The Post

Dr Hung Le, vice president for international affairs at Niagara University, is leading a management development program on public administration reform for a delegation of human resource administrators and directors from the Ministry of Home Affairs in Vietnam. The Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible for all aspects of human resource management for the nation and work with all other ministries in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese delegation will arrive in Niagara Falls on Oct. 27 and depart Nov. 8. They will attend numerous presentations including: The role of human resource management in developing economically socially and ecologically sustainable organizations; evolution of public human resource management systems and values in the US; the strategy change cycle: an effective strategic planning approach for public and nonprofit organizations; and many others. They will be visiting local companies and sites to see some success stories first hand. This group will also get an opportunity to visit New York City for two days.

Ministry of Home Affairs is an agency of the government, performing the state management of the sectors: administrative organizations, the public sector, local government, administrative boundaries, officers and employees, state officials, associations and non-governmental organizations; emulation and commendation religious; clerical state archives, youth and state management of public services in the field of management as prescribed by law.

Vietnam
Fast Facts:
• Officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
• Language: Vietnamese
• Population: 92.4 million
• Land area: 125,622 square miles
• Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China
Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia.
• Capital: Hanoi, 6.5 million
• Government: Communist State
• President: Trương Tấn Sang (2011)
• Prime Minister: Nguyen Tan Dung (2006)

Terms to Note:
• Hello/Goodbye: Xin chao (seen chow)
• Thank You: Cam on (gahm un)

Notable Customs:
• Many Vietnamese may greet by bowing slightly to each other, they may join hands. Usually, higher ranking people are
greeted first.
• Summoning a person with a hand or finger in the upright position is reserved only for animals or inferior people. Between
two equal people it is a provocation. To summon a person, the entire hand with the fingers facing down is the only
appropriate hand signal.
• Speaking in a loud tone with excessive gestures is considered rude.
• When getting praise, Vietnamese usually smile instead of saying “thank you”. A smile is like a silent “thank you”. Most
Vietnamese people are very modest and deflect praise.
• Women do not shake hands with each other or with men. The majority of Vietnamese women never drink and it is not unusual
if they decline when alcoholic beverages are offered to them.
• Patience is one of the keys in successfully dealing with the Vietnamese.