Feature: exchanges between Vietnamese workers, Chinese technicians in joint ventures help improve working skills, understanding

"I have learned a lot from Chinese technicians' guidance at work with advanced technology and construction methods," Le Van Doan, a Vietnamese worker at China's Hua Yue construction company told Xinhua recently in Vietnam's northern Bac Giang province.

"Chinese companies set high requirements on construction quality and progress with a focus on details. Chinese workers are skilled and hard-working. They are good examples for us," Doan said.

Doan, a young man from Vietnam's central Thanh Hoa province, had traveled to work in various places. He even went to Malaysia and Laos to seek work opportunities. However, he found no stable job there due

to a lack of skills.

Doan returned to Vietnam in 2011, and with Chinese language skills learned from a Chinese colleagues while working overseas, he joined Hua Yue company, a private Chinese company based in Vietnam.

Set up in Vietnam in 2003, Hua Yue construction company is a subsidiary of Chinese Jiangsu province's fourth construction group, mainly engaging in project contracting.

In 2013, Hua Yue set up Fu Hua limited liability company, which is the owner of Van Trung industrial park in Vietnam's northern Bac Giang province (some 50 km north of Hanoi) and Binh Xuyen Two industrial parks in Vietnam's northern Vinh Phuc province (some 40 km north of Hanoi).

"During the first days at Hua Yue, I was only in charge of simple jobs. Due to a lack of skills, my productivity remained very low at that time," Doan said, adding that later, the company supported him in training Vietnamese staff.

"I started as the only worker and now I am leading a group of more than 160 workers. I have participated in the construction of factories for Chinese and German companies," Doan said.

He also joined in construction projects of Van Trung and Binh Xuyen Two industrial parks. "I was so proud that construction quality and progress has been recognized," Doan told Xinhua.

"Since I have a stable job, many of my friends and villagers came to join me, working at Hua Yue. They are now able to support their families financially. They all feel grateful for the company's support," Doan said.

Cooperation in production capacity between China and Vietnam plays an important role in boosting people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Currently, more than 6,700 Vietnamese people are working at Van Trung industrial park, while over 260 people among them have been promoted to management positions, including Doan.

Like Doan, many Vietnamese people working at Chinese companies have also started learning the Chinese language. This can be seen as a factor which contributes to promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Visiting Yadea Science and Technology Company, a Chinese-invested company in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, one will see all Chinese and Vietnamese staff have meals together in the same canteen.

"Localization is very important. We are living and working in a different country, therefore, it is necessary to understand and follow local practices," Lv Gang, general manager of Yadea told Xinhua.

It is also easy to find the company motto "All members progress into management positions to produce high-quality products" on the wall at Yadea's factory in Hanoi.

The definition of "all members", which means all Chinese and Vietnamese staff, reflects the cooperation between Chinese and Vietnamese people. The cooperation will help deepening the understanding of China's investors of Vietnamese local culture.

After more than one year working with Vietnamese staff in Vietnam, Yang Yongzhi, general manager of Vina Solar Technology company, another Chinese joint venture at Van Trung industrial park, told Xinhua that "Vietnamese staff are very hard-working. They only lack skills. With the support of Chinese technicians, they can become skilled workers after only half a year," according to Yang.

"Many of our staff have studied the Chinese language. Now, up to 30-40 percent of the Vietnamese staff at Vina Solar can speak Chinese," Yang said.

Following the "Belt and Road" initiative proposed by China, the cooperation in production capacity is opening widely for China and Vietnam. The cooperation is expected to further promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Enditem