RESEARCH
Hello! From UACJ Locations Around the World
[Vietnam Edition]
What Comes After a Great Work Environment?
[Vietnam Edition]
What Comes After a Great Work Environment?

Special Guest
Duong My Nuong (Nuong)
Factory Director, UACJ Foundry