Hello from Ho Chi Minh City.  This was the "hi tech" portion of our itinerary. We met with the country head from IDC / IDG, which provides market analysis services (i.e. number of cell phones deployed, computers sold) and has recently expanded into IDG Ventures, as an investment arm. They invited several of their young staff and other university students, and we had a 90 minute interactive session on doing business in Vietnam, market trends and networking. 

In the afternoon, we visited Glass Egg Digital Media, which is a game developer and art production facility based in Ho Chi Minh City. Like IDC / IDG, I've also known them for several years and am so very proud to see their success. They gave the students an office tour, corporate overview and then took extensive Q&A.

There's a free night tonight, and then sightseeing tomorrow.  

Pictures below posted with both companies' permission. 

Everyone slept in this morning and then a subset of the group met for lunch. We ended up playing "human frogger" crossing the streets (check out the 10 second video to see if you could find a long enough break to cross) and eventually just settled on cold tea. P&G hosted us in the afternoon, with three executives describing their branding, distribution, and management strategies not only in Vietnam, but also as an extension of corporate. 

Roussel Vietnam was our evening visit. To say they rolled out the red carpet would be an understatement. Two HUGE signs greeted us as we entered and they not only provided dinner, but also furnished each student with a personalized name tag and individual gift.  They provided a very formal corporate presentation followed by bilingual Q&A.  

Both companies are confirmed for next year, too.

Our final two visits are tomorrow, followed by sightseeing on Saturday. 

Photos below reprinted via individual company permission.

Hi everyone.

Albeit in the middle of the night, we're here safe & sound.  Wonderful new hotel.

I was in touch with 3 different people yesterday and as long as we keep a low profile, especially with a Chinese national on our team, we should be fine.  City is quiet, without any reported violence outside of Hanoi re: the disputed oil rig violence.

Will be in touch.

Greg 

The tale of two cities this morning; pounding thunderstorms all night which woke everyone up at 3:30 am.  We could only go up halfway to Victoria's Peak due to fog. Magically, and as if on cue, the clouds blew away while we were at Aberdeen Markets at sea level. We then returned to the Peak, capping off the day with a Dim Sum lunch.  Free time in the afternoon and we are waiting for our Ho Chi Minh City flight.  Note before and after pictures below.

Many thanks to BC MSF alumna Ting Li from SSGA and David O'Rear, the Chief Economist of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce for their hospitality earlier today.  Ms. Li spoke about SSGA's business development in the region over the past decade and how maintaining ongoing client relationships differs between Asia and the United States.  

Mr. O'Rear gave a sensational presentation on Hong Kong's economic development, the changes in China's economy, and the outlook for the entire Asia Pacific region.  We sincerely appreciated both of their willingness to take questions, and their candor with our students.

Tonight is the first of 3 BC alumni events, courtesy of host alumnus Chris Mikosh and arranged through the work of alumnae Jacqueline Walsh and Deborah Erhlich.

Sightseeing tomorrow and then some free time for the students, before we fly to Ho Chi Minh city tomorrow evening.

Photos below reprinted with permission by today's speakers.

We had a very productive first day and all 3 executives let us take pictures & mention their visit in this Blog.

We met with the Disney executives about their strategies to diversify revenue and thoughts on the upcoming Shanghai expansion.

Metrojet did a briefing and then had one of our students present on corporate and social responsibility.

We ended the day with an optional session with BC MBA alumnus Kevin Lam, the COO of Investment Banking at Citibank Hong Kong. He discussed his career progression and gave advice to 6 students who attended about their own career paths.

The day ended on a nice note with the *entire* team getting together for dinner, across the street at a local Chinese food restaurant. It's great to be the only Westerners there.

2 visits tomorrow and a BC alumni event Tuesday evening.  

All pictures below reprinted with permission by the companies. 

Hello, everyone.

We've arrived in Asia without a problem, including all of our luggage.  We checked in around 8:30 pm, and given the late hour, decided to let the students do their own thing. We have 2 company visits tomorrow and then an optional meeting with a renowned BC alumnus.  We'll keep you updated over the next two weeks.

Sincerely,

Greg

Mike Dreitzer will discuss his move to the corner office, ultimately becoming company president of North American operations. His LinkedIn write-up is here.

Bonnie Fendrock will be discussing her career pursuits in biotechnology. Here's her profile.

Chuck Stravin will cover the different products he's been responsible for in multiple companies over the years. Here's his profile. 

Andrew Wiener is the founder of an extremely successful catering operation whose web site is: http://www.cateringbyandrew.com/.  

All photos reprinted with permission.

Export compliance expert Marie Hladikova was in our studios discussing her successful journey from au pair to licensed Massachusetts attorney and now US citizen.  She will be featured on our June episode "Global Commerce with a Local Touch."

Tom McCarthy went on his first business trip to Asia in the mid 80's but then never left. He's the CEO of Beijing International Group, a unique sporting event management firm in China and joined our show while passing through Boston.  Tom will be part of our July episode on the "Business of Sports."

Continuous business improvement for start-ups, and established ventures: The Language of Business.

All photos below reprinted with permission.

Many thanks to Radio Entrepreneurs for including the IME Asia program on their broadcast. The interview link is here.