National4Aug 28-Sep 3, 2017 l www.vir.com.vn

NationalAug 28-Sep 3, 2017 l www.vir.com.vn

Standing witness to Vietnam’s riseOn the occasion of Vietnam’s National Day on September 2, VIR gets an insight into foreign CEOs’ thoughts and feeling about the country’s vitality anddevelopment, and why Vietnam has become their home away from home.

Vietnam has come far in the last decades, and some in the foreign business presence have witnessed its celebrations and struggles Photo: Le Toan

In 2012, I relocated to Ho

Chi Minh City, in part, to try

and do my small bit in tak-

ing Vietnam to the next

level globally. Vietnam has

emerged as one of Asia’s

great success stories. In a

nation once ravaged by war,

the economy has continually

posted annual per capita

growth of at least 5.3 per-

cent since 1986 – greater

than any other Asian econ-

omy apart from China.

Vietnam has benefited

from a programme of inter-

nal restructuring, a transi-

tion from an agricultural

base toward manufacturing

and services, and demo-

graphic positives powered

by a young population.

The image of the coun-

try’s youth riding carefree

on modern, sporty motor-

bikes under the big, bright

lights of skyscrapers epito-

mises Vietnam’s new envi-

ronment.

I settled down here and

made Vietnam my ‘second

home’ almost five years

ago. I had fallen in love with

Vietnam after a sightseeing

trip to Halong Bay in 2009,

and also because of the

wealth of commercial and

lifestyle opportunities – so

many beaches! – the diverse

natural countryside, and its

welcoming and hospitable

people.

I believe that Vietnam

can act decisively to head

off short-term risks and em-

brace a productivity-led

agenda to make the country

internationally competitive.

If Vietnam does so, it can

build on its many intrinsic

strengths – a young labour

force, abundant natural re-

sources, and political stabil-

ity, to name but a few – to

create a second wave of

growth and prosperity.

Strategically positioned

in the centre of Asia, Viet-

nam’s economy will consis-

tently rank as one of Asia’s

most attractive destinations

for foreign investors. Un-

doubtedly there will be chal-

lenges, but I believe that

with the resilience and dili-

gence of the Vietnamese

people, they can be over-

come.

My warmest congratula-

tions and best wishes for a

happy celebration to the

people of Vietnam on Viet-

nam National Day 2017!n

KENT WONG

Partner and Head of Banking and Capital Markets at VCI Legal

Vietnam’s development is

amazing. I like to take pictures

and if you compare those

taken during the last five

years, you can see a lot of con-

struction going on in Ho Chi

Minh City, Hanoi, and

Danang. I hope the infrastruc-

ture can keep up with the

growing traffic, especially in

the downtown areas. Today

most young Vietnamese can

read, write, and speak decent

English, and this opens many

opportunities to connect to the

outside world. In the area of

education, the English lan-

guage opens up doors to the

latest research and will help

the development of Vietnam

excel.

The founders of DIGI-

TEXX made the right deci-

sion to set up the company in

Vietnam. We were among the

first business process out-

sourcing firms in the country,

arriving several years before

others showed up. If you are

the first, you always have

some advantages. One of

which was that many Viet-

namese studied in Germany

and spoke the language. This

helped to build immediate

trust with our customers. It

also made communication

much easier. Throughout the

years we have received a lot of

support from Quang Trung

Software City and from the

local government. We were

able to find loyal employees

who were willing to con-

tribute their ideas, time, and

effort to build our company.

I have called Vietnam

home for many years now.

This is where I have put the

centre of my life. When I am

away for more than two

weeks I miss Ho Chi Minh

City and when I arrive at Tan

Son Nhat airport, I am still ex-

cited to be home.

Of course I am still very

interested in what happens

back in Germany, and I fol-

low the news regularly. With

the availability of communi-

cation systems, I can keep in

close contact with my family

and friends in Europe. It

feels as if over the years

Vietnam and Germany have

come closer and the time dif-

ference become less impor-

tant. Only when you hop on

a plane and fly between the

continents does the distance

become apparent.n

ALEX BISCHOFF

General Director of DIGI-TEXX VIETNAM

I first came to Ho Chi Minh

City in 2009 and lived there

from 2014 until now. I felt so

excited about the city, in the

medley of sound and colour.

The life is full of energy and

vivid, which is quite different

from the clean and quiet city

life in Japan. I was really

amazed at the drinking culture

in Vietnam, as everyone, from

the youth to the elderly, love

drinking beer. People prefer to

hang out and enjoy glasses of

beer in a happy atmosphere.

This culture has made Viet-

nam the key investment desti-

nation for Sapporo.

Vietnam is likely to sur-

pass Japan to become Asia’s

second largest beer market in

the next 10 years. Vietnam

has a fast growing economy

so people’s lives are better

with rising incomes and con-

sumer expeditures. As a re-

sult, the demand for quality

and safe products has been in-

creasing sharply, which offers

tremendous opportunties for

Sapporo.

I grew up in rural areas in

Japan with a lot of paddy

fields and mountains. During

my stay in Vietnam, I have

had a chance to visit the out-

skirts of the city and different

towns in the country. The at-

mosphere and scenery here are

similar to my hometown,

which makes me feel like I’m

at home. In addition, Viet-

namese cuisine is diverse,

abundant, and attractive. My

favorite dishes are traditional

specitilies like pho and other

noodles from different regions

in Vietnam. I have been at-

tracted to the country’s culi-

nary scene for a long time,

which makes my living expe-

riences in the country become

more exciting.

Vietnam is dynamic, with

plenty of room for develop-

ment. For its long-term in-

vestment future in the

country, Sapporo Vietnam has

the following mission: “con-

tribute to enrich Vietnamese

cuisine culture”. We are try-

ing our best to build a founda-

tion and accelerating our

efforts to fulfil that mission.n

MIKIO MASAWAKI

General Director of Sapporo Vietnam Limited

I still remember my first visit

to Vietnam was in 1998. Later

on, we started to recognise

potentially strong future de-

mand for high-end property

due to growing consumption

and a developing economy.

I spent two years with my

family in Ho Chi Minh City,

which helped me to better un-

derstand the local culture and

specifics on doing business.

In fact, we can list many fac-

tors that make Vietnam a pre-

cious gem – a very young

population, a stable political

environment, strong FDI –

and as a result, we can see a

very fast growing middle and

upper class.

District 2 in Ho Chi Minh

City is a good example. It

used to be a quiet and empty

area some time ago, but now,

one would be surprised by its

fast development of residen-

tial and commercial buildings

introduced by famous inter-

national investors.

Our company, Kusto

Home, is proud to be among

other big foreign developers

contributing to the develop-

ment of the area. We are ded-

icated to delivering high

quality, international standard

products to provide buyers

with a better living experi-

ence. The big focus at Dia-

mond Island is on creating a

favourable environment, in-

troducing amenities for all

generations. Kids can have

their own paradise for playing

and learning, the parents can

take care of their health by

swimming or doing sport ac-

tivities, the elderly can enjoy

relaxing at the Zen Garden,

and the whole family can get

together for a nice BBQ.

Based on the strong suc-

cess of Diamond Island, I am

optimistic about the long-

term business environment in

Vietnam. Our company is

now working on new invest-

ment projects in this rapidly

developing and beautiful

country.n

MURAT UTEMISSOV

CEO of Kusto Home

Vietnam has the sort of

beauty and timeless charm

you can’t find anywhere else

in the world, but it is accom-

panied by a dizzying level of

energy, passion, and hope. I

have seen the fascinating

transformation of Vietnam in

the last 15 years, and the

hopes and dreams of its peo-

ple being realised every day.

In the early days roads

were clogged with cyclos

and bikes, but now they are

even more crowded with

cars and trucks! Neverthe-

less, the spirit of the Viet-

namese people still remains

strong.

Personally, there is noth-

ing more enjoyable than en-

joying a bowl of pho with

thick Vietnamese coffee on a

sidewalk while watching the

buzz of the country go by.

It’s still one of my favourite

things to do here. Once you

have eaten the local street

food here, it’s almost impos-

sible to compare it with food

anywhere else on the planet.

The Vietnamese people

have always believed in get-

ting better and doing more,

they are hardworking yet

gracious. They look to the

future but have never forgot-

ten their wonderful culture

and traditions. This is a pool

of talent and consumers that

is hard to find anywhere else

in the world!

