Q: How long have you both been in your roles?
Jason: I have been here for about six months, and I manage around 90 people in both Vietnam and Cambodia, including the cargo teams, but I am based in Ho Chi Minh. The team has impressed me from the start – they are really resilient and have a strong urge to learn new and best practices from around the world in terms of cargo.
Son: I’ve just celebrated my 20th anniversary with Cathay Pacific. When I joined, we didn’t have a cargo team, and the mission from the Vietnam Country Manager at the time was to set up the cargo department. After 19 years, it’s become a very big team in South East Asia and the top team in terms of revenue in the region. The top two ports in the region are always Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. We’ve been lucky to have grown along with Vietnam’s economy. When I started the cargo department, our revenue was tiny, but after 19 years Vietnam accounts for more than 40 per cent of the total revenue for South East Asia.
Q: What are the cultural and economic differences between Vietnam and Cambodia in terms of the business?
Son: I think that the culture here in Vietnam is more influenced by the Chinese mainland, but Cambodia is more influenced by India and Thailand. But I would say that Cambodia’s economy is more influenced by China now – and less so in Vietnam.