My assumptions about Vietnam were founded by my age (48) and being fed a litany of American films from The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now to Good Morning Vietnam and Platoon.
So my assumption was that it must be a third world communist country with little to offer a westerner wanting to fast-track their career. How wrong could I be! I have just returned from a week in Vietnam with a UKTI Trade Mission. Fortunately there were pre mission briefings that opened my mind to the possibilities. Here we have a country with a population of 90 million, 60% of whom are under the age of 35 which on its own creates enormous energy.
Vietnam is a one party state, but that has created a very stable environment for business. They opened up to free enterprise in 1986 and joined the World Trade Organisation in 2007 and this has encouraged investment and brought sustained GDP growth of over 6% per annum.
Most importantly while we learned marketing skills by osmosis as we grew up surrounded by it, that is not the same for Vietnam. Therefore there is a huge amount we have to offer, particularly if you work in media, marketing, advertising, design, digital and market research. If you have more than 5 years experience you can make a quantum leap up the career ladder, live like a king or queen, work with people who genuinely respect your opinion and are eager to learn – and have a great adventure.
All the people I met have a positive outlook, are surrounded by opportunity and are enjoying living in a country on the up. English is the business language and is a focus for education. As Asia emerges as a economic power huge populations will become wealthier and the opportunity for marketing services will be endless. However as it matures there will be fewer and fewer opportunities like this to prove yourself – now has never been a better time and
Aspire Global Network’s office in Singapore is here to help.
