Tokyo to Saigon — Beyond Registration: Cultural Insights on Running a Company in Vietnam
As luck would have it, I had the opportunity to meet face-to-face with Mr. Suzuki, whom I’ve entrusted with our company registration, during his business trip to Japan. On Tuesday afternoon, I walked to the Japanese office of Mr. Suzuki’s company. As it turns out, their office was surprisingly close to ours.
The Tokyo headquarters of the parent company to Mr. Suzuki’s firm is a large enterprise primarily focused on real estate and construction. Our meeting took place in their stylish space in Omotesando, which also serves as a showroom for interior design and furniture.
After our previous Zoom meeting, I had prepared a more detailed list of questions, which I proceeded to ask one by one. Essentially, it was another round of my relentless questioning (laughs).
My questions were particularly concentrated on two areas where Vietnamese and Japanese laws and business practices differ: the method of office lease contracts before registration, and the monthly closing of accounts and auditing processes after registration.
Mr. Suzuki answered my questions in great detail without watching the clock. The more details I heard, the more concrete the tasks I needed to do became in my mind, and as the mental TODO list piled up, I started to feel a bit dizzy. On the other hand, I was genuinely fascinated and even envious of Mr. Suzuki’s knowledge and experience, which allowed him to speak so fluently about the rules and realities of starting a business in a foreign country.
As the conversation was winding down and we had more or less clarified the future schedule, I decided to ask some more casual questions:
- Do all Vietnamese employees need a nap break?
- How important are company trips and drinking parties?
- Is an afternoon tea time necessary?
From my previous interactions with Vietnamese people, I had heard that these customs, which are no longer common in Japanese companies, seemed important. So I wanted to take this opportunity to hear Mr. Suzuki’s opinion.
When answering these questions, Mr. Suzuki seemed to transform into a Vietnamese person, responding from the perspective of Vietnamese workers. His answers were:
- Naps → Absolutely necessary.
- Tea time → Some companies clearly establish this. If you do it, it’s better to set rules for what time it starts and how long it lasts.
- Company trips → Absolutely necessary, and if possible, invite families and go all together.
He emphasized that it’s better to establish clear rules for all of these to avoid misunderstandings.
Company trips… a custom that existed in Japan until the Showa era. Since my family ran a farm, I never got to experience a company trip. I wonder what they’re like…
These thoughts swirled in my head as I walked back through Omotesando.
To be continued.
Thank you for continuing to follow my entrepreneurial journey.
As this story continues to unfold, I’d like to remind you about our company, Goldrush Computing Inc., based in Tokyo. Our team’s expertise spans the entire spectrum of service creation:
- We start from the ground up, assisting with requirements gathering, UX design, and UI development.
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- Our technical prowess covers Web, Mobile, Backend, and Infrastructure/DevOps environments.
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While our roots are in Japan, we’re eager to collaborate with clients and partners from all corners of the globe. If you’re interested in working with a team that combines technical expertise with a global perspective, we’d love to hear from you.
For more information about our services, please visit our website: https://goldrushcomputing.com/en
If you have any questions or would like to discuss potential collaborations, feel free to reach out to me directly at: mizutori@goldrushcomputing.com
Stay tuned for more insights in this cross-cultural business adventure!
Read the next part of this series:
