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Business · Vietnam

Present and receive business cards with both hands

Hand over and accept business cards with both hands, take a moment to actually read the card before putting it away, and greet the most senior person in the room first when a meeting starts.

VietnamBusinessstrictUpdated September 2, 2026

Offer and receive cards with both hands, Vietnamese side facing up if you had a bilingual card printed. Read it for a second or two before putting it away — sliding it straight into a pocket unread is the part that lands as dismissive.

Walk into any meeting and greet the most senior person in the room first, ahead of anyone standing closer to the door or anyone you already know. Save direct disagreement for private conversation rather than raising it in front of the group.

  • The same hand you use for the handshake matters elsewhere too — passing dishes at a business dinner follows the same right-hand-or-both-hands rule as the card exchange.

Why it matters

Vietnamese business culture keeps hierarchy front and center — rank, age, and seniority determine who gets greeted and addressed first, and "losing face" in front of colleagues is taken seriously enough that public disagreement is avoided wherever possible. The business card exchange condenses all of that into one small ritual: handling someone's card carelessly, or greeting a junior colleague before their senior, both read as skipping over the hierarchy that structures the room.

Source: Business Etiquette in Vietnam – Customs and Tips – Vietnam Briefing

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