VietNamNet Bridge - The Gioi Di Dong wants to be a leopard, Vietjet a pigeon, Masan a wild boar and FPT a herd of bees. What’s the philosophy behind the choices?


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“Which animal is your billion-dollar company like?” was a question asked of Nguyen Thanh Nam, former CEO of FPT, Nguyen Duc Tai, CEO of The Gioi Di Dong, Luu Duc Khanh, CEO of Vietjet Air and Pham Trung Lam of Anco, a subsidiary of Masan. 

They were attending a recent ceremony to honor the 50 most effective businesses in Vietnam in 2016,

The question was posed to businesses which all have assets exceeding $1 billion and described by Nam as ‘pillars’ of the national economy.

The Gioi Di Dong chose clouded leopard because of its ability to speed up quickly and adapt to the environment. 

The Gioi Di Dong is the Vietnamese largest mobile phone distribution chain in Vietnam. It has opened its first store outside the country.

Vietjet Air chose a pigeon because the bird always flies high while it is gentle.

The private airline, called ‘bikini airline’, is considering meeting with the managers of the New York stock market to discuss listing of its shares.

Masan chose a wild boar because it can run even faster than a leopard.

The Gioi Di Dong wants to be a leopard, Vietjet a pigeon, Masan a wild boar and FPT a herd of bees. 
Analysts said the choices made by the CEO show their views about the ways their businesses develop and their business philosophy. The CEOs all want their businesses to become brave, quick and strong in the struggle for survival. 

Bill Gates compared coders with a herd of cats – very intelligent and self-reliant, Nam said.

What is FPT then? “Binh (Truong Gia Binh, now president of FPT) wants to be an animal which is big but brisk,” he said.

Binh once thought that FPT needed to be like a shark. There were two schools of thought. One group wanted to be an aggressive shark, while the second a herd of milkfish that nibble at bait. Binh was determined to lead the group in breeding sharks.

In 2008, when the shark got too big, a new business model was required. The question about which animal to be like was once again put into discussion.

FPT looks like a herd of bees, which work hard and follow discipline, Nam said.

FPT is the Vietnamese largest information technology group in Vietnam. Its CEO Truong Gia Binh, called Vietnam’s Bill Gates, was once listed among the richest Vietnamese stock millionaires.


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