"Investing and working in Vietnam" distance learning course

Since the introduction of economic openness (Đổi mới) 35 years ago, Vietnam has recorded average annual economic growth of some 7%, gradually becoming one of the rising economic powers in Southeast Asia. In the space of three decades, under the tutelage of the Vietnamese Communist Party, the country has made the transition from a centrally planned economy to a "market economy with a socialist orientation". Understanding these fundamentals and the driving forces behind this economic transition will enable foreign players to better apprehend the corporate and business environment in this still singular country. Finally, Vietnam, considered by many Western investors as a "gateway" to other Southeast Asian countries, is set to play an increasingly important role in this fast-growing region. What are its strengths and weaknesses in this highly competitive environment? 

The aim of this course is to:

• introduce students to a "practical" economic approach to Vietnam and understand the transition mechanisms that have been implemented,
• describe the process of setting up an industrial and commercial project in Vietnam
• provide keys to "operational success" in Vietnam
• acquire learners with the Vietnamese lexical field appropriate to the subjects covered in the course

More information on teaching Vietnamese at Inalco

• Inalco Master's students (Vietnamese Studies and possibly other Master's degrees)
• Outside students (possibility as part of a Passport)

There are no prerequisites for the economic, business or project environment section. Concerning the language level, the vocabulary studied is at C1 level (not necessarily necessary to follow the course).

Module 1 - Opening up, general information and awareness (SPOC (75 / 25) - Face-to-face):
The aim of this first course is to assess the general environment in Vietnam and to put into a "dynamic" perspective the general information (geographical, historical, economic, political) that students may have acquired about Vietnam throughout their schooling, professional experience.
The expectation of the course is that students will not only be able to resituate Vietnam, in its geographical, political and cultural area, but also to be able to talk about it dynamically to an organization (company, administration, NGO) with a dedicated Vietnamese lexical field.

Module 2 - Vietnam: understanding the business environment (SPOC (60 / 40) - Face-to-face):
The aim of this course is to understand the business environment in Vietnam, explain the process of setting up a company in Vietnam and master the search for economic information in Vietnam to improve the economic performance of one's company. It also involves acquiring a dedicated Vietnamese lexical field.

Module 3 - Vietnam: how to prepare your project and position yourself (10% SPOC; feedback - 90% face-to-face; case studies and consultancy):
The aim of this course is to acquire the technical and interpersonal keys to managing your organization (company, NGO, Administration) in Vietnam. It is also about seeing how to use knowledge of the language and culture to position oneself in the Vietnamese business environment while acquiring a dedicated Vietnamese lexical field.

The pedagogical organization will combine a theoretical approach (macroeconomic, geographic, geopolitical and legal data, etc.) with a practical one (business start-up cases, setting up a business intelligence system in the Vietnamese environment and acquiring the Vietnamese vocabulary linked to these activities). This course will also follow the hybrid approach enabling students to have access to tools and corpora that can be activated remotely and autonomously, while benefiting from guidance in setting up business creation and information management projects in Vietnam.

The knowledge test consists of text analysis (for communication in Vietnamese economics) and translation/version (for mastery of economic vocabulary).