by Chua Siew Joo

Aug. 6 - At a recent HIV prevention and drug detoxification symposium in Hanoi, Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, Truong Vinh Trong, urged ministries, sectors and localities to prioritize prevention programs to curb the spread of HIV/AIDs.

June 16- The country held a public funeral Sunday to mourn the death of former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet. He was the prime minister from 1991 to 1997 who led the nation’s economic reforms and supported normalization of ties with the United States. He was 85.

Kiet died last Wednesday in a hospital in Singapore, where he was taken following a stroke.

The government announced two days of mourning to honor Kiet with flags flying at half-mast.

May 23 - It bodes well for those planning to do business in Vietnam to take the time to know how local culture conducts business deals to avoid any miscommunication.

As with most people in the world, the Vietnamese tend to be flattered when a foreigner makes the effort to learn even a simple phrase in their language. So take note to remember -xin chao (pronounced as seen chow)- meaning hello in Vietnamese.

While you may be forgiven for not knowing better in some cases, it’s always in your best interest to avoid offending the locals. Generally, Vietnam is influenced by Confucianism and shares more common business practices with China, Japan and Korea compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors.