{"id":3040,"date":"2020-03-15T10:40:02","date_gmt":"2020-03-15T03:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/\/uncategorized\/the-entrepreneurs-choice\/"},"modified":"2025-06-26T10:40:02","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T03:40:02","slug":"the-entrepreneurs-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/articles\/the-entrepreneurs-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"The Entrepreneur\u2019s Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Article by Mr. Dinh Hong Ky published in the OPINION section of the online newspaper vnexpress.net on March 15, 2020.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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I started the week with a series of calls checking in on partners in various countries about their business situations and the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Our company has a fairly large agent in Los Angeles, USA. Last week, Abe, the owner, was still quite optimistic about the situation. The father of three daughters of Jewish descent, known for being extremely cautious, told us he didn\u2019t find the virus frightening and considered it just a regular flu. But yesterday, after speaking with my wife on the phone, Abe was “truly shocked” by how fast and dangerously the pandemic developed. He has been preparing preventive measures for his company in the U.S. while also worrying about Israel, his homeland, which has closed its borders.<\/p>\n

Yoshiteru Inoue, CEO of a large industrial corporation based in Kagawa, Japan, shared with me how his company and other Japanese firms are combating COVID-19. Their focus is on what matters most: their employees. Every employee and their family members are closely monitored and cared for in terms of health by the company. All business trips are canceled, online meetings are applied, and contingency plans are in place in case of infection.<\/p>\n

From Italy, Ugo Giannelli, the owner of a longstanding industrial equipment manufacturer in Florence and my 25-year friend, said: “It\u2019s quite tense, but the spirit of discipline to protect oneself and the community is at its highest.” Life in Italy is completely disrupted and tightly controlled. Ugo\u2019s factory continues to operate. Orders from abroad still arrive. However, strict special measures to protect workers\u2019 health are applied. He allows office staff to work remotely. Factory workers are divided into smaller groups, working different shifts to avoid large gatherings, even during breaks.<\/p>\n

Donkyung Kim, a peer of mine from the Ho Chi Minh City Association of Construction and Building Materials, owns a high-tech lighting distribution business. He came to Saigon three years ago and quickly regarded Vietnam as his second home. Since after the Lunar New Year, I hadn\u2019t heard from him until early March. It turned out he was in Daegu, South Korea\u2019s pandemic epicenter. Kim shared much about the Korean fight against the virus. He talked about the Prime Minister working right in Daegu. Politicians and business leaders, including Kim, willingly set aside their work to volunteer in hospitals, assisting doctors and patients. The rapid containment in Daegu was no accident but the result of efforts from all sectors of society.<\/p>\n

Entrepreneur Kim wrote: “Some unlucky people lost their precious lives to coronavirus, many others are struggling in hospitals, and businesses are severely damaged. But one thing we have done, are doing, and will never change in the future is our belief that Korea will overcome this disaster.”<\/p>\n

Here in Vietnam, on the morning of March 7, a friend who leads a corporation in the restaurant, event, and interior decoration services sector decided to temporarily close all stores and business facilities. Over 1,000 employees were sent home but still received salaries according to their positions, with all insurances maintained. When I asked why he decided so early, he said: “We must protect our employees, support the community, and cooperate with the government to fight the pandemic.” If stores remained open or events continued, customers would be few, causing great losses to the company and high infection risks for both the public and employees.<\/p>\n

Within the Ho Chi Minh City Association of Construction and Building Materials, we encourage each other to protect ourselves and support each other by discounting products and services. Businesses prioritize using each other\u2019s products and services with the best offers, doing everything possible to help one another get through the pandemic.<\/p>\n

As businesspeople, my partners and colleagues share the view that: there\u2019s always a rainbow after the rain. A pandemic is like a tide\u2014when it recedes, we see who\u2019s left standing. It forces businesses to reveal their true strength.<\/p>\n

Those running businesses through quick profits, relying on interest groups, serving as someone\u2019s backdoor, or living off opaque activities, those who borrow recklessly, will be exposed. Businesses without real strength, living on borrowed capital and rolling over debts under harsh conditions, will be revealed and wither away. This could be a major cleansing so that after the COVID-19 storm passes, real businesses creating genuine value for the economy will survive and come back stronger. I envision a new mindset for Vietnamese enterprises after this hardship.<\/p>\n

Entrepreneurs worldwide\u2014like the businesses and people in Italy, including Ugo\u2014remain optimistic that the pandemic will be controlled as soon as possible. Abe also believes the pandemic will pass quickly and U.S. businesses will return to their growth trajectory. My entrepreneurs, partners, and friends like Sven in Norway, Martjin in the Netherlands, and countless Vietnamese businesses, although struggling with their own challenges, are not pessimistic or discouraged. They believe that together, we will restore normal life with renewed strength.<\/p>\n

We also tell each other that through this pandemic, the businesses that endure will have loyal staff, partners, and customers because we stood together in difficult times.<\/p>\n

So, will you dare to face risks, always focus on community, and do business with a kind heart\u2014or just sit and curse the darkness? Step up and accept it\u2014what do you choose?<\/p>\n

Dinh Hong Ky<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Article by Mr. Dinh Hong Ky published in the OPINION section of the online newspaper vnexpress.net on March 15, 2020. I started the week with a series of calls checking in on partners in various countries about their business situations and the pandemic. Our company has a fairly large agent in Los Angeles, USA. Last…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dinhhongky.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}