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Tag: Vietnam

Published on
Blog post written by Jennifer Swartz

 

Packing. That seems to be all we are doing these days. I am currently packing up our room in Vietnam, and I cannot believe that we are leaving this beautiful country in just a few short hours. Moreover, I cannot believe that CAP is over. These past few months seemed to go by at a glacial pace, but the past couple of weeks in country flew by. So what now?

 

Well, in an attempt to keep CAP going as long as possible, I want to reflect on the trip and provide three key takeaways, or pho for thought, that future first years can hopefully benefit from.

 

First, it is essential to set up regular meetings with your client from the get-go. The format of these meetings can vary from Skype to phone calls to another form altogether. However, setting up regular meetings throughout the semester provides structure and deadlines for both parties, paving the way for everyone to be on the same page when it comes to overall expectations. Additionally, it allows you to better develop a meaningful relationship with your client. Because of the time and effort we exerted up front, we had a great working relationship with our client by the time we got to Vietnam. In fact, our client took every opportunity to express how much they appreciated our regular meetings and communications.

 

Secondly, make sure your repeatedly ask your client if there is anyone else at the company you should be talking to other than your point of contact throughout the semester. We asked a couple of times towards the beginning of our project, but then dropped the matter altogether. When we got to Vietnam, our point of contact changed, and the colleagues we were working  with had a wealth of knowledge we would have benefited from much earlier on in the semester. In retrospect, we should have asked if there were any other contacts to connect with once our project was a bit further along, as that would have been the best time to touch base. But alas, hindsight is 20/20.

 

Lastly, carve out time to get to know your teammates. We started doing this back in January, scheduling out one team event a month in addition to our team meetings. Team events varied from happy hours at Circa to lunches at local Vietnamese restaurants. These team events enabled us to get to know each other on a more personal level and ultimately work better together throughout the semester. It even resulted in our amazing team of four seizing every chance to spend time together in Vietnam, whether it was hanging out in the pool, learning how to salsa (THANK YOU BORJA :) ), or exploring trendy speakeasys. Overall, these team events helped make us a true team. And my team – the Pho-tastic Pho-r as we jokingly called ourselves – they made my CAP experience one that I will treasure pho-ever.

 

 

Published on
Blog post written by Jennifer Swartz

 

We are finally here! The entire semester has been building up to these two weeks in Vietnam, and our agenda has been non-stop in the best of ways. Given that, we did not have time to fully develop expectations for our first meeting with our client, Cinestar, a local Vietnamese movie theater. To best prepare, we sent off an email outlining a tentative agenda – review our project with the Cinestar team, address any questions or concerns, and visit a few local Vietnamese theaters. When we finally met, every aspect of our meeting exceeded our expectations.

 

For one thing, Cinestar dedicated the entire day to meet with us – from 8:30am until 6:30pm (the original time was 8:30am-12:30pm). Secondly, they were so invested in our project, truly illustrating time and time again that they wanted to be a part of it. And lastly, they were so immensely kind and generous throughout the day.

Our day began with a comprehensive review of our presentation. We went through each slide, with both our team and Cinestar’s team asked clarifying questions along the way. Cinestar provided constructive criticism, for example nixing elaborate technological enhancements that did not coincide with the needs of their consumer base. Such feedback was not only helpful, but also exciting because it highlighted that the Cinestar team is ultimately striving to implement our recommendations. Our in-depth discussions ensured that everyone was on the same page and that our next steps accurately reflected any changes. Overall, it was incredibly rewarding to see how much our presentation resonated with the Cinestar team.

 

Throughout our meeting, the Cinestar team showered us with kindness and generosity, providing refreshing iced coffees and sodas, as well as delicious Chicago-style popcorn. Following our morning meeting, they treated us to a delectably authentic Vietnamese lunch and visits to all of their key competitors in Ho Chi Minh. For our site visits, we assessed every aspect of their competitors from their purchasing process to facility aesthetics to moviegoer viewing experience. At each theater, we purchased tickets to Deadpool 2 and 11, a Vietnamese romantic comedy. We popped in for parts of both movies equipped with a fresh batch of popcorn each time, as we obviously needed to ascertain which theater provided the best (it was Cinestar). We ended our day around 6:30pm with a fun photo session at one of their competitor’s photo booths.

We went in thinking we would get some questions answered, but we came out getting an immersive education as to how Cinestar operates at both a strategic level in their office and a granular level in their theaters. We were also able to get first-hand look at the typical Vietnamese moviegoing experience, which will be essential to our final project presentation. And most importantly, we got delicious popcorn all. day. long.

Published on
Blog post written by Jennifer Swartz

 

“Congratulations on your placement in the Consulting Abroad Program to Vietnam!” I still remember the feeling of pure joy and excitement upon reading the email that would dictate that the next six months of my life. I would be going to Vietnam, a country that I had long been vying to visit. However, the journey to get there was just beginning.

 

Shortly after receiving our CAP placements, I was put on the Cinestar team with three other amazing classmates. Our task was to work together to identify how we could assist Cinestar, a local Vietnamese movie theater, with expanding their market share in Vietnam. Our first line of business was to establish team norms – everything from expectations to communication to division of labor. This proved to be exponentially helpful and allowed us to operate efficiently and effectively throughout the semester. Our next task was to establish norms with our client.

 

There were many factors to take into consideration when approaching our client. While our contact does speak English, there is definitely a language barrier. On top of that, they are from a completely different culture and time zone. Given all of this, we wanted to utilize technology to the best of our ability to ensure that all parties were on the same page throughout our project.

 

Because of the time zone difference (originally 12 hours, but eventually 11 hours with daylight savings), we opted to have a limited number of phone calls via Skype. Any phone calls we did have were to fully talk through the project, such as when we first were trying to understand the issue at hand, and when we wanted to review our project’s final recommendations. We would follow up all phone calls with a comprehensive recap email. This included a brief summary of what was discussed, as well as next steps and any upcoming deadlines.

 

Our main form of communication thus became emails. To avoid any gaps in communication, we established an email schedule where we would send a project update email every other week. This reassured our client that we were diligently working on our project and provided our team with some structure to go about our project. It also paved the way for an easy platform to ask questions and get further clarification for all parties.

 

One way in which technology was not as beneficial as we would have liked was in our research. Because of the government restrictions in Vietnam, there was a lack of information about the Vietnamese movie industry on traditional search engines. However, we were and still are working closely with our client to determine the best ways to find pertinent pieces of information we need to provide substantial recommendations.

 

Overall, technology has been the crux of getting us through our CAP experience. It has provided a way to develop a solid relationship with our client, as well as allowed us to maintain that initial feeling of pure joy and excitement.

Published on

Written by Allie Perkins, GMBA Class of 2018

I’ve been in Vietnam only three days and I’m already excited about my next trip to this amazing country. With its friendly inhabitants, incredible street food, bustling streets, and beautiful architecture, it’s easy to see why people come and never leave. I am surprised at how seamless the adjustment has been to a place so different than anywhere else I’ve traveled. Many Vietnamese people do not speak English, and if they do, their vocabulary is small. Despite this, traveling throughout both Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, ordering food (even as a vegetarian), and exploring the must-see sights has been a breeze. I’ve found that travel by foot is by far the best way to experience HCM and Hanoi; it allows me to place my finger on the strong pulse of the city life, however, an Uber is a reliable second bet should your feet tire of hopping over cobble stones or weaving through the millions of motorcycles that inhabit the busy streets. Word to the wise - when crossing the street, keep moving at a steady pace, the motorcycles and cars will go around you, but should you attempt to dodge them, you might find yourself the victim of a pile-up, and it might be hard to use chopsticks if you’re incapacitated.

Thus far, I’ve experienced Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, which I would call the New York and DC of Vietnam, respectively. Each offers something unique, but I think Hanoi is my favorite location. The city itself is more than a thousand years old, and the character of the ancient temples and universities, the street food vendors cooking traditional Vietnamese cuisine on jam-packed streets, and new, modern builds scattered throughout the city make it something truly special. With every turn unfolds another classic temple, old Vespa, cobblestone alleyway, and chance to eat a delicious bowl of pho or recharge with a Vietnamese coffee. The whole city, including its street roosters and chickens, feels so alive.

The friendliness and emphasis on superior customer service can be seen in the business environment as well, though my experience in-country has been limited thus far. Despite this, there is an obvious emphasis on courteousness and treating others with the utmost respect. In order to be successful, trust must be established and maintained between both parties. While these characteristics may seem obvious, there are special nuances to every interaction, from ordering food at a restaurant, to speaking with a concierge, to working with our client, all of which would have gone unnoticed had we continued this project in the comforts of DC. I feel so fortunate to be able to finalize our work in Vietnam where I have the opportunity to step back and observe, ask questions, and explore two truly incredible cities.

 

Feature photo: Old Post Office in Ho Chi Minh City
In text image: Old Quarter in Hanoi

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