Honesty and Prestige Foundation of Garment 10's Culture

Corporate culture embodies the mindset, lifestyle and work ethic of a company, defining its personality and characteristics. At Garment 10 Corporation (Garment 10), this culture is shaped by honest and prestigious relationships. Leaders demonstrate transparency with employees, fostering mutual respect, while the company maintains its credibility with customers and partners. Mr. Than Duc Viet, Member of the VCCI Executive Committee (7th Term) and General Director of Garment 10, shared with Vietnam Business Forum on this topic.

Garment 10 is committed to striving for its highest business goals in 2024, which will not only reaffirm its resilience in overcoming challenges but also celebrate the 65th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s visit to the company (1959-2024). Can you share more about this?

On January 8, 1959, the X10 Garment Factory proudly welcomed Uncle Ho, a visit that marked a significant milestone in our history. At that time, the factory had made remarkable strides in production and management, resulting in successful emulation movements among our officers and soldiers. This date has since become emblematic of Garment 10's legacy. Over the past 65 years, Uncle Ho's teachings have served as a solid foundation for all action programs, guiding us through challenges and inspiring our collective efforts. These principles continue to empower us to achieve our highest aspirations in 2024.

With the action slogan of "CHOOSE DIFFICULT WORK" and the motto "preserving customers, orders, markets, labor and controlling costs well", Garment 10 has adopted consistent solutions, specifically actively searching for and exploiting domestic and international markets to stabilize jobs for workers. In addition to streamlining and rationalizing its organizational structure, Garment 10 is committed to research and innovation, focusing on product transformation and the development of new materials to meet difficult orders, complex product designs, and rapid delivery timelines. It has also prioritized improving management capabilities through the application of digital transformation in production, business, and service management. Garment 10 has also concentrated on investing in automated modern equipment and adopting green, clean, eco-friendly production.

In addition, Garment 10 has taken a decisive approach to cost management, ensuring efficiency while continuously developing new products, strengthening the Garment 10 brand in the domestic market and facilitated its growth on the international stage.

Mr. Than Duc Viet, General Director of Garment 10 (2nd from left), introduces the company’s vest tailoring service  

After nearly eight decades of development, Garment 10 has received many accolades from central and local agencies, with its leaders recognized as outstanding Vietnamese entrepreneurs many times. What factors have contributed to these achievements?

After nearly 80 years, generations of Garment 10’s executives and employees have made valuable contributions to both national resistance wars and the country’s industrialization and modernization efforts. Since then, Garment 10 has been recognized by the Party and the State and awarded many noble prizes, with more than 40 medals of various types. Notably, Garment 10 was awarded the "Hero of Labor" title, "Hero of the People's Armed Forces" title and "Ho Chi Minh Order" by the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Three individuals and a production team were awarded the "Hero of Labor" title. The reputation of Garment 10 has been affirmed when it is always in the top of "High-quality Vietnamese goods" brands alongside many major titles and awards like "Asia Pacific Quality Award", "Vietnam Golden Star Award" and "Strong Vietnam Brand". The company was honorably named "Vietnam Value" by the Government.

With 18 member companies and factories in seven provinces and cities stretching from Hanoi to Quang Binh province that provide jobs with stable income for nearly 12,000 workers, Garment 10 has helped economic and social stability in the localities where the factories are located while contributing to the country's economic development.

Garment 10 has constantly improved product quality, built a prestigious brand and brought consumers with the best products and services, thus contributing to enhancing the position and competitiveness of Vietnamese brands in the international market.

Exemplary leadership at Garment 10 emphasizes honesty and integrity toward employees, fostering a unique cultural ethos. In Garment 10, individuals are respected, and rights are linked to responsibilities. This commitment has earned Garment 10 the recognition of "Typical Business for Employees" for ten consecutive years.

Each member of Garment 10 clearly demonstrates the spirit of gratitude, preserving and continuing the tradition and building a civilized and cultural working environment. Garment 10 has built a friendly and dynamic working environment where employees are given the opportunity to maximize their own capacity, labor productivity and production results have increased. The corporate culture is also built on the basis of "Living responsibly toward society, community and country".

Garment 10 is always at the forefront of social and charity programs

In addition to enhancing business operations, Garment 10 prioritizes promoting corporate culture. Can you elaborate on this?

Garment 10’s culture is reflected in its loyalty to Uncle Ho's teachings, which serve as a guiding principle for all activities.

Garment 10 fosters a humane environment where culture is the foundation of development. Here, people are both the goal and the driving force behind business growth. Employees enjoy optimal working conditions and opportunities to enhance their professional skills, both hard and soft. Their rights are upheld beyond legal requirements, with comprehensive social and health insurance provided. Every year, Garment 10 hosts an arts performance to celebrate Uncle Ho's birthday and organizes tours and vacations for employees. Their offsprings are also given special care on International Children's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival and other public holidays.

Garment 10 stands out as one of the few enterprises dedicated to welfare projects that benefit both workers and the broader community. The kindergarten has taken good care of employees' children for nearly 70 years. The general clinic, staffed by a team of doctors and nurses, is equipped with modern facilities to ensure comprehensive healthcare and health protection for employees. Every year, periodic health checkups are organized for 100% of employees. Long Bien Vocational College is a model school for enterprises, helping students to work immediately after graduation without having to retrain.

The above activities not only encourage employees but also guide people towards honesty, goodness and beauty. Consequently, Garment 10 has now had the fourth generation of employees working for it and prepared to receive the next generation. Many families have 5-6 people working directly for Garment 10.

Solidarity is a cherished tradition and cultural hallmark of Garment 10. The term "Garment 10 Village" reflects the community spirit of the company's housing area, where individuals share both joyful and challenging moments, fostering a familial bond among all members.

From the perspective of a business with a long cultural history and as a member of the VCCI Executive Committee, 7th term, what do you think about the Code of Ethics for Vietnamese entrepreneurs initiated by VCCI and continuing and spreading the above values in Garment 10?

Building a strong business culture begins with developing people. Ethics serve as the root, foundation and ultimate goal of this process. Entrepreneurs play a decisive role in shaping and cultivating the company's culture, and their ethical values significantly influence the formation of business ethics and the overall philosophy of each company.

I believe that introducing a code of business ethics and promoting best practices will be essential for unifying the business community in creating shared values. This will lay the groundwork for building a strong Vietnamese business community characterized by a national spirit, a progressive culture, and a strong sense of social responsibility. It will enhance our capacity and qualifications to manage businesses effectively, boost competitiveness, foster collaboration for collective strength, and facilitate active participation in both domestic and global value chains.

Based on the Code of Ethics for Vietnamese entrepreneurs developed by VCCI, to spread it to businesses, we will develop the code of business ethics for each field of production, business and profession to the best outcomes. To achieve this, we will inform and guide officers and employees at all levels through organized forums, conferences, seminars and training courses to ensure effective application of the code of business ethics.

Thank you so much!

By Ngo Khuyen, Vietnam Business Forum