Vietnam is a southeastern Asia country with the population of approximately 100 million.

The
climate is often hot in both raining and dry season. With rich tradition and culture, Vietnamese
are collectivist societies as everything revolves around family. It might surprise you that the
connection between family member is very tight. Meeting are being held occasionally to
commemorate the past events and strengthen blood relationship. Vietnamese are friendly and
hospitable so don’t be afraid to ask about etiquette and protocol.
From my perspective, the guides were quite accurate, especially the sector about family.
Vietnamese are religious, we have our own spiritual beliefs and worship. The ideal of the spirit
of someone who passed away stay with us has an important meaning. It’s the string that connects
past and future. They believe that ancestors shall guide them to difficulties. And from that, the
current generation has the power to move forward. Also, it’s expected for family members to
have meal together. That’s the sign of a happy family.
However, the concept of face isn’t extremely important in Vietnam. As mentioned above, the
relationship between family members is very tight. And because of that, there is a lot members
attend the gathering. It’s difficult to remember each and every one of them. For example, I come
from a big family. My mother has 5 siblings, and my father has 7 siblings. They have their own
family as well. Even though family events were held three to four time per year, it’s a challenge
to remember everyone’s faces. My aunts and uncles said it was fine, as long as I can remember
their name and existence. That’s the same for business environment. People won’t be too harsh
on you as long as you’re sincere. Plus, the Commisceo Global stated that you should not stand
with your hands on your hip but on the contrast, you would see that all the time. It’s a common
thing here.
Cultural gaffe is something that even marketing team from big name encountered. Burger King
is an example. They developed an advertisement that causes controversy and even faced boycott
because of it. The featuring actors in the ad were using oversized chopsticks to eat burger. It
shows disrespect to Eastern cultures. A public apology was made through its media channels,
stated that it was insensitive and does not reflect their brand values. However, the boycott isn’t
the biggest problems Burger King must face as its food doesn’t fit in Vietnam cultural (Katie,
2019). On the contrast, KFC has certain success in Vietnam due to the understanding of cultural
and cuisine. The combination of Western food and Vietnam’s traditional values has helped KFC
won people’s trust.
In closing, the concept of cultural is wide and deep. It’s understandable for an individual to have
certain cultural misunderstandings. It’s the opposite for an organization. The essential factor to
develop business as well as brand’s name in a foreign country is to value their tradition and
beliefs.

References
Commisceo Global. (2021). Country culture guides. https://www.commisceo-
global.com/resources/country-guides
Katie Deighton. (April 9, 2019). Burger King faces boycott in Vietnam after spiking ‘racist’
chopsticks ad. Retrieved from: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2019/04/09/burger-king-faces-
boycott-vietnam-after-spiking-racist-chopsticks-ad