[Vnbiz] What is/are VnBiz/VnBizers good at?

[ToanDucPham@GMail.com]

Dear CACE,

   1. Anh Hoanh.  Thanks for your great self-reflection note.
   2. Chi Thanh An.  Thanks for your "doi-moi"-styled Report.
   3. Romi.  Your photography is amazing.
   4. CACE.  From the mountains of discussions posted so far (since
   1997?), from the Nov 26 Hanoi Gathering, triggered by anh Ta Ngoc
   Cau's generous offer that was made very frank and clear, initiated by anh
   Tran Huu Hong Truong's initiative, pushed by anh Hoanh's self-reflection
   note, and encouraged by chi Thanh An's Report:
   - I have noticed one thing.  On different occasions (Anh Hoanh's
   welcoming messages, self-introduction made privately and/or at the various
   Gatherings, etc.), we have learnt, more or less, who does what where.
   - However, it is hard, at least for me, to know who is good at what /
   has what to offer.  E.g. anh Cau seems to have a wonderful local
   source of business administration books / materials.
   - May I suggest that each and everyone of us let everybody else know
   how each and everyone of us can be "exploited".  Myself, for instance, I
   have been with Public Relations / Public Affairs for fourteen years now, and
   I have good working knowledge on ICT and ERP (at least enough to understand
   and support any ICT/ERP B2C/B2B marketing communications activities) so ...
   Some of you might find it not easy to say, "Well, I think I am good at ... /
   I have so much ...", because, according to local styles, that is not very
   modest.  That is not necessary, I would say.  You just have to tell what you
   think you are good at, and you do not need to prove that among all VnBizers
   you are the best in that field.  Let us take out dear anh Hoanh for a very
   concrete example.  Anh Hoanh, who is an attorney of law, and who seems to be
   a very learnt man with profound knowledge in every field, and who seems to
   have a very high analytical skill, and so on and so forth.  Can anh Hoanh,
   or any others, prove that anh Hoanh is the best lawyer in this forum, and
   more importantly, is that proving necessary? Can anh Tuan (Microsoft Vietnam
   Marketing Manager) say for sure that he knows the MS Word shortcut key
   commands better than I do? (Sorry, anh Hoanh and anh Tuan.  Just trying to
   make some examples and you are the "victims" because you are both so
   bright.).  So please be brave and bold, and stand up straight.
   Please excuse me for my lengthiness that might be entirely
   unnecessary.  I would be most grateful for any comments / feedback /
   response.
   5. Anh Hoanh.  Is it possible to change "VNBIZ is a forum on Vietnam
   economic and business issues." into something else?

Thanks everyone.
Rgds./Toan.





