Quinlan SEA
From Chicago to Southeast Asia:
Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand
This New Year (Jan 2019), I got an amazing opportunity to travel with mentors, peers, and friends to Southeast Asia.
As a graduate student at the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago, I was thrilled to be on this study abroad course that would help me learn how to work with and break into these markets.
Comparative Consumer Behavior and Marketing in Emerging Southeast Asia
Led by Dr. Clifford Shultz, Professor & Kellstadt Chair
People – Products – Processes – Profits – Past – Planet
Throughout the course of the program, I was able to engage with new people, in uncharted places, with differing perspectives on work, public and private life, society, politics, and more!
First Stop: Saigon!
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam
After arriving at Ton Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a Loyola arranged shuttle service brought me into Dist. 1 (Saigon) and to our group’s hotel for the first part of our 3 country trip. The Paragon Saigon Hotel is a beautiful and quaint hotel that has all the main modern necessities for international travelers. The hotel was situated near enough to convenience stores, restaurants, malls, markets, and parlors, so we were able to rest-assured with plenty of access to everything we could need!
Paragon Saigon Hotel
Mekong Delta
Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long – “Nine Dragon River Delta”
In the morning, the day before the first official “class” in Vietnam, a group of us traveled from Saigon to visit the Mekong Delta. The Mekong Delta is in Southern Vietnam and is made up of a diverse array of swamps, rivers, and islands. The area contains many floating markets, and Khmer pagodas and villages.
Cao Dai Temple | Bees and Bee Products | Coconuts and Coconut Products
Owl Bags & Side Shops | Family Temples & Ancient Burial Sites
Canoe Ride on the Mekong River | Mekong Rest Stop
Cao Dai Temple
Our first stop on the way to the Delta, was a Cao Dai (Five-Faiths) Temple. Our guide explained to us how this temple and faith came about due to the varying cultures and faiths that had intersected in that place in the past. Apparently, the political leaders of the time had influenced this development in efforts to unite the various people under one roof (and under one political power).
Bees and Bee Products
A quick boat ride across the river brings to our first lesson on the products that drive the Mekong Delta’s economy. Bees and bee products, like honey and wax, are bountiful in this area. It was a delight getting a chance to sit and engage with fellow travelers and to have tea and snacks that go well with these bee products.
Coconuts and Coconut Products
Next, we take a look at all the different ways coconuts are used to provide both drink and snack items, as well as various coconut based products like bags, purses, jewelry, and notebooks. It was a great opportunity to see how the coconut is taken and split into its various components to produce different types of products – apparently no piece gets wasted and everything is turned into something useful for human use and consumption!
Owl Bags & Side Shops
Family Temples & Ancient Burial Sites
Within the Mekong Delta’s villages live many multi-generational families with deep ties to the land. While exploring the Delta with our guide, we were able to get a first hand look at some of the traditional temples, shops, and ancient burial sites that have been maintained and protected by the many generations of people living there over the years.
Canoe Ride on the Mekong River
Time for some Rest & Relaxation! The Canoe Ride through the Mekong Delta was by far one of the most relaxing ways to explore the new territory. With a personal canoe driver, all we had to do was sit back and take in the landscapes and scenery.
Mekong Rest Stop
On our way back to our hotel, we took a quick break from our drive at the Mekong Rest Stop. This was, without a doubt, the best rest stop most of us had ever seen – period. We were served a multiple-course meal (including special adjustments for specific dietary restrictions), while also getting a chance to talk and dig deeper into our newly minted friendships.
Majestic Hotel Rooftop & Dinner in Saigon w/Dr. Shultz
The evening before our first official “class” day, those of us who had arrived earlier and those who were arriving just in time for dinner got together at the Majestic Hotel Rooftop with Professor Cliff Shultz. After gathering at the rooftop for a couple hours, we then walked around town and found a place to grab our first meal together as a full-fledged tour group.
Morning Walking Tour of Ho Chi Minh City
Before going to our set visits for the first day, Dr. Shultz took the group on a walking tour of the city. It was eye-opening to see all the modern and luxurious development that has been undertaken over the past few decades – especially since my expectations coming in were of an underdeveloped city without the modern infrastructure that it in fact did have in place!
Nike Vietnam
First visit to launch our understanding of marketing and production in Vietnam was at the main offices of Nike in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We were able to engage with Nike staff and talk about how various economic, political, and social trends affected their business operations as well as how their business affected the society in which they produce their products.
Nike People:
- Government Public Affairs
- Category Director: Product Innovation
- Assistant to GM
- Community Program Ambassador & Support Personnel
Important Events (Society, Politics, Trade + Nike):
Learning about various events from the perspectives of the Nike team really gave insight into how Vietnam and its surrounding countries and trade partners are affected by differing historical, environmental, social, and political factors. I particularly found it interesting to hear their perspectives on recent US trade policies and how it has both helped and further complicated their operating and production of goods for sale as exports to the US.
