UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS HO CHI MINH CITY

SUBJECT: INTERCULTURAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

INSTRUCTOR: NGUYEN TAN QUANG

CLASS: AV003 - K45

STUDENTS PERFORM:

1. NGUYEN THI THANH CHI

2. THAI MINH THU

3. LE THI MAI ANH

4. HOANG THI THANH LOAN

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I. INTRODUCTION
In the circumstances of international integration, almost all
companies in other countries tend to expand their business
overseas that makes the increased globalization in business. With
the rapid globalization of the times, companies increasingly pay
attention to intercultural communication and emphasize that it is
a key factor in achieving success in the new workplace. Your
research and knowing the business partner's culture, religion, and
the national background will help to make negotiations more
efficient and build productive business relationships between the
two parties. But intercultural communication can be a more
difficult challenge than you think when you realize that many
barriers prevent you from understanding your partner and lead to
serious problems. This essay will focus on obstacles that
businesses may encounter in intercultural communication,
especially businesses in Vietnam.

II. WHAT ARE COMMUNICATION BARRIERS?

Communication barriers are anything that prevents us from
correctly receiving and understanding the messages others use to
communicate their information, thoughts and ideas. There are
many reasons that cause the failure in intercultural business
communication is people holding different stereotypes,
language,... Here are some of the barriers we have listed as well as
barriers that Vietnamese people have to go through when working
in an international environment.

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III. BARRIERS IN INTERCULTURAL BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION OF VIETNAMESE.
1. Different language

Unlike a few other countries in the world, the official language of

Vietnam is Vietnamese. English in Vietnam is taught in school as
the first language, however, according to a survey, we can find that
although the index of Vietnamese English proficiency has
increased and improved than before, it is still only at average level.
This is one of most common barriers Vietnamese have to face
when working in an international workplace.

Multinational corporations have standardized English as an

international language which has reduced the problem of
cross-cultural interaction. Now everyone joining a multinational
firm learns English (the most accepted language) and reduces the
gap of communication in the international work environment.
When a Vietnamese person works in international business, but
his English skill is not

good, the manager will not want to choose you, in spite of good
individual talent because you can’t communicate with them
effectively, this causes misunderstanding not worth it during the
working process. Managers are afraid of the harm language
barriers could cause, so they avoid the scenario entirely. So, those
who lack language skills are likely to lose many good opportunities
to thrive in an international business.

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2. Stereotype

Stereotypes are perceptions about certain groups of people or

nationalities, often based on limited knowledge or exposure. When
we stereotype, we draw conclusions about entire groups of people
based on common assumptions.
Vietnam is a high context culture, so more or less Vietnamese will
have its characteristics. When working in international
culture, Vietnamese people must definitely have contact with
colleagues from other cultures.
The following are some characteristics of high context culture
(Vietnam) and low context culture.

We can see that low context culture is easier to pervade than

another, maybe Vietnamese will easier to adapt with them. We have
to know the way to handle them, avoid applying stereotypes to
anyone, try to understand every individual to communicate better.

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3. Different working styles

Vietnamese are highly appreciated for their enthusiasm whenever

someone asks them for help, they are willing to help others in their
own ability. They love to share and to be cared for at work and in
personal life. While the Westerners recognize the value of
individuals, Vietnamese people recognize team values. They can
work effectively in a team. They don’t like conflicts and tend to find
compromises. In parties, especially with the Vietnamese working
style, they often have the habit of clapping to congratulate or get
to know each other. However, for the British, if you hang out with
the elderly, it is impolite and taboo. Informal business meetings in
Vietnam such as having meals and drinking can help your
business as it will strengthen your relationship with your partners.
In some countries, this is a normal thing that doesn't have any
importance in business. This is one of

noticeable barriers of Vietnamese when working in intercultural

business, which can cause misunderstanding in transaction or
negotiation.

4. Non-verbal misinterpretations:

As there are differences in the significance of non-verbal

communication, miscommunication can arise when intercultural
people communicate. People can upset others because of their
cultural differences in non-verbal communication.

It might also be different like the extent to which people show

human emotions, in some cultures people express openly but in
others people do not. Nods might also mean different things
causing problems like when the person nods to say “yes” in
Vietnam, other people might understand it as a “no” in other
countries.

Western cultures mostly consider eye contact to be a good

gesture. It shows attention, confidence and honesty. Other
cultures such as Asian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic and Native
American do not take it as a good expression. It is taken as a rude
and offensive expression. This is one of inevitable barriers that
Vietnamese have to face when working in an international
workplace.

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Gestures such as thumbs up can be interpreted differently in

different cultures. It is taken as an “Okay” sign in many cultures
including Vietnam, whereas it is taken as a vulgarism in others like
Latin American cultures and in Japan, some even take it as money.
Some cultures take snapping fingers to get the attention of a
waiter as alright whereas some take it as disrespectful and very
offensive, especially in Vietnam.

Touches are taken as rudeness in most cultures. Shaking hands is

considered to be acceptable in many foreign countries. Similarly,
acceptability of kissing, hugs, and many other touches are
different in different cultures. Vietnamese people are more
conservative in these types of non-verbal communication.

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The degree of facial expressions are determined by cultures.

People from the United States show emotions more than their
Asian counterparts. Facial expressions are shown to be similar all
over the world, but people from different cultures do not show it in
public. The meanings of these are commonly acknowledged
everywhere. Too much expression is taken to be shallow in some
places whereas in some it is taken as being weak.

IV. HOW TO OVERCOME BARRIERS IN

INTERCULTURAL BUSINESS
1. The percentage of the culture

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The first step to be able to work in a multicultural environment,

you need to have a general view of these cultures. Some questions
you have to ask yourself are:

● How is this culture?

● What is about the people?
● What are differences between their culture and yours?
● Can you adapt? And what you should do to accommodate?
After answering these questions, you will gain broader
understanding about cultural specificity. At the same time, it is a
solid foundation for you to assess and get familiar with those
differences.

2. Learning language

One of the most popular cultural misconceptions arises from

language. In other words, language is the biggest reason results in
misunderstanding in business as well as in normal life. In the
process of cross-cultural communication, language plays an
important role in transferring information to other people.
Therefore, being fluent in a foreign language also gives people
greater confidence in communication, all information will be
conveyed in the most clear and accurate way. Beside, through
studying, you can discover different communication styles in each
culture that you will learn how to behave in those situations,
minimise the misuse of words and context causing unnecessary
misunderstanding.

3. Master time zones

Overcoming the cultural barrier in business also means that you

have to take into account at what times each culture performs
routines. For example, working hours in the US are Monday to
Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. But in some Asian countries such
as Vietnam, people start their work from 7:00 AM, somewhere is 8:00
AM. It depends on the natural condition of each country. People
have to aware of the difference of time because you will be able to
determine the schedule in a project or plan for meetings, etc.
Another problem is that you have to understand the awareness of
time of the people who belong to this culture. For instance, in the
United States, time is money. Following the Toptal Insight, Richard
Lewis explains that the Americans “plan, schedule, organize,
pursue action chains, and do one thing at a time” in order to get
the most out of time. Their view of time is linear, with an emphasis

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on promptness and organization. It is described as sequential

time, where it’s understood that one event follows another. On the

other hand, in some countries who consider time as

synchronous-that the past, present, and future are interwoven and
difficult to separate. They may not follow the schedule before due
to the newfound value. They tend to be flexible and deal with
interruptions easily.

4. Respecting the difference in intercultural business

The required thing to have an advantageous corporation is to

adopt and respect their cultures. Behavior and perception are
shaped by customs and habits so it is hard to get them to change
their view of things, their reaction as well as the way of working.
Likewise, you cannot change your culture. If you respect them, they
too. For this reason, it is important to express the deference to
others and show your interest in their culture, you will get
sympathy from people because of your curiosity in learning. By
this way, you can limit the contradiction in the workplace and you
can build harmony in the organization.

5. Attending cross-cultural training course

Another way to overcome cultural barriers is to prepare good

knowledge and skills before going into a new environment, which
will give you more confidence and ease of integration, limiting the
status of a fish out of water. There are lots of training courses in
multicultural business that will help you get a deeper look at those
cultures. You will find out what adjustments you need to make in
order to do the best in the organization. “What should you do?” or “
What shouldn't you do?” or “ How should you respond?”. All your
expressions will reflect your personality and professionalism at
work

V. CONCLUSION
With the rapidly increasing acceleration of globalization, making
the business market increasingly open, multicultural
communication has become an essential key in business. But
intercultural communication is not simple at all, there are always
significant barriers to intercultural communication that are costly
for multinationals in terms of workplace relationships, profit and

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sales, relationships with customers. When businesses want to be

successful at this stage, the first step is to find a way to overcome
those barriers to achieve the most effective intercultural
communication.

● REFERENCES
● Barriers to Intercultural Communication
https://bom.to/3CKgj7QMOSJKv
● Barriers to Intercultural Communication Essay
https://bom.to/6ciZQqtZELnO1
● Cultural Communication Barriers in the Workplace (Sharon
Penn) https://bom.to/tVeTcrhs09ZGB
● Intercultural Business Communication (Lucie Laurent)
https://bom.to/lTBDGNpAQHiG9