On 12/4/06, Pham Thi Thanh An <thanhan2505 at gmail.com> wrote:
> [ Vietnam Business Forum ]
> Report of the VNBIZ Gathering:
> Dear CACC,
> Thanks anh Hoanh for your self-reflection note, which had me to change my
report on the Hanoi Gathering made a few days ago a bit not to bore everyone
with the same thing. One reason for delaying sending that report out earlier
is the desire to present you with a package together of pictures, list and
report. Now we have the most of it, and given anh Hoanh's recent post on it,
I think we have the obligation not to owe the group a later one.
> For those of you who want to feel the spirit of the Hanoi Gathering,
please see the link below for pictures of the Gathering.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80997643@N00/sets/72157594395454696/show/ .
The pictures herein are taken by Romi, and I believe Anh Quang Anh might
post more from his own camera later on. Attached is also the list of
participants to the Gathering, which include 31 vnbizers and 9 non-vnbizers
then, some of those already become vnbizers now (A special welcome to chi
Phuong, em Ziu Thuong and chi Nga` for joining us now!).
> Since Anh Hoanh has covered an overview of the Gathering, let me just
focus on some of the specific discussions points made during the Gathering:
> 1. What is VNBIZ and what is VNBIZ to each of us? We agree that VNBIZ is
first and foremost a community of Internet exchange based on brotherhood and
sisterhood by those who are committed to see and contribute to the
development of Vietnam. The definition of the term "business" in the VNBIZ
introduced by anh Toan at toanducpham at gmail.com , which is "anything that
matters to us, is close to our heart and mind", has won a broad agreement
among participating vnbizers at the Gathering. This has well explained why
we could talk about anything in the forum from economics to history, from
politics to poems, or good piece of writing as the "Nature of Success"
written by anh Thuy's daughter - Minh Ngoc, who both showed up at the
Gathering.
> We all had a chance to listen to anh Hoanh's story about the history of
VNBIZ and the long path he has gone through to arrive at this Forum to
connect the hearts and minds of people for the common goal of developing
Vietnam. We also had to chance to introduce about ourselves to share with
other vnbizers about out thoughts on vnbiz, its past, present and future,
its role on our lives, which made the Gathering a very special occasion full
of thoughtfulness and heart-felt emotions.
> 2. Are we satisfied with having VNBIZ as in this current format of having
mostly on-line discussion? We are happy so far that the forum has been
informative and educative, in addition to bringing us more friends, brothers
and sisters, and thus beneficial to all of us, in various ways. At the same
time, we believe there are more which can be jointly done among vnbizers
beyond the on-line discussion, to further foster the added value we could
create building on the vnbiz spirit and using the part of vast potential of
intellect we each have but yet recognize by working together.
> 3. What are some of the ways to make it this possible? Many of us have
good ideas on good things to do, and good things to do together with other
vnbizers. However, to start anything more specific, we need to know a little
bit more about one another. Gathering more frequently is one way of making
this possible. Sending more personalized information to the forum is another
way.
> Chi Vo Thi Hao has suggested each of us to send a short bio of us with
information such as name, current area of work or interest, specific ideas
on the type of needs required from vnbiz. VNBIZ, to that extent, could
create a market for matching "demand" and "supply" of ideas, or getting "two
hands together to clap" as mentioned during the Gathering!
> Below are some specific ideas mentioned during the event:
> Anh Cau, who has played an instrumental role in setting up the Business
Administration Library at the Hanoi Business School, is willing to support
vnbizers' access to the library at no cost (Bravo, anh Cau!).
> A. Truong at VCCI has introduced the idea of presenting to the last-year
students practical working skills and knowledge based on the rich experience
of vnbizers (some follow-up email exchange has been progressing on this idea
as you could note, and the idea caught the interest of Saigon vnbizer
community there already).
> Anh Duyen has offered to work on the translation of some interesting books
and responded to the request by Chi Hao to know in greater depth those
interested in the areas of books and printing. This well-known lady, who
proved to be successful not only as a novelist, but also a businesswoman as
she came to run a publishing company of her own also offers the idea of
printing selected pieces of discussions on vnbiz.
> 4.Working formats of VNBIZ and expanded group of admins: During the
discussion, some ideas were also raised on developing a VNBIZ website to
facilitate the discussion. Anh Ta Ngoc Cau, who has led this theme of
discussion, is willing to discuss in details with the admin group and those
interested in this. To help share the burden of admin work, anh Manh Hai and
Hoai Nam have volunteered to help. A. Hoanh will surely lead on this
follow-up.
> 5. Next Gathering. Although we have not decided when will be the next
Gathering apart from the once-a-year traditional event as we have had so
far, sister Ziu Thuong has offered a venue with the Latin dance and setting
as everyone has already been informed. Once some of the concrete ideas
mentioned during the Gathering could become a reality, and people need to
gather for  a talk, we could certainly bear this offer in mind!
> I hope I have covered the main parts. Please kindly help me to add things
I might forget to report on for CACC who were present in the meeting.
> Taking this chance, I want to thank every brother and sister again for
your whole-hearted support to the success of the event. The fact that as
many as around 20 of us stayed until the very last minute of the Gathering,
which closed by 5pm instead of 2pm as initially planned, has proved that the
Gathering has been an enjoyable time, which is, after all, the best reward
to us as organizer. Special thanks to sister Thu Ngoc, who has brought us to
this wonderful choice of venue. Great thanks to sister Romi for all your
hard work before, during and after the event. Many thanks for all brothers
and sisters for your past, present and future follow-up from the event, for
which many of our thoughtful ideas during the event, would not become passed
away. And lastly, a big thank to chi Dieu Anh from Sai Gon, anh Hoanh and
Chi Phuong whose visit to Hanoi have given chance to this wonderful event.
We would all keep looking forward to further home returns by you to have at
least an obvious reason for the next Gatherings! :)
> Have a great day, everyone!
> Thanh An
