Thien Minh underlines good staff

The sky is the limit for TMG’s ambition in the travel and hospitality sector

“People are the most valuable asset. Our job as management is to create an environment where everyone could work and succeed,” said Tran Trong Kien, chairman and CEO of Thien Minh Group (TMG).

Established in 1994, TMG is the largest private tourism company in Vietnam. It owns and runs 12 hotels in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia under the brands of Victoria Hotels & Resorts and EMM Hotels & Resorts, and tour operator brand Buffalo Tours. Currently, TMG is employing around 2,500 people working in its travel and hospitality businesses.

As a company operating in the tourism field, TMG understands that people are the key to success and retaining talent is foremost to ensuring the sustainable growth of the company.

“In my opinion, everyone can be a star if they are given the opportunity. So, trying to give opportunities to people at all levels is one of TMG’s important engagements,” said Kien, who also founded TMG.

An important part of this process, Kien added, was both leaders and employees being jointly involved in defining future actions and direction.

“This means we try to create a comfortable working environment, in which everybody can freely propose their ideas for improving service quality, market our products and cut unnecessary costs,” said Kien, explaining that TMG consistently provides tourism services that are different from other operators in Vietnam.

With representative offices in 14 countries worldwide, TMG is now known as the most experienced tour provider in Vietnam, thanks to the creativity that comes from not only the leadership, but every employee.

“Leaders are there to inspire and set examples,” Kien acknowledged.

Compensation and salary is also an important part of human resources management at TMG. “People want a fair salary and they want to be taken care of,” he noted.

When TMG acquired Victoria Hotels & Resorts, including its 1,400 staff, from Hong Kong’s EEM Victoria Limited in 2011, the staff turnover rate at the hotel and resort chain was very high at around 40 per cent. This was a challenge for TMG as it had to change its human resources policy at the Victoria Hotels & Resorts. 

“We recognised after becoming their chairman that salaries at the lower levels were not competitive and that was the main reason for people to leave the hotels. Salary hike has helped reduce our turnover rate to around 15 per cent within two years,” Kien said.