- 1975 Reunification
- 1986 Doi Moi Reforms
- Vietnam undergoes these market reforms which transform it from one of the poorest countries to a lower-middle income country
- 1994 US President Clinton Ends US Embargo
- 1995 Diplomatic relations restored; Nike begins operating in Vietnam
- 2001 Bilateral Trade Agreement
- 2007 Vietnam Joins World Trade Organization
- 2015 Korean Free Trade Agreement
- 2017 Trump Withdraws from TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement)
- 2018 EU FTP
- Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
Nike’s Process & Product:
- It takes the Nike supply chain processes approximately 18 months to take a new product from concept to consumer
Nike’s Achievements & Impact:
- Best Places to Work in Vietnam (Footwear & Apparel Industry)
- First FDI Sports brand to get Labour Medal
- Community Programs
- Challenge: Young generation is least active ever globally
- Goal: Active Youth for a more successful and happier future
- Unleash kids’ potential through transformative experiences in Sport and Play
- Provides a positive impact to the local community
- 6 Nike Adopted Schools, 30 Physical Education Teachers, 10 Coaches, and 131 Women
- 2020 Target for Minimum Water Use; Waste Management Systems are currently in place
Vietnam Center of Loyola University Chicago
The Vietnam Center was a great place for us to see how Loyola University Chicago is engaging with academics, businesses, law, politics, and society in Vietnam. We were able to candidly discuss with real people about the various opportunities, complexities, and lifestyle changes when moving to and working in Vietnam.
People:
- Ursula – Business Legal Services for Foreigners in Vietnam (Lawyer at Mayer Brown)
- Princeton Graduate + Tulane Law
- Jim – IT Consultant and Business Rep for Manufacturer of Prefabricated Buildings made in Vietnam and shipped abroad
- MIT grad, long-time expat
- Phoung Mai – LAC VIET – IT Professional Services Provider
- Fulbright Scholar
- Integral in her company’s operations and its accreditation to ISO 9001, ISO 27001, & ISO 20000 standards
- Brian Conover- LUC Office of International Programs: Marketing, Student Affairs, & Admissions
- Bowling Green Graduate
- Young American now living in Vietnam
- Selina – Student Life Assistant
- Loyola University Chicago Graduate
- Chris – Director of Vietnam Center & Study Abroad
- Founded an English-language school in Vietnam
- Vietnam Works (Online Job Site)
- Tortilla Manufacturing Company
Fulbright University Vietnam
At Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV), we had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Vu Thanh Tu Anh, an economist who serves as Dean and also on the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. The School of Public Policy and Management at FUV is one of the foremost contributors to the advancement and development of Vietnam, since 1995 – allowing for greater ease of doing business as well as protecting minority investors in Vietnam.
Learning from and discussing with Dr. Tu Anh about practical economics in practice in Vietnam really enlightened me and empowered me to push further in my goal to do business abroad. Here’s a few of the main highlights and takeaways from our time together:
- Macroeconomics & Economic Growth in Vietnam
- Vietnamese are young, optimistic, and entrepreneurial; they are the drivers of economic development in Vietnam
- Investment in Labor & Capital
- Burgeoning labor force, competitive wages
- Female Participation: Approximately 75%
- Foreign Direct Investment is key
- Purchasing Management Index – measuring business optimism in manufacturing
- Relatively Stable CPI & Exchange Rate
- Trade Agreements & Trade Wars (with who & how many)
- Biggest partners are US & China
- Too many trade agreements and trade wars causes confusion for businesses that may find it easier not to engage at all
- Sustainable Energy
- Difficult area for innovation as monopolies dictated by the government eliminate or limit competitive choices
Past & Present in Vietnam
Reunification Palace
War Remnants Museum
Street Shops & Markets of Saigon
Rooftop Reception @ Paragon Saigon
Halal Saigon Restaurant
Farewell to Vietnam and Gift to friend and helper, “Hieu Holland”
Kingdom of Cambodia (Kampuchea)
ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា
Sunrise at Angkor Wat
After only a few hours of arriving in Siem Riep, Cambodia, we were up and about trekking our way to Angkor Wat before dawn, so we could get a look at the sunrise over the ancient site.
“Tomb Raider” Temples & The Dancing Ladies
We spent almost an entire day hiking through temple including the “Tomb Raider” temple made famous by the Hollywood movie of the same name. By the end of this day, everyone in our group was quite comfortable with each other, as the ridiculous amounts of tropical heat and subsequent sweat pouring out of bodies caused us to lose all inhibition – if we weren’t friends before, we definitely were after this part of the trip!
