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“I’m not sure how to interact with Vietnamese talent.” “I’m worried that a manners misstep will damage the relationship.” HR professionals at companies hiring international talent often voice these concerns. Searches about Vietnamese workplace manners usually reflect a genuine desire to build a respectful workplace.

This article draws on Vietnamese cultural context to organize, from a practical standpoint, how to speak and give instructions at work, considerations for welcome parties and events, common on-site questions, and points hiring managers often overlook. Cultural understanding is not something you learn once and finish; it is continually updated through day-to-day interactions. Let’s start by confirming the essentials.

Cultural background and individual differences (a premise against nationality-based assumptions)

Vietnam belongs to a cultural sphere influenced by Confucianism and Buddhism, with deep-rooted values of respect for elders and emphasis on family. At work, people often value hierarchy and team harmony. Vietnamese also has a rich set of personal pronouns that change with the relationship to the other person, so expressions of respect toward seniors are built into the language. Against this background, many Vietnamese talent naturally pay attention to polite language in Japanese as well.

At the same time, these tendencies are only general cultural background, and individual differences are very large. Values and communication styles vary widely depending on urban or rural origin, study-abroad experience, work history before coming to Japan, family structure, and more. Assumptions such as “Vietnamese people must be X” can obscure each person’s individuality and circumstances.

What hiring managers need is knowledge of cultural tendencies paired with a willingness to engage each person in front of them. Use cultural background as a reference for judgment, but ultimately deepen understanding through dialogue with the individual—that is the foundation of a good working relationship. With that premise in mind, let’s look at specific workplace scenes.

Scene-by-scene workplace guide: daily work, speaking up, and giving instructions

How you speak and give instructions in daily work is a key moment that shapes trust with Vietnamese talent. Keeping the following points in mind makes communication smoother.

  • Give instructions specifically and in order: Saying “Please finish by 3:00 p.m.” rather than “Please do it soon” reduces misunderstanding by stating deadlines and standards in numbers.
  • Avoid public reprimands: Vietnamese culture values face (mentsu), and some people experience strong humiliation when scolded harshly in front of other employees. Giving feedback or coaching one-on-one in a calm setting is more likely to lead to good results.
  • Do not judge understanding from a “yes” alone: Out of politeness, people may answer “yes” even when they have not fully understood. Asking them to repeat back or jot down key points is an effective way to confirm understanding.
  • Create an atmosphere where questions are easy: Where there is a cultural tendency to hesitate to ask supervisors or seniors, it helps when the responsible person regularly asks, “Is there anything you don’t understand?”
  • Use plain, easy Japanese: Avoid heavy use of Sino-Japanese vocabulary and honorifics, and convey messages in short sentences to support understanding.

These considerations are less about specific manners than about the basics of cross-cultural communication. As noted in our foundational articles on hiring foreign workers, the accepting organization’s willingness to meet people halfway is directly tied to retention.

Scene-by-scene workplace guide: welcome parties, events, and meal considerations

Welcome parties and internal events are good opportunities to deepen relationships with Vietnamese talent, but neglecting cultural considerations can create distance instead.

On meals first: while many people in Vietnam are Buddhist, food customs vary by region and household. Some dislike pork or raw foods, and some avoid certain ingredients for religious reasons, so taking a moment to check with the person in advance matters. Not pressuring anyone to drink alcohol at toasts is also a basic consideration.

Event timing also needs attention. In Vietnam, Tet (Lunar New Year) on the lunar calendar is the most important holiday of the year, and many Vietnamese talent strongly hope to return home or spend time with family. In some years it falls on weekdays on the Japanese calendar, so when requests for leave or temporary return home arise around Tet, responding as flexibly as possible builds trust.

For welcome parties themselves, avoid formats that force speeches in front of a large group; create an atmosphere where the person can speak comfortably. If you want to deepen understanding of Vietnamese culture, examples involving talent of other nationalities can also help. For instance, our article on workplace communication with Myanmar talent introduces consideration points in another cultural sphere and can deepen understanding through comparison.

Common questions from the field

Common questions that hiring companies actually raise from the field often follow shared patterns.

The first is: “Their expression doesn’t change when I give feedback, so I’m unsure whether it landed.” This can stem from a cultural background in which not showing emotion is considered polite, and it does not necessarily mean indifference or resistance. Combining other ways to check understanding (repeat-back, notes, translation tools) is a path to resolution.

The second is: “Colleagues only speak their native language with each other—I’m worried they are isolated.” Conversing in one’s native language is often a natural way to feel secure in an unfamiliar environment, and forbidding it outright can increase stress. What is needed is a balance between creating more opportunities to use Japanese and respecting communication in the native language.

The third is: “I don’t know how far to go in accommodating religion or leave requests.” On this point, clarifying what considerations are possible within the work rules and aligning with the person in advance helps prevent trouble. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s foreign worker employment measures page also highlights the importance of reasonable consideration for talent with diverse backgrounds.

Failure patterns and how to avoid them

Here we organize failure patterns accepting organizations often fall into, and how to avoid them.

