Culture is a complex concept and can be defined in various ways.

However, these
definitions can be simply understood as a set of characteristics, knowledge, etc. that
are shared among a group of people or a community (Godwyn & Gittell, 2011,
p.313), which makes each community and each country is having different cultures.
Therefore, in the globalization and international integration era, it’s important for us
to learn about different cultures to better understand foreign cultures and avoid
misunderstandings or unintentional conflicts. This essay will evaluate and compare
the similarities and differences between Vietnamese and the United States cultures
in two dimensions: Individualism - collectivism and power distance using the
Hofstede framework.

The Individualism versus Collectivism dimension refers to the degree to which

people in a society relate to each other and how individuals integrate into groups.
According to Hofstede (2011), individualism refers to a society where the ties
between individuals are loose since personal benefits and goals are considered
more important, and people are expected to look after themselves and their
immediate families only. In contrast, the connections between individuals on the
collectivist side are much strengthened which leads to people being expected to
focus both on their main families and other networks (extended families, coworkers..)
(Kipist, 2015). Moreover, in a collectivist culture, the benefits and well-being of a
community are placed in greater importance.
With a score of 20 (Appendix 1), it is no doubt that Vietnam is a highly collectivist
country. Vietnamese people often have a high sense of belonging and loyalty to
groups and families (Vietnamese Culture, 2016). Besides that, the family structure
can also show the collectivist side of this country. Families with three generations
living together in the same house are normal in Vietnam(Vietnamese Culture, 2016).
On the other hand, the United States with 91 points is one of the highest
individualistic cultures countries in the world (Rosenbaum et al., 2018). Americans
do not view every person as a representative of a group, family, or community, but
as a self-sufficient individual. They also prioritize individuals’ rights and benefits, self-
independence, and self-determination over the community’s benefits (U.S.
Department of State, n.d.). For example, compared to Vietnamese and Asian people,
Americans are more confident in expressing their true selves and their sexual
orientations without the fear of eyes. The individualist culture can also be a barrier
for the United States in some situations. During the first wave of COVID-19, since
they prioritized themselves over the community, many American people refused to
wear masks or get vaccinated (Bao, 2021).

Another dimension mentioned in this essay is power distance, which talks about
power distribution and inequality in society (Hofstede, 2011). According to Hofstede
(2011), in countries with greater power distance, people are expected to be very
hierarchical and inequality is common, whereas, in the lower power distance
countries, everyone usually shares the same responsibility rather than someone take
a lead. When it comes to these two countries, compared to the world’s average of 59
(M., 2019), the United States has a low power distance index (PDI) of 40 while
Vietnam has a higher PDI of 70. Vietnam is a high power distance and highly
hierarchy-oriented country, which makes everyone accept the hierarchy and seniority
order with no further justification needed (Lien, 2020). As a result, most Vietnamese
people follow the leads of their leaders, and there is rarely anyone willing to speak
out ideas or provide suggestions against those who have higher positions. In
contrast, having a moderately low score (40) on PDI makes the United States focus
more on creating equality rather than depending on the hierarchy (Kooyers, 2015).
Therefore, compared to Asian people, Americans are more confident in expressing
their true words and fighting for what they believe is right without being hesitant
about the hierarchy difference.

The contrast in those two dimensions also creates a different business culture
between the two nations, which global employees and employers need to take into
consideration. In collectivist culture workplaces like Vietnam, businesses focus more
on teamwork, common goals, and group benefits. Therefore, group rewards and
recognition are more emphasized rather than individual achievements. Whereas in
an individualist culture, people tend to work independently, make self-decision, and
have their own responsibilities. As a result, rewards and recognition usually go to the
highest-performance individual but not the whole team. In terms of decision-making,
for businesses with a high power distance, work-related decisions are usually only
made by the top managers and leaders of organizations (Tran et al., 2017).
However, in lower power distance cultures like the United States where equality is
emphasized, all employees are encouraged to participate in the decision-making
processes and give their ideas.

In conclusion, the differences in culture between Vietnam and the United States can
be seen through various dimensions of Hofstede's framework. These cultural
differences also lead to many dissimilarities between the two countries’ workplace
cultures. Hence, all employees and employers need to be aware of these cultural
differences to avoid conflicts and misunderstandings. Moreover, studying and
practicing different cultures will be helpful for global managers in the business
operation and development process.
 Appendix
Appendix 1: Comparison of Vietnamese and United States cultures based on
Hofstede's framework

(Country Comparison - Hofstede Insights n.d.)

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