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vnbiz-bounces at mail.saigon.com [mailto: vnbiz-bounces at mail.saigon.com]
On Behalf Of Tran Dinh Hoanh
> Sent: Sunday, December 03, 2006 3:04 PM
> To: vnbiz at vietlinks.net
> Subject: [Vnbiz] A brief reflection on my trip
> [ Vietnam Business Forum ]
> Dear CACC,
> This is my first trip home in 10 years, so it is somewhat emotional
> for me.  My boss Phuong has come home much more often, almost every
> year.  But this is the first VNBIZ gatherings for her.  I have joined
> our previous gatherings over phone and Internet, but this time is the
> first physical.
> Saigon and Hanoi have changed somewhat, a lot if one looks at the
> details, but the old character and charm are still there. The most
> prominent thing is the vibrant atmosphere in the air.  Everyone seems
> to be energetic and upbeat.  I remember the 1994 trip, at that time, I
> could feel electricity in the air; the entire country was highly
> charged.  That vibrant spirit is still there today, 12 years later.
> Folks I met throughout Southeast Asia give Vietnam quite a bit of
> respect.  Everyone talks about Vietnam's outstanding economic
> performance and the Vietnamese hardworking habit.  That, we should be
> very proud of.  A lady in Manila asked me how I would compare Saigon
> with Manila.  I said, "Manila is obviously ahead of Saigon, looking at
> the financial districts.  But Saigon seems to have more income
> equality.  The difference between the rich and the poor in Manila is
> so evidence.  The rich and the powerful live separately in their own
> quarters.  Rich and poor are a world a part.  There is some of that in
> Saigon, but it is not as prominent as in Manila.  The Vietnamese seem
> to be more together and more equal.  So in the next 20 years or so,
> Saigon will have advantage over Manila in development."  She nodded
> agreement and said, "I shouldn't say this, but our politicians are
> assholes."
> I had a private talk with a catholic Cardinal in Manila and he said
> the most urgent problem in Philippines is poverty; the poor make up 60
> percent of the population. Wealth concentrates on the hands of a very
> small group.  Philippines also has serious violence problem from the
> New People's Army, a Marxist armed group, and tension between Muslims
> and Christians in Mandanao province, which effective ruins the
> country's tourism and pushes foreign investment away.
> Hong Kong has become so expensive and the talk on the street is that
> China is trying to move lots of services from Hong Kong to Shanghai,
> which will weaken Hong Kong greatly.
> Cambodia seems to have no steam.  The leadership appears not to know
> how to move the country forward economically.
> What I see clearly in Phnompenh and Manila is that the poor and the
> rich have clearly different attitudes.  The poor acts subservient
> toward the rich.  There are really two classes.  In Vietnam, we all
> act relatively equal.  And that is good attitude for national
> development--we are more "together" as a nation.
> The highlight of the trip is the VNBIZ gatherings in Saigon and Hanoi.
>  Other brothers/sisters have said how wonderful they were.  Truly
> outstanding!  Brother Tu and chi Hong Nhung in Saigon and chi Thanh An
> and chi Romi in Hanoi did an outstanding organizing job.  Thanks,
> guys!  In Saigon, my special guest, chi Kim Hanh, was so busy so she
> joined me and my boss and Hong Nhung over breakfast instead.  My
> special guest in Hanoi, chi Vo Thi Hao, was with us twice, at our
> hotel breakfast and at the gathering.
> Of course, we all know that our brothers/sisters in VNBIZ are truly
> outstanding folks:  brother Viet (and chi Thu), chi Dong Vy (and
> brother Luan), c. Huyen, anh Shane,anh Brian, Phuc, Thanh Thanh with
> such a bright smile, anh Thu'y and Minh Ngoc, anh Tuan Microsoft, chi
> Ngoc Intello, anh Quang Di, anh Quang Anh, Toanducpham at gmail.com :-),
> anh Cau and chi Khanh his wife, chi Thu Thuy, Truong VCCI, Hong
> Truong, brother Duyen, Brother Viet(lawyer) and anh Tuan of
> VietConsult, Phuong Ngoc the landscaper, chi Mai, chi Trang, chi Dieu
> Anh from Saigon, uncle Chuck :-),  chi Hong Hoa the social worker and
> anh Peter, and great new friends such as chi Nga`, chi Ziu Thuong,
> brother Giang, chi Truc, to name a few.  Great to have chi Ngoc Nga
> back from California to join us in Hanoi.  Everyone is so oustanding.
> I really admire everyone.  I will miss some names here, due to failing
> memory :-) Just want to say that it is great to be able to see each
> brother/sister in person.  Great to put the faces to the names.
> For me,  it is a very good feeling to see that our professionals have
> so much brain, energy and enthusiasm.  That is very good for the
> country.  I am so proud of all our brothers/sisters in VNBIZ.
> It is obvious to everyone present that the gatherings strengthen our
> brother/sisterhood greatly.  It draws us closer together and it gives
> us energy.  We should capitalize on them to strengthen ourselves.
> As I mentioned during my brief presentation on VNBIZ history in Hanoi,
> starting 1991 or so, we changed from Vietnamese American Education
> Foundation to VNFORUM to focus on bringing information and making
> sense of information on Vietnam issues, on a daily and intense basis
> over the Internet. In 1999 we changed again to VNBIZ to make
> Vietnamese nationals the core membership, to encourage in-country
> discussion on critical issues, to assimilate VN into the international
> community .  Today, our country is doing very well, the need for
> information and discussion is still there, but it is going to be
> easier, not as tense as in the old days.
> We need to bring VNBIZ to the new era.  We need to increase bonding
> among us to strengthen our brother/sister ties, we need to actively
> support each other in job/business in any way we can, we need to focus
> on individual support and individual success.  As we focus on helping
> each other succeed, we will make our country strong.  We want to build
> a generation of professionals who are hugely successful because they
> have strong support from other friends, not because they sold their
> souls to the devil :-)
> To do this we need to constantly remind ourselves of our
> brother/sisterhood.  We need to have projects to work together.
> Someone has just mentioned a project to help university students.
> That is a very good example of things we can do together.  We should
> have more chance to play tennis or do Latin dances together.  We
> should be physically together often.
> Let's keep these thought in mind as we go.  If we all have a
> commitment on our heart that we would support our brothers/sisters
> whenever possible, we all will become more successful eventually.
> "Nation" is a very abstract word.  Let's lift up our nation by lifting
> up each other.
> Have a great day!
> Hoanh
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