In this episode of #YouDontKnowVietnam, we speak to HR expert Hanh Ngo, who recruits teams for new hotels for the Intercontinental Hotel Group in Southeast Asia and Korea. With 15 years in HR, Hanh has a lot of insight to share with global brands or business owners who are looking to enter Vietnam to build a team. 

She explains the difference between a good workplace and bad workplace in Vietnam, and covers that all important topic at this time of the year: the Tet bonus. 

Is it REALLY compulsory? Why is it SO important? Do staff expect a whole month's salary? And will they do a runner if your business can't deliver? 

Listen now to find out. 

Plus:

🇻🇳 Her top 5 tips for recruiting (and keeping!) staff in Vietnam
💡 The mindset you need when recruiting a team here 
🤔 Why Vietnamese employees like to work in teams
🎯 The current trends driving Vietnam's hospitality sector

If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.

You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn.

If your company is looking for a piece of the action in Vietnam this year, this episode is for you. In this instalment of You Don't Know Vietnam, Ian talks to Jerome Buzenet, a business lawyer with 20 years of experience in Vietnam.

As Partner at DFDL Vietnam, Jerome helps businesses enter and navigate the Vietnamese market, shedding light on the complexity and fast-paced nature of Vietnam's business landscape. 

Today, Ian and Jerome discuss key milestones that have shaped Jerome's understanding of doing business in Vietnam, including the influx of investment bankers in the early 2000s and the first private equity investment in the country. They explore the challenges faced by international businesses in Vietnam, such as differences in respecting intellectual property and dealing with bureaucracy. The conversation also touches on the unique role of Vietnamese women in the workforce, the importance of embracing Vietnamese culture and work practices, and the significance of trust and building long-lasting relationships. 

Topics discussed:

🇻🇳 The complexity and fast-paced nature of Vietnam's business landscape
🇻🇳 Key milestones shaping understanding of doing business in Vietnam
🇻🇳 Challenges faced by international businesses in Vietnam
🇻🇳 The role of Vietnamese women in the workforce
🇻🇳 Embracing Vietnamese culture and work practices
🇻🇳 Building trust and long-lasting relationships

If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.

You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn.

If anyone knows about Vietnam's foodies it's Dao Chi Anh, the Director of Corporate Brand & Marketing at Golden Gate Restaurant Group. In her role, Chi Anh is across a massive 500 restaurants from 50 brands, from hotpot concepts such as Manwah to BBQ joints like Go Gi, plus steak houses, western restaurants and Vietnamese outlets, too. Today, Chi Anh tells me about her 14-year F&B journey in Vietnam, from a food blogger and entrepreneur and her recent return to the world of corporate. She explores the trends in Vietnam's F&B scene right now, how restaurant brands are adapting, and what makes Vietnam's foodies unique. She also unpacks what really happened at The Kafe (her pioneering restaurant group that fell apart almost as quickly as it shot to fame) and shares key learnings for global brands coming to Vietnam to do business.

If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.

You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn.

Angélique Masse Nguyen and Duong Phan founded NOI, an agency that helps brands understand and communicate better with Vietnamese women. In this episode, they explain how Vietnamese women hold most of the purchasing power in Vietnam but still feel underrepresented in Vietnam's advertising and media landscape. They give insight about women's spending behaviours and share tips on how brands and marketers can authentically connect to the head of the family firm. They explore what brands are doing right, what they are doing wrong, and discuss the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs here. 

If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.

You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn.

On this episode of You Don't Know Vietnam, we have the pleasure of talking to Michael Brosowski, the Founder and Strategic Director of Blue Dragon - a children's foundation that's been doing some of the most important and awe-inspiring work in Vietnam. To date, Blue Dragon has rescued almost 1,700 people from human trafficking. They've helped send 6,400 kids to school, placed almost 500 teens in jobs, and was instrumental in rescue efforts during the recent Typhoon Yagi and the subsequent landslides that ravaged through communities in northern Vietnam. Today, Michael talks about the darker sides of Vietnam's rapid economic development and describes which communities are most at risk. He tells the story of how Blue Dragon began, recounts the first ever rescue mission, and outlines what success looks like for Blue Dragon in Vietnam. He also give tips for global business to ensure their migrant works aren't being exploited, and talks about the best ways to give back to Vietnam sensitively through CSR initiatives. Head over to www.bluedragon.org to learn more about what Michael and Blue Dragon do in Vietnam. Donate at bluedragon.org/donate to support Vietnamese children in crisis.

If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.

You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn.

Meet artist, DJ and producer Dan Nguyen, or Demonslayer. From archiving and reviving Californian V-wave from the 80s to DJing the Hollywood premiere of HBO's The Sympathizer, Dan has been representing Vietnamese creativity for as long as we can remember. Today, he tells us why Vietnam is finally getting the global recognition it deserves, what it was like growing up in a Vietnamese household in L.A, and what shocks him most when he returns. 

If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.

You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn.

Diep Hoang is a content creator and mother and baby influencer on the channel Love At First Shine. She also has a podcast with her husband where they talk openly about the challenges faced by couples in the modern Vietnamese family. On this episode of You Don't Know Vietnam Diep tells us about the pressures faced by young mums in Vietnam and how she juggles traditional Vietnamese values with modern parenting. She also shares how the Vietnamese family is changing, how Vietnamese women have all the purchasing power, and what brands should consider when attempting to market their products to them.

If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.

You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn.

Marina Tran-Vu is the founder and CEO of EQUO, a Vietnam-based startup that produces eco-friendly products to tackle the big problem of single use plastics. EQUO makes everything from takeaway food containers and cutlery to tote bags, tumblers and super cute pencils you can plant once you're done drawing. Today, Marina tells me why she chose Vietnam as a place to tackle plastic and whether or not Vietnamese consumers care about sustainability. She shares why Vietnam is a difficult place to do business and how -- rather than giving her the boost she needed -- her appearance on Shark Tank Vietnam dramatically dented her confidence as a founder.

If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.

You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn.

Michael Rosen is a co-founder of Về để đi Spirits, a contemporary liquor brand and distillery making craft gin, rum, creme de cacao, triple sec and... wait for it... whiskey. Today, Michael tells me why Vietnam is surprisingly good for distilling whiskey (maybe even better than Scotland?). He tells me why Về để đi celebrates the unpredictable energy of urban Vietnam in its brand positioning, and what's going on with Vietnam's explosion of cocktail bars. He also shares why the time is now for Vietnamese products, brands and culture, and why you'll need resilience with a sprinkling of stupidity to succeed in business here. 

If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.

You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn.

Hailing from the graffitied streets of Paris, Nodey came to Vietnam to explore his Vietnamese roots through music. The result? His unique sound inspired by old school hip hop, high tempo electronic music, and Vietnamese samples. Plus, a great studio album called ":-)", an epic music video for the song Đôi Khi featuring Suboi, as well as regular 3am appearances gracing Vietnam's nightclub scene with his high-energy sounds. Today, Nodey shares why the pandemic was a watershed moment for the Vietnam's homegrown music scene, which Vietnamese artists you should be looking out for now, and all the reasons he is very happy calling Vietnam home... for now. Listen and follow Nodey on Spotify and Apple.

If you enjoy this conversation or think someone in your network could find value in it, please share it and hit follow to get notified when the next episode drops.

This podcast is brought to you by We Create Content, the content marketing agency that builds audiences for global brands in Vietnam.

A special thanks to DJ Jase at The Beats Saigon for the soundtrack, and to YOU for listening.

You can follow our host, Ian Paynton, on LinkedIn.