One failure pattern is applying the same manuals used for Japanese employees as-is, without accounting for different cultural assumptions. An effective avoidance measure is to incorporate plain, easy Japanese and diagrams into instructions and training materials to prevent gaps in understanding.

Another failure pattern is when well-intentioned welcome parties or drinking events lack consideration and instead create distrust. Proceeding without first hearing about dietary restrictions or religious considerations can force the person to endure discomfort. The avoidance measure is to build a process into event planning that confirms the person’s preferences.

In addition, coaching methods that cause someone to lose face can lead to sudden absences or resignation. Avoidance measures include giving guidance one-on-one and having a feedback format that covers strengths as well as areas for improvement. Sharing these failure patterns and avoidance measures inside the organization helps maintain consistent manners handling even when the responsible person changes.

Points hiring managers often overlook

A point hiring managers often overlook first is “leaving manners education entirely to the individual.” Conveying Japanese workplace rules and business manners as orientation before arrival or joining can greatly reduce post-hire trouble.

Next often overlooked are differences in permitted activities and renewal procedures by status of residence. Under Specified Skilled Worker, Technical Intern Training, and other statuses, whether job changes are allowed and the maximum period of stay differ, so understanding of the system is needed alongside manners. Details of the Specified Skilled Worker system can be checked on the Immigration Services Agency of Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker system page. When accepting someone as a highly specialized professional, also referring to explanations of statuses of residence for highly skilled foreign professionals makes it easier to grasp the full picture.

Furthermore, many companies combine Hello Work and private staffing services at the recruiting and selection stage, yet information on cultural considerations is often siloed between the hiring team and the front line. Having a mechanism for hiring managers to exchange information regularly with on-site managers becomes a decision criterion for preventing oversights.

Practical checklist

The following is a practical checklist to review when accepting Vietnamese talent.

  • Have you explained Japanese workplace manners and the basics of reporting, contacting, and consulting (ho-ren-so) in pre-boarding orientation?
  • Are instructions and training materials prepared in plain, easy Japanese with diagrams?
  • Is there a setting for one-on-one coaching, with operations that avoid public reprimands?
  • Have you asked the person in advance about dietary restrictions and religious considerations?
  • Have you decided a policy for responding to important home-country events and leave requests such as Tet?
  • Does HR manage and track the type of status of residence and renewal timing?
  • Is there a mechanism for on-site managers and hiring managers to share information on cultural considerations?

This checklist should not be created once and left alone; it is best reviewed regularly and updated with feedback from the field.

Diagram: pre-hire confirmation flow

Organized in text, the pre-hire confirmation flow looks like this. First, at the recruiting stage, collect candidate information through Hello Work or international talent staffing services. Next, at document screening, confirm the type of status of residence and the scope of permitted work. At the interview stage, hear about the person’s preferred way of working and life-related considerations (meals, religion, leave requests). After an offer, explain workplace manners and how work is done in pre-boarding orientation, and after joining, continually check understanding and concerns through regular one-on-ones.

Sharing this sequence internally as a diagram of the pre-hire confirmation flow allows you to keep accepting Vietnamese talent at a consistent quality even when the responsible person changes. For detailed system requirements, checking related laws on e-Gov Law Search is also effective.

FAQ

What should I be especially careful about when talking with Vietnamese talent? Avoid strong public reprimands and give guidance one-on-one in a calm setting. Also, do not judge understanding from a “yes” alone; confirming with repeat-back or notes is effective.

What considerations should I keep in mind at welcome parties? Confirm dietary restrictions and religious considerations with the person in advance, and do not pressure anyone to drink. Formats that do not force speeches in front of a large group are also preferred.

How should we handle leave requests around Tet? Tet is the most important holiday in Vietnam, and many talent hope to return home. We recommend deciding a policy in advance so you can respond flexibly within the work rules.

How should we balance cultural consideration with work rules? Use work rules and constraints under the status of residence as decision criteria, hear the person’s preferences, and clearly define what consideration is possible. Referring to information from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Immigration Services Agency of Japan while organizing your own rules provides peace of mind.

Who should be responsible for manners education? Coordination with on-site managers, not only hiring managers, is essential. Combining pre-boarding orientation with regular post-hire one-on-ones supports ongoing understanding.

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Building good relationships with Vietnamese talent comes from stacking small daily considerations grounded in cultural background. How you give instructions, attentiveness at welcome parties, flexible responses to leave requests—none of these is especially difficult on its own, yet they are also points hiring managers often overlook.

From confirming the system side to designing on-site communication, accepting international talent requires broad practical knowledge. If there are parts your company cannot fully handle alone, consider consulting specialist staff via the Foreign Talent Insights inquiry form.

Where to check official information

Systems, employment administration, and official announcements by country are updated over time, so also check the following primary sources around the time of publication.

Immigration Services Agency of Japan Specified Skilled Worker system page — check and cross-reference the latest systems, employment administration, and official announcements.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare foreign worker employment measures page — check and cross-reference the latest systems, employment administration, and official announcements.

e-Gov Law Search — check and cross-reference the latest systems, employment administration, and official announcements.

Related articles: practical topics to review together

Please also review practical articles on related themes as needed.