Speak to most business executives about operating in a developing country and political stability, banking, transport, telecommunications and infrastructure issues are usually top of the list. But Vietnam is different – here people talk about the need to understand the psyche of the Vietnamese.
Change is happening fast in Myanmar. For 50 years the country stagnated under the thumb of the ruling military junta, weighed down by tough economic sanctions, but the window to the world blew open in March 2011 when a new government took office and with it came sweeping reforms.
The number of Yanbian license plates in the carpark of the Emperor Resort & Casino in North Korea’s remote Rason district leave little doubt as to the hotel’s main clientele.
Gilly Strauss has been in the diamond business for more than 20 years. He was a founding member of luxury brand Hearts on Fire, which was acquired by Hong Kong-based Chow Tai Fook in 2014, and is now CEO of high-end jewellers Forms Jewellery. When we meet last week, he’s closing a tense deal. “The…