Article by Mr. Dinh Hong Ky posted in the PERSPECTIVE section – vnexpress.net e-newspaper on December 16, 2017. On average, I receive about 5 emails every day inviting awards.
Such as excellent enterprises, APEC entrepreneurs, gold quality products, high quality brands, strong brands, best growth, talented leaders, sustainable development organizations… Just yesterday, there was also the award “International Quality Pinnacle – Diamond class”. Countless awards with names that ring like bells make us not know where to start.
My staff once tried to reply to the organizers and were sent additional very clear tables. To get this award, the company had to sponsor how much money, buy advertising… When the business refused to participate, they were ready to bargain or reduce the price dramatically, like buying goods at Ben Thanh market.
There is a funny story: Your friend’s business has been dissolved for 3 years but still receives notices from this committee, from that association “congratulating the company because it has been selected to receive a prestigious award and the award ceremony will be broadcast live on television”. The accompanying formula is that the business only needs to spend twenty or thirty million VND for the “prestigious” award.
But do not rush to blame the individuals and organizations that “compose” those awards. Because there is demand, there is supply. Without “demand” for fame-hungry businessmen, why are there organizations that create such a large “supply” of awards?
Looking at the broader picture, the movement of chasing after forms in general and titles in particular is not strange in today’s society. As a businessman, I only dare to ask questions within the scope of my activities. What are the standards in work and life for Vietnamese businessmen today?
In the past, during the subsidy period, people had a saying: “Three number 5s lying down and signing”. When going to do business, just show a three-number cigarette and the other party will sign the papers, even when lying down. At that time, smoking 555 was a fashion for the rich, to show their class. Just like today, there is a trend of smoking cigars “to keep up with the times”. Luxury parties must have businessmen puffing on cigars to match their class. Even if they don’t know how to smoke, they still try to hold a “Syglo VI” and post it on Facebook to let the world know who they are.
In the early 90s, the Honda Dream movement was popular in Hanoi. Many families that did not have the means forced their children to “eat rice and water spinach” to buy a “dwarf car” to be equal to their brothers and sisters. Nowadays, businessmen must have a car. Many directors are determined to buy a car by borrowing or paying in installments. A manager at a German car company told me that according to statistics, Vietnam has one of the highest rates of luxury car purchases in the world. But at the same time, it is also the market with the highest rate of car loans.
Sitting at the banquet table of the bosses, many times I did not know how to respond. Because many of them did not say anything about their business, their products, or share business experiences, but only showed off, what they ate, what they drank, what they played, how they spent money.
I know someone who went out to sponsor a grand golf tournament while still owing his workers several months of salary at home. I asked him, “Why is that?”, he replied, “Playing golf is the way to work!”.
“Virtual value” in this era is even expressed by “intelligence”. Some businessmen like to appear in public, say beautiful words, teach young people how to live, advise people not to be greedy. But many of them do not work well, not beautifully, sometimes even ignore the law.
The titles mentioned above were created to serve this need for spiritual jewelry. In some companies’ offices, there are even awards for “business culture” and medals for “ethics”. They become a bad image, creating prejudice against business people in general.
In fact, there are still many businessmen who create real businesses. They create standards of pride for their businesses with prestigious brands, business scale with stable number of employees and revenue, tax contributions to the budget each year, high salaries to ensure the lives of their employees, and responsible actions towards society. They are recognized without any material or media labels.
The clothes never make the monk.
Dinh Hong Ky
