Vietnamese Business Culture

Tue Stump

Vietnam’s GeographyContinent

• Asia

Language• Vietnamese

Population• 93,821,435

Currency• Vietnamese Dong

Neighboring Countries• Cambodia, China, Laos

Vietnamese Business CultureGreetings

Meetings

Business Cards

Dress Code

Dining

Giving Gifts

Greetings

Man greeting man • Simple handshake • Two-handed shakes

occur with left hand resting on the right wrist

Greetings (cont.)

Woman greeting woman• Handshakes or a

simple nod Woman greeting man• If the woman doesn’t

offer her hand, the simple nod will be acceptable

Meetings

Would rather speak native language than English

A face to face meeting is highly recommended

First meeting is just to get to know each other

Meetings (cont.)

Guests should arrive on time. However, the meeting may not start at its designated time

Defer to the highest ranked person to begin and guide the conversation

Business Cards

Business cards should be printed in both Vietnamese and English

Business cards exchange at the beginning of the meeting with both hands

Truly and thoroughly look at the card before putting it away

Dress Code

Subdued colors are the norm. Bright color of any kind is not appropriate• Men: suits with ties• Women: dress or

blouse and pantsTip: the length of the dress is not to be above the knees

Dining

Meals will be served sitting down

Show respect by emptying the plate

Chopsticks are the main utensils

Forks are acceptable A bowl of rice is a must for

all lunches and dinners

Giving Gifts

Simple gifts are exchanged after a first meeting

Picture frame gifts are the most common to give if invited to the house

Always wrap a gift in colorful paper