Vietnamese Businesspeople: High Responsibility in National Construction Mission

Six years ago, VCCI began working with the Prime Minister’s Research Committee to organise a working seminar on “Vietnamese Businesspeople in the renovation process.” At that time, the press and mass media did not mention much about entrepreneurs. The creation of favourable conditions for enterprises to develop had not been promoted fully. However, so far, the business environment has been improved and all tiers of government understand more about the role of enterprises and entrepreneurs.

 

On October 13, 2004, VCCI handed the first businessperson cup to former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai. On October 13, 2005, VCCI presented businessperson cups for 10 outstanding businesspeople. On October 13, 2006 and on October 13, 2007, VCCI awarded businessperson cups for 100 outstanding businesspeople.

The selection of October 13 to be the Businesspeople Day in Vietnam marked a full awareness of entrepreneurial role in the society. Mr Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of VCCI, stressed that the selection of October 13 as the Businesspeople Day in Vietnam not only aims at honouring enterprises but also dignifies the leading vanguard in the national construction and remind them of the responsibility toward the society and the community.

 

Arguably, the role of businessmen in economic development has been significantly recognised by the society over the past four years. The country annually honours prominent achievements of Vietnamese businesspeople in the industrialisation and modernisation process on October 13. This is also a chance to remind them of their responsibility and role in bringing Vietnam from an agriculture-based economy to an industrialised nation by 2020 and realising the goal of 500,000 companies in 2010.

 

At present, Vietnamese businesspeople are playing huge role in increasing incomes and employment. In addition, they are the main momentum for the establishment and development of commodity, service and commercial markets and the factors for the economic restructure. To integrate successfully, Vietnam needs a strong business circle to inherit the precedent achievements. However, the development of the business circle has not been attached due attention. Many people think that Vietnam only focuses on training social activists and political professors but pays less attention to training economists. This is one of the reasons leading to the shortage of excellent economists who can understand, analyse and explain economic phenomena in the country and in the world, propose competitive solutions for enterprises. Vietnam also lacks a university of economics lectured by prestigious professors who bring updated knowledge to future international standard businesspeople.

 

Regarding this issue, many people think that highest business leaders must train future business talents by their own experience and practical lessons.

 

The advantage and opportunity for each Vietnamese businessperson are different from the time and the place. However, in the WTO integration process and in the business and production process, Vietnamese businesspeople are encountering challenges such as small investment capital, weak internal force and insufficient market experience. But Vietnamese businesspeople have many opportunities and conditions because they join the WTO playing ground when the rules have been considerably perfect and WTO members are respected.

 

In the home market, Vietnamese businesspeople in general and I in particular have been taking advantage. According to the statistics, most enterprises are growing and the business value is increased. No foreign firms wholly acquired Vietnamese companies. In the Vietnamese market, no foreign businesspeople can understand the psychology, sentiment, tradition and customs of Vietnamese people as much as Vietnamese businessmen. Thus, the victory in the home market is not hard if they make effort.

 

However, Vietnamese businesspeople have never witnessed a better chance to enrich as now. Not a few businesspeople have timely grasped the opportunity such as building cargo ships, buying shares, manufacturing goods for export, developing infrastructure, industrial parks, apartment blocks and offices, and they make resounding success. This is a good lesson for people wishing to enrich and to make more success.

 

As a businessman (either to be recognised to be noble or not), the business expansion is vital. If he/she thinks his/her feat is enough, his/her business will come to an end.

 

In my opinion, Vietnamese businessmen encounter more challenge than opportunity because they are living in a peaceful and gentle business environment; thus, they lack experience and knowledge about international commercial rules. Meanwhile, most foreign businessmen are trained and do business in dynamic and fiercely competitive environments; hence, they are knowledgeable about international commercial rules. As a result, Vietnamese businesspeople need to be more sensitive.

Personally, I am working in an independent auditing and this is a grey-matter business. We have to compete fiercely to keep good employees. Currently, our opportunity in the home market is increasing because of the requirement of economic publicity and transparency. We have set a goal to gradually occupy the home market with best working quality. At the same time, we will try to exchange working experience with business partners, cooperate in training and completing auditing processes and skills according to international standards. In the past time, through our international cooperation program, we have already had “the seeds” who are trained in Australia and Japan and auditors trained in the UK, France, Belgium, Ireland, Thailand and China. Possibly, this is the initial success AAC Auditing and Accounting Company made in the international economic integration process.

 

Our business philosophy is to overcome ourselves to realise the goals in specific periods, do business under the law and maintain career ethics. The director must be a leader in business and in behaviour. On the market, he must be a reliable person for the rest of the company and must be active in drawing up business strategies, grasping opportunity and overcoming challenges to expand market share.

 

Mr Sachio Kageyama, General Director of Canon Vietnam 

I think when Vietnam integrates into the international economy; Vietnamese enterprises will have many chances to develop. As the trade barrier no longer remains, foreign direct investment companies have been continuously increasing in Vietnam and Vietnamese enterprises will approach international standard, technology. In addition, they also have opportunities to sell their products to overseas markets. However, this will be big challenges for Vietnamese enterprises because they might have to compete with prestigious and experienced enterprises in the world. But I myself believe that the Vietnamese will make use of advantages to get over difficulties to become remarkable and successful enterprises in the world.

 

Canon Vietnam has gained proud achievements as today thanks to good human resources, the support from Vietnamese and Vietnamese government. On this occasion, I would like to give my sincere thanks to the Vietnamese, governmental offices, Canon staffs and workers for their supports and cooperation to help Canon Vietnam to gain a lot of achievements today.

 

 

Although it made significant successes, Van Dien Fused Magnesium Phosphate Company encountered enormous difficulty in the market economy because of fierce competition from domestic rivals and Chinese rivals. We understood that we would not be able to survive if we did not renovate and refresh. Before the integration requirements, the leaders of the company had to seek measures to improve the quality of products and manufacture products of high demand in the Vietnamese and international markets. The price of products had to be lower to sharpen competitive edge. Besides, all officials and employees of the company were retrained to improve the levels of awareness and management.

 

Not until the integration, Van Dien Fused Magnesium Phosphate Company defined the long-term business strategy. We had defined 6-7 years before that to become a leading provider of good products for the home and export market. The company leaders and I launched emulation campaign to promote the strength and creativity of labourers. All officials and employees are allowed to know, to do and to examine. As such, we enjoyed the results much better than we had expected. At present, our company’s products have been exported to many countries such as Malaysia, Australia, China and South Korea.

 

After nearly 50 years of operation, we obtained many honourable awards from the State, such as Labour Hero Title in 2000, Armed Force Hero Title in 1999 and Independence Order in 2006. Besides, many staffs in the company were also awarded many orders and diplomas of merits from the Government and other agencies.