Last week IMD’s EMBA class experienced Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta in the first ever Executive MBA Discovery Expedition to Vietnam, one of the fastest-growing Asian economies. In partnership with IVEY Business School, the cohort was immersed deeply in the contrasts and realities that make up a frontier – as opposed to an emerging or developed – market.
The class spent time with alumni, expats, and returned nationals to hear about life and business in Vietnam. The EMBA participants also learned about abundant entrepreneurial opportunities in a market still to develop a supporting ecosystem, where there are high hopes & much optimism for the future to move from a frontier to a developing market.
Over the weeklong expedition, the class worked hands-on with faculty and local experts to understand the global multinational enterprise experience in Vietnam, discover Vietnamese start-ups, work in groups and project meetings, conduct company visits, study financial markets & financial services, and explore the state owned enterprise modernization and corporate social responsibility in Vietnam – and to relate the learnings to the whole EMBA program, their companies and career. The class completed a “Client Project”, a professional consulting assignment with an organization in teams of five EMBA students to provide insights into the organization’s strategy for Vietnam – or to create such a strategy if none exists.
In parallel, the group experienced first-hand the social and cultural environment, exploring the impact of a booming young and energetic population, high economic growth, abundant resources, and active global integration. In a region of the world where some countries continue to be exposed to political and economic instability, Vietnam benefits from a stable social and government structure, hence an ideal place for capital investment.
In each EMBA Discovery Expedition, the class learns about the country, its economy and its communities. The get to see life as it is, through the companies visited and the contexts in which they operate. But these are not exercises in industrial tourism. The Discovery Expeditions serve to show you more about the world and the international business environment and to translate this learning to your own company and professional context.
See the photo album from the expedition.
Find out more about the IMD EMBA.
