Developing your professional network in Hanoi
Transferring to another city can subsequently involve numerous obstacles and challenges, and if the move is part of a business strategy, even more can be expected. The economic climate can be responsible for the make or break of thousands of startups, and this rapidly fluctuating aspect is not to be taken lightly. Logistics can often come into play, on both a business and personal level. Another key player in the white-collar checklist is maintaining the right connections while you are living in Hanoi.
Good to know:
If you are going into business with a local, it is not uncommon to seal the deal with some kind of social occasion, like a visit to a karaoke bar.
There are various professional networking events in Hanoi on a bi-weekly or monthly basis, giving you ample opportunity to expand your circle of business associates and clientele. Hanoi working culture differs somewhat from the western world, and more information can be found through the Expat.com forum. Listed below are a number of methods you can employ to gently introduce yourself, and your enterprise, to Hanoi’s growing business sphere.
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Hanoi Startup Founder 101
Predominantly focusing on the tech industry, Hanoi Startup Founder 101 is designed to plug budding tech entrepreneurs into the local sockets. Aiming to help Hanoi’s startup ecosystem develop exponentially, this group is perfect for tech enthusiasts to meet and collaborate, thus developing tomorrow’s most innovative endeavours. These events are free and are held a few times a year. Time-served entrepreneurs are present to lend their expertise and on some occasions, collaborate themselves and invest in the bright sparks of the future.
Leaders and Entrepreneurs International Community
With close to 1,000 active members, this group’s primary focus is finding the next entrepreneurs and leaders of Hanoi’s business circle. A positive and supportive learning environment can be expected during any of the weekly events this group organises; participants are generally encouraged to enhance and develop their networking, leadership and entrepreneurial capabilities. Meeting agenda typically begins with a warm-up, allowing new members to meet and greet, before proceeding onto group activities, pitching exercises and feedback sessions.
Meetup for business people in Hanoi
This group solely exists for the purpose of collaboration, networking, building business relationships and sharing recommendations with fellow startups and entrepreneurs in Hanoi. Meetings are normally held every fortnight and breakdowns of these meetings are posted on Facebook and Linkedin. This group is still relatively new, and at present, the location of meetings changes every week. There is no membership fee as of yet. However, you will be required to purchase your own drinks at the selected venue.
Female Entrepreneurial Groups
The way of the woman is becoming a more generic concept in today’s business world. Although there are no specific groups tailored to female entrepreneurs, Startup Grind Hanoi is a key advocator of the female startup movement. Hanoi and many other cities in Asia are notorious for staying in tune to the ‘man’s world’ ideologies. However, recent years have demonstrated that ‘girl power’ is a thing of the future.
