Global Business Cultural Analysis: Vietnam

Global Business Cultural Analysis: Vietnam

Global Business Cultural Analysis: Vietnam


Abstract
This paper is meant to identify the differences between American and Vietnamese cultures and how their history and cultures influence their business world. Both countries have come a long way. 1975 was the end of the Vietnam War where they battled for almost a decade. Over the years they have been drawn closer by international organizations and government actions to eliminate the barriers on trade that were placed on the countries. We also compare the values and beliefs that helped influence the countries in their development. The paper is meant to help initiate a business prepare for the culture shock they may face in their attempt to do business with Vietnam.

Major Elements and Dimensions of Culture in Vietnam
Communication
Verbal. Most developed and more developing nations teach English as a second language to their youth as they go through school. Vietnam does not for the most part; In fact there is very little English spoke in Vietnam. There are one hundred and six spoken languages and one dead language. Of those, Vietnamese is the primary language with sixty five million of the country’s approximately eighty millions inhabitants speaking it. The fact that English is not a primary language poses a potential hurdle for businesses looking to enter into the Vietnamese market (Lewis, 2009).
High Context. The Vietnamese are very proud people and while their culture and ways may be similar to several other Asian Pacific countries they do not like to be reminded of that. They do not envy these other countries and feel that they too aggressively deal with situations. The Vietnamese language is very hard to understand. It is a high context language in which the same word can have many different meanings based on the way the word is spoken. This poses a clear threat in that a visiting business person may easily embarrass himself.
Religion
History. The religions, Buddhism,...

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