Even though technology can bring us easily together in a virtual way, face-to-face meetings are still the best way to cultivate a new business relationship. Which is why I recently flew to Vietnam to spend time with our newly signed agent Print & Pack Machinery Co., Ltd. (PPMC), in the capital city of Hanoi.
Some like it hot
From living in Thailand, I’m no stranger to hot weather. Arriving in Hanoi in the middle of a heat wave, with temperatures soaring to over 35 degrees took some getting use to, even for my tropical blood!
It was a very long time since I was last in Vietnam, and my first time in Hanoi. The city is charming with its ancient roots, and I found it very alive with friendly local people and tourists - even though it was low season (and extremely hot!).
Despite the overwhelming heat, I decide to explore the city as my meeting with PPMC is the next day. Known for its street food, with so many tempting culinary delicacies, the first thing I do is fill my belly with just a half portion each of delicious noodle soup (Pho) and a sandwich (Bánh mì) as the portions are gigantic! The food is just lovely, and the restaurants are decorated in their own vibe of Hanoi style.
The city center is connected by streets after streets selling so many different things, that by the time you finish walking through it, you can pretty much decorate your entire house. It was so nice to see lots of cafés full of people, sitting outside and not caring about the heat in the air.
Teambuilding with PPMC, starting from the wrong building
I had a bit of a mishap in arriving for my meeting with PPMC, as the taxi dropped me off at the wrong building. Fortunately, it was not far away from the right one, but with the continued heat wave feeling like 45 degrees even in the shade, I certainly didn’t need the extra walk!
But the warm weather was soon replaced with a warm greeting by Mr. Son, Chairman of PPMC. A very familiar face in the printing and packaging industry in Vietnam, PPMC is a representative and supplier of machinery, equipment, printing materials and packaging products of many leading brands.
I had an excellent kick-off meeting with the PPMC team, including a very detailed presentation of their plans for MPS. Everyone is very enthusiastic about the partnership, and representing MPS flexo, hybrid, and offset presses in Vietnam. I spent two days at the PPMC office and had meetings with customers as well.
See you again soon, Hanoi
For my last evening in Hanoi, I treated myself to another delicious steaming bowl of Pho noodles, in a very crowded local restaurant with a large line of people waiting to get in.
I reflected on the success of my trip and how much I accomplished with PPMC in just a few days. Being here also gave me the opportunity to get to know the team and communicate our expectations and future collaboration.
With a solid service team, existing and future customers of MPS in Vietnam can expect superior support from PPMC together with our local MPS engineers Julius Urbano and Teh Chiau Khuang here in Asia.
We make a good team and will do our best for future success! And most importantly, we’ll have fun doing it.
Thank you for the warm hospitality, PPMC. I will see you again soon in Hanoi.
