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I live in Vietnam and I've always been surprised at the large number of Singaporean tech companies that open up development offices in Vietnam. And it isn't (ju

I live in Vietnam and I've always been surprised at the large number of Singaporean tech companies that open up development offices in Vietnam. And it isn't (just) to save money on salaries. The average quality of a Singaporean developer is shockingly bad for such an educated, developed country. And saying that Vietnam has more creativity isn't exactly a high bar given the similar values of Confucian hierarchy here!

xuki 6y ago
The best developers in Singapore usually work in SV, because Singaporeans have access to H-1B1 which makes it extremely easy for them to move over.
- seanmcdirmid 6y ago
  You mean their H1B quota is somehow more liberal making it easier for them to move?
  - xuki 6y ago
    Google H-1B1. It's essentially unlimited for Singaporeans.
  - nicholasluimy 6y ago
    Yep - we have a separate quota from the regular H1B, meaning that almost anyone that applies can get it
logicchains 6y ago
Vietnam has twenty times the population of Singapore; it's not surprising that it'd be easier to find good developers there. It's also harder for good Vietnamese developers to emigrate to somewhere with better pay like the US, compared to Singaporean developers. >And saying that Vietnam has more creativity isn't exactly a high bar given the similar values of Confucian hierarchy here! I know some mainland Chinese who live in Singapore, and they often complain about how closed-minded the locals are. If Vietnam is similar to China in that regard, then it might well be less hierarchical than Singapore (Chinese culture seems much less hierarchical than some other Confucian-influenced cultures like Japan/Korea, maybe due to the communist revolution actively demonising Confucious, and Vietnam also had a similar revolution).
- baybal2 6y ago
  > Vietnam has twenty times the population of Singapore And it has majority of its population living in small towns, and villages, some of which don't even have a single cellphone tower.
ValentineC 6y ago
> And saying that Vietnam has more creativity isn't exactly a high bar given the similar values of Confucian hierarchy here! I'd suggest that it's because the "happy path" for most residents in Singapore is ridiculously straightforward to navigate, so people don't need to be resourceful to accomplish things. As a Singaporean, I've travelled to Vietnam multiple times, and have worked with Vietnamese on projects before. The Vietnamese usually get my admiration for being highly resourceful and entrepreneurial. They're really good at hustling and improvising. Lots of working-class Singaporeans aren't raised like that, because the first 18 to 20 years of their lives have been laid out for them.
kingkawn 6y ago
Yes but Vietnam’s population has been through a millenia of war and they are the most enthusiastic group of people I’ve ever met for doing something well other than that

xuki 6y ago

The best developers in Singapore usually work in SV, because Singaporeans have access to H-1B1 which makes it extremely easy for them to move over.

seanmcdirmid 6y ago
You mean their H1B quota is somehow more liberal making it easier for them to move?
- xuki 6y ago
  Google H-1B1. It's essentially unlimited for Singaporeans.
- nicholasluimy 6y ago
  Yep - we have a separate quota from the regular H1B, meaning that almost anyone that applies can get it

logicchains 6y ago

Vietnam has twenty times the population of Singapore; it's not surprising that it'd be easier to find good developers there. It's also harder for good Vietnamese developers to emigrate to somewhere with better pay like the US, compared to Singaporean developers. >And saying that Vietnam has more creativity isn't exactly a high bar given the similar values of Confucian hierarchy here! I know some mainland Chinese who live in Singapore, and they often complain about how closed-minded the locals are. If Vietnam is similar to China in that regard, then it might well be less hierarchical than Singapore (Chinese culture seems much less hierarchical than some other Confucian-influenced cultures like Japan/Korea, maybe due to the communist revolution actively demonising Confucious, and Vietnam also had a similar revolution).

baybal2 6y ago
> Vietnam has twenty times the population of Singapore And it has majority of its population living in small towns, and villages, some of which don't even have a single cellphone tower.

ValentineC 6y ago

> And saying that Vietnam has more creativity isn't exactly a high bar given the similar values of Confucian hierarchy here! I'd suggest that it's because the "happy path" for most residents in Singapore is ridiculously straightforward to navigate, so people don't need to be resourceful to accomplish things. As a Singaporean, I've travelled to Vietnam multiple times, and have worked with Vietnamese on projects before. The Vietnamese usually get my admiration for being highly resourceful and entrepreneurial. They're really good at hustling and improvising. Lots of working-class Singaporeans aren't raised like that, because the first 18 to 20 years of their lives have been laid out for them.

kingkawn 6y ago

Yes but Vietnam’s population has been through a millenia of war and they are the most enthusiastic group of people I’ve ever met for doing something well other than that