read. A must-read book and an invaluable tool kit for anyone looking to Vietnam for business.
Manish Dhawan
Vice President – Coffee Division, Olam International Limited
作者简介
Brian Vierra graduated from Whitman College with a B.A. degree in Economics and went on to complete a Master’s degree in International Management at Portland State University. Prior to founding two successful
businesses in Vietnam, he was the import manager for the New York branch of a global logistics firm. Before this, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania, East Africa, working as a university economics instructor. Brian is currently the director of Embers Asia Ltd. and the managing director of Phat Tire Ventures. Both companies have operated successfully in Vietnam for more than seven years.
Kimberly Vierra graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (honors) from Lewis and Clark College, and a Master’s degree in International Management from Portland State University. Kimberly has been a Senior Consultant with ORC Worldwide’s Singapore office since March 2007, after relocating from Dalat, Vietnam where she was the co-founder of Embers Asia. Previously, she was a consultant in ORC’s New York headquarters where she consulted with Fortune 500 companies on their international assignments programs. Prior to ORC, Kimberly worked in the International Assignment Solutions Technology Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City, and before this worked in the International Human Resources department at Nike, Inc.’s world headquarters.
目录
The book draws on the first hand experience of the authors as well as a number of other professionals from the business community in Vietnam. Interviews and first hand accounts of experiences within the country are used to supplement the descriptions and outlines of the business landscape.Foreword: Vietnam: The War is Over?
The battle still rages on in Vietnam, although the theatre of operations is different this time. It's a true fight to succeed in the Vietnamese market. The opportunities suck many a naïve investor into what inevitably proves too grueling an experience to overcome. The big multinationals have the resources (read lawyers and accountants), to make a legitimate go of it and truly capitalize on the opportunities, but even they suffer casualties. The project may not fail, but many an expensive expat, brought in as the country manager and paid top dollar, does.Introduction: Opening and Closing and Opening and…
Doi Moi, or "renovation", was launched by the Sixth Party Congress in 1986. Early movers rushed in to enjoy the low wage labor and to be first to hawk their wares to the brand conscious Saigonese. Many of these early movers realized that intent out shown any actual reforms in these primitive doi moi days. They decided that low wages weren't enough to keep their investments in-country. With recent accession into the WTO, most of these companies are back again for a second try, along with a slew of new, "me too", companies. What this means to any organization now entering the market is fierce competition against players that are already entrenched in this still reforming Vietnam. Vietnam's critics claim that the doi moi door that slammed shut in some investor's faces in the early 90's will most likely swing shut again. Vietnam's enthusiasts are betting, on the other hand, that the WTO will be able to wedge the door open permanently.Chapter 1. What you Need to Know Before you Go
Vietnam is an extremely bureaucratic environment to do business in. The licensing phase requires an enormous amount of documentation. Knowing what to expect, before hand, can help to alleviate some of the shock one might experience when starting into the process. And even if professionals are used to navigating the system, an understanding of the process can help in setting more realistic timelines and forecasting potential delays.Chapter 2. Why isn't there a Single McDonald's Restaurant in all of Vietnam?
McDonald's operates over 31,000 restaurants, in over 119 countries on six continents. So, why isn't there a single McDonald's Restaurant in this country of over 85 million hungry mouths? And might there be a good reason for you not to enter the Vietnamese market either? Here's one: communism, it seems, might mean "what is yours is mine?. Don't be surprised, for example, if you open up a successful seafood restaurant named "Crab 41", and one morning you wake up to find the store next door is now a new restaurant called, you guessed it, "Crab 41". If you are very successful, the shop around the corner and across the street may also change their names to "Crab 41".Chapter 3. "Negotiating" with the Vietnamese Government
Unfortunately, an envelope with money in it is still how business is expedited in Vietnam. The line between the "red envelope", which is traditionally used at New Years and other holidays in much of Asia to give "gifts" to family, friends, employees and business partners, and the envelope passed to a government official to help speed your license approval, is very, very gray in the minds of the Vietnamese. At first you will be shocked at how deep this practice goes. To be successful in Vietnam, you will need to expect it and effectively deal with it. The size of the venture going into Vietnam is extremely important: the bigger the better. The Vietnamese want huge investment projects coming into the country, and have little time for or interest in a company with registered capital of say $100,000. In fact, it is arguable that very small projects can't get licenses in Vietnam at all if they aren't bringing in enough investment.Chapter 4. Working with Local Business Partners
Trust is the name of the game when climbing into bed with a Vietnamese business partner. And trust is built up over time, not with the signature at the bottom of a contract. There is a very big difference in how contracts are perceived in Vietnam, and in fact most of Asia, and the west. In the west they are in general, binding. In Vietnam they are merely a guideline; the first step in a relationship; a flexible entity that evolves over time. The real contract by which the business relationship is governed is the quality of the relationship that is built. The conversations that are conducted every day, and what is said is far more important than what is written in a "legally binding" contract.Chapter 5. Finding, Managing and Keeping Vietnamese Employees
The most challenging aspect of doing business in Vietnam and the most crucial to success, is building an effective team. The competition for talent is fierce, with new multinationals coming into the country all the time, and a very shallow pool of skilled labor.Chapter 6. Facing Local/Government-Linked Competitors
There's the Vietnamese market, and then there's the portion of the Vietnamese market open to you. While the WTO mandates a level playing field for all of its members, Vietnam is still divided into those with and those without ties to the party. Knowing who the local players are (and their government affiliations) in your industry is crucial to understanding to what extent the opportunities that exist for you and your products will be limited by the home team.Chapter 7. What the Vietnamese Want: From Cu Chi to Gucci
Long-time expatriates in Vietnam will insist that Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have very distinct cultures. In Hanoi, the arts matter and people laze around for hours smoking, drinking tea and reading poetry. In Ho Chi Minh City, the brand of motor bike you drive and the price of your cell phone are determining factors of status. The locals drink coffee and talk business. If you are coming into Vietnam with a strong brand name, consider yourself blessed, especially in Ho Chi Minh City. They'll appreciate that you are finally bringing your products to market.Chapter 8. Living in Vietnam - It Isn't for Everyone
If your company has asked you to take an assignment in Vietnam, remember this: a happy family makes for a happy, productive expatriate. Ask yourself, has your spouse spent much time in the third world or in developing countries? Does he or she accept it when strangers with grubby hands touch your child's face or hair? If you answered no to either of these questions, you need to very seriously consider whether Vietnam has the capacity to chew up your family and spit out the remains.Chapter 9. Conclusion/Afterword
Our goal with writing this book was not to ridicule, condemn, poke fun at, or overly criticize Vietnam and the Vietnamese. The tone and attitude of this book are a genuine reflection of our personal experience. We hope that no offence is taken. Brian still runs 2 businesses in Vietnam. We have a great many Vietnamese friends and colleagues. We go back often, and probably will for the foreseeable future. This book was meant to be insightful and honest. It was also written as an outlet for us to express our feelings on the amazing things we have seen, done and experienced in a country few people (including us) will ever fully understand.
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