Globe Project - Vietnam

In my opinion, Vietnam is low in Assertiveness, in Future orientation, in Individualism and in Performance orientation; high in Gender differentiation, in Power distance and Humane orientation; and moderate in Uncertain avoidance and In-group collectivism according to the dimensions of the Project GLOBE.

I think Vietnam is low in Assertiveness given the degree to which individuals are assertive, dominant and demanding in their relationships with others. Many Vietnamese people find it difficult to formulate and communicate their own thoughts, opinions and wishes in a clear, direct, and non-aggressive way. As a result, the lack of assertiveness or weak communication skills may be keeping them from fulfilling their potential and reaching their goals. To some extent, the society does not encourage people to be generally dominant. For example, most of civil servants normally dare not behave/speak straightforwardly to their supervisors/managers regarding comments on their Managers’ management or recommendations/suggestions to reform the procedures, etc. resulting in low effectiveness of the prevailing administrative system.

I think Vietnam is low in Future orientation because the society has limited long-term orientation despite some efforts to encourage and reward future-oriented behaviors such as delaying gratification, planning and investing in the future. More people tend to live for the present than for the future. For example, there haven’t been any directions for undergraduates to equip themselves with knowledge/skills to prepare for jobs that suit their ability resulting in abundant graduates who cannot find a job and lack of skillful workers in the labor market.

I think Vietnam is high in Gender differentiation because of gender role differences. The society has tried but hasn’t been able to minimize gender inequality. For example, it is stipulated that women must retire from work on pension at age 55 whilst men is at age 60 regardless their position and/or qualifications. At work, some companies have the tendency to minimize the number of female employees given their maternity leave and difficulty in carrying out long time/distance business travel.

I think Vietnam is with a moderate degree of Uncertainty avoidance because the society is opening doors for new things and changes meanwhile they have the need for clearly specified competence to avoid uncertainty. For example, Vietnam is keen to speed up the FDI (foreign direct investment) projects to attract more foreign investment into Vietnam. However, the subsequent policies discourage foreign investors due to complicated procedures that investors have to follow.

I think Vietnam is high in Power distance given the distribution of “power” among individuals and groups in the society.