Professionally, I have

seen investors flock to this

country and can only imag-

ine more coming. Vietnam

offers many business and in-

vestment opportunities, but

the consumers are now get-

ting more sophisticated and

demanding so it will be wise

for foreign businessmen to

understand the Vietnamese

nuances well. As consumers,

the Vietnamese are also now

much more global and

plugged into the latest trends,

willing to spend more.

One thing that really

amazes me about Vietnam is

the close relationships peo-

ple have with their families

and friends. This is some-

thing that gets lost in many

other countries as they

progress, and I hope that

Vietnam does not lose this.

We opened our Singa-

pore Vietnam Cancer Center

in May this year to offer the

Vietnamese an option to re-

ceive testing, diagnosis, and

treatment at an international

cancer facility that will have

both Vietnamese and Singa-

porean doctors working to-

gether. This will allow

patients to receive treatment

partly in Vietnam and Singa-

pore, or if they choose, en-

tirely in Vietnam so they can

be close to their families. We

know that this is an impor-

tant consideration to Viet-

namese patients and their

families.n

AIK MENG ENG

Chairman of Vietnam Integrated Medical Services

In 2002, I was offered a posi-

tion for the setup of “Le Do-

maine de Tam Hai”, a beach

resort in Chu Lai Open Eco-

nomic Zone, Quang Nam.

At that time, the only

knowledge I, and many people

in my country had, was that

Vietnam was one of the

fastest-growing economies in

Southeast Asia. But obviously

it was still early days and de-

velopment was far from where

we are now.

With experience in Quang

Nam province and Phu Quoc

island, I’ve seen two of the top

tourism destinations become

what they are. Both went from

small village spirit to interna-

tional tourism destination.

The work done in Hoi

An/Danang is most impres-

sive. Not only did we see

development in terms of

hotels and resorts, but also in

infrastructure: roads, airports,

schools… everything has

been done to make tourists

welcome and development

possible.

I’ve made Phu Quoc my

home for 11 years, and left it

only three months ago. I’ve

seen many things happen

there. Of course, I’ll always

miss the feeling I had the first

time I came to Phu Quoc: red

dirt roads, empty beaches,

forest drives… but I spent

enough time there to appreci-

ate the way the development

of infrastructure improved

local life, with roads, electric-

ity, and hospitals. I personally

left Phu Quoc because I could-

n’t get a proper school for my

young kids. So I hope infra-

structure development will

continue, not only real estate

development.

My only worry when I see

so much happening is that the

offerings won’t match needs

as fast as people are expecting.

Finally, I would like to

thank Vietnam for allowing

me to be part of that great

adventure.n

RONAN LE BIHAN

CEO at Mango Bay Resort,

Phu Quoc

I've been living in Vietnam

since 2012. The five years

I’ve been here have perhaps

been some of the most event-

ful in my life.

Even though this isn’t the

first foreign country I’ve

lived and worked in, it’s by

far the most dynamic and un-

predictable. Up to then I’d

lived and worked in more

economically-developed

countries like the UK,

Malaysia, and Singapore.

Vietnam from both an eco-

nomic and social perspective

is a younger and faster-

evolving environment than

those other countries. It has

been transitioning from an

agricultural economy to one

based on manufacturing, and

opening up its economy

more and more along the

way… which comes with its

attendant conflicts in terms

of balancing the interests of

the government against the

private sector, and balancing

local and foreign interests.

Socially, as Vietnam be-

comes more exposed and in-

tegrated internationally, it’s

interesting to see the differ-

ences in thinking between

the older and younger popu-

lation, as well as between

those who are exposed to

foreign culture and those

who aren’t.

Overall, why I find my

time in Vietnam exciting is

because I see myself here as

both a player as well as a

witness to a country in rapid

change. And let’s not forget

one thing.

How a foreigner views a

country is primarily dictated

by the character of its peo-

ple. On that score, I’ve been

most impressed by the gen-

eral friendliness, sense of cu-

riosity, and down-to-earth

nature of the Vietnamese.

That’ll be the key reason

why Vietnam will continue

to attract foreigners to come

and contribute to its growth

story.n

SOON SU LONG

Indochina CEO and Vietnam country head at Maybank