7 things to know about cultural behavior in ASEAN countries

(Baonghean.vn) - With the long-standing and diverse culture and society in Southeast Asian countries, understanding the market and trade procedures between countries in the ASEAN bloc is not enough, but it is necessary to learn about the behavioral culture of these countries if you want to succeed.

The establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community will enhance the association's position in the regional and world economic structure, opening up great opportunities for investors and businesses outside and among ASEAN members.

Investors hope that as ASEAN moves towards a single market, business laws, regulations and standards will be harmonized, leading to an increasingly favorable business environment. However, mastering procedures and markets is not enough. Southeast Asia in general and its member countries in particular have many traditions and codes of conduct that an investor needs to respect to ensure success.

1. Greeting customs

Thai people still preserve the traditional way of greeting.

When greeting partners, Vietnam and some countries in the bloc are familiar with the Western way of shaking hands. Filipinos are sometimes quite intimate, men can pat each other on the shoulder after shaking hands and women kiss each other on the cheek. On the contrary, many Muslims in Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore are shy about shaking hands with the opposite sex and only bow. Thai people still maintain the traditional way of bowing, the younger person or person of lower position bows first and bows deeper to show respect.

2.Party invitation

Business cooperation cannot be without parties or lunches. Indonesia, with a population of 240 million people, is the country with the largest Muslim community in the world. Therefore, parties inviting partners here absolutely cannot have pork.

3. Meeting time

In countries where Muslims live, it is important to know that: Muslims pray 5 times a day, so businesses operating in these countries should learn to avoid holding meetings during those hours.

4. Gifts

Illustration photo.

For Indonesia gifts must not be alcoholic beverages and any food given must have a "halal" stamp for Muslims.

Gift givers should also pay attention to the meaning of colors in each country to choose the appropriate wrapping paper. For example, black and blue are mourning colors in Singapore and are not popular in Thailand. Thai people like yellow and Indonesians also believe that yellow and red bring luck, while Filipinos have almost no taboos about colors.

5. Opening the meeting

Many ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, often start meetings with small talk that is sometimes unrelated to work. Therefore, Vietnamese businesses looking for opportunities in Singapore should note that in this country, meetings often go straight to the point from the start.

6.Exchange business cards

Illustration photo.

In Vietnam, when exchanging business cards, people look at each other to show respect. In Singapore, on the contrary, looking at each other when exchanging business cards shows impoliteness. Instead, people just glance into the other person's eyes and then look down, possibly looking at the business card.

7. Give gifts

In Myanmar, giving small gifts to officials and key figures in companies is normal. But in Cambodia and Singapore, giving gifts during business meetings is considered bribery./.

Peace

(Synthetic)