Experience
And, it is this experience which separates great from good – be it an individual or the industry on the whole. The garment sector in Vietnam is no exception. Expatriates bring with them experience and exposure and there is no substitute for either of the two. “Education is important, but without exposure even education doesn’t always help. We bring exposure,” averred James Davis, an Indian expatriate who has been working as an Operations Manager in PCC Vietnam LLC for last 3 years.
The garment industry, which is one of the biggest economic sectors in Vietnam, has been witnessing a positive growth every year since the start of the millennium. While political and economic stability, excellent infrastructure and skilled workforce have been instrumental in propelling the growth of the industry in the country, one finds it difficult to overlook the role expatriates have been playing in taking the garment industry ahead.
It’s not just the economic or social structure that takes the garment industry forward, but also the ideas, thoughts and approach that the industry takes from all those countries that have already excelled in the garment and textile sector. Bangladesh is one such nation which has, of late, witnessed a significant growth – a lot of which the country owes to the advice and guidance it got from expatriates. Vietnam too has seen a huge influx of Indian, Sri Lankan and Korean expatriates over the last decade – And the results are there to be seen. The Apparel Resources team delves deep to understand the contribution of the expatriates in the growth and evolution of the garment industry in Vietnam.
It is apparent that the garment sector in Vietnam has been enticing many expatriates especially in last 15 years. “Coming from a mature market like India, one would realize that there is so much to give to a developing market like Vietnam – in all areas of Merchandising, Production, Quality, Technical, Industrial Engineering, Product Design etc.,” said John Dulip Kumar, Divisional Manager, Li & Fung Vietnam. After a successful stint in Indonesia, John looks into sourcing softline apparel across menswear, womenswear and childrenswear for woven and knit from Vietnam for popular PVH brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.
With abundant resources available, what Vietnam often lacks is guidance and that is what the expatriates provide…; and this guidance eventually helps in maximising the efficiency in each of the areas of apparel supply chain process. John substantiates it further by adding, “I chose to work in Vietnam because it gives me the opportunity to impart the knowledge, skill and experience I have gained over the past two decades. Being a big fish in a small pond also gives one the opportunity to see tangible results in all spheres of influence and this propels for continuous improvement. The locals lack the exposure to the dynamic changes that are happening in the global markets and they need that “someone” to help connect them to that cutting edge progress that’s happening globally. There are skill sets that are needed to bridge this gap and most of the expats possess that in varying degrees and the value is most often seen.”
Brian Lee, General Manager, Bando Vina, Vietnam, says he brought from Korea the industry knowledge and managerial experience, which has today helped his company leave an indelible mark in Vietnam. The Korean-based Bando Global Co. Ltd., which specialises in ladies woven blouse and shirts, opened its new office in Vietnam in 2010. Ever since Lee moved from Korea to Vietnam in 2014, the company has been rapidly striding towards the path of growth. Of course, the expatriates too have to work hard for it. Their commitment to work has made them what they are today. “Expatriates in any country have to perform much more than the local community as only then their existence is justified to the management,” said Dhananjay Kumar, Senior Merchandising Manager, Saitex International (VN) Ltd., while conforming to what Lee remarked.
Professionalism
Echoing the same thoughts, James Davis feels that the professionalism that the expatriates bring in is quite often missed in locals. He says that there are hardly any good institutions in Vietnam, which provide professional training and hence the local garment workers are not exposed to any new ideas, systems and technology. “While interviewing candidates, I have come across many graduates and none have had any idea as to what they want to do in their life. What they all lack is exposure,” expressed James. Besides, there are numerous opportunities across all parts of the supply chain, which continues to bring the expatriates to this country. It’s only that the opportunities need to be properly tapped into depending on the scope and scale of each company.
Role of the expatriates
While the expatriates from India mostly work as merchandisers or managers, those from Sri Lanka have mostly made big in production – One noteworthy case being Upul Pathirana, Head of Operations, Epic Designers Vietnam Limited, who has been instrumental in making the company one of the known export houses in Vietnam today. Prem adds that in addition to top- and middle-management positions, technical and R&D positions are also many times held by expatriates – a sentiment endorsed by Romeo M Ordas, Country Manager, Le & Le Garment and Washing, who is an expatriate by himself. “We have hired technicians from Japan. Our MD is from Germany and now we are hiring technicians from Turkey as well to install high technology machines for washing,” explained Ordas. John feels that expatriates could be seen not only in middle and senior management but also as advisors.
Cooper Cho, Manager, Global Sales Team, Unico Global Inc., is an expatriate from Korea who feels that his company is focusing on localization unlike many other Korean-based companies, which do not focus much on localization. “In Unico Global, the top management is from Korea but the middle- and lower-management is entirely from Vietnam. Interestingly, there has never been any communication concern between the top- and middle-management,” said Cooper.
What Vietnam offers to expatriates
“Emerging economy and continuous growth continues to provide several business opportunities for expatriates. Also, better services, comfortable lifestyle and supportive locals have only made the life of expatriates worthy,” said Prem Kumar, Director, Creative Resources International Limited. Prem came to Vietnam 13 years back to explore job opportunity and within two years, he was clear that his future was in this country. He and his wife Pratima worked in Saitex International for more than 7 years and gained expertise in manufacturing and merchandising – an expertise that eventually helped them to set-up their own company in 2013.
Anil Mishra, Country Manager, Asmara Vietnam feels that it is not only skilled and educated workers that make Vietnam stand out Vietnam among other South-East Asian countries, but also the continuous efforts on the part of the Government to encourage people with technical knowledge – be it merchandising, quality or design. “There is so much the country offers. I can only say, India is my country but Vietnam is my home,” averred Anil with a smile.
Challenges
Language has been one of the major constraints for expatriates in Vietnam. John reasons it by saying that “Language is a significant barrier. ‘Vietnamese’ is not an easy language to pick up and most of the Vietnamese are not comfortable speaking in English. They have the required basic English knowledge, but due to their accent, they are not always confident of speaking the language. They need to be encouraged to speak the language as it will position them even better globally. The local Vietnamese who have had a global exposure do really well.” He also feels multi-tasking needs to be encouraged. “Most of the locals are good at taking up one task and completing it – and completing it well – before moving over to the next one. Multiple instructions, on the other hand, throw them a bit off-balance. Lateral thinking needs to be encouraged among them,” mentioned John.
Another challenge, besides language, which James feels needs to be worked out is that there is no centralized information forum anywhere in the country to provide guidance in opening an FDI firm. He adds that opening an FDI firm is time-consuming and perhaps 100 times more expensive, whereas for a local person it is much easier to register a new company.
Despite all the challenges and constraints, one cannot deny the fact that the benefits outnumber all the limitations. The expatriates in Vietnam are flourishing today but then so is the country…; nothing greater than seeing a nation grow. As John sums it up by saying, “What the locals need is proper guidance and training. Currently the expats have ‘been there, done that’ know-how… Hence it is a fertile playground, which will help the nation progress in leaps and bounds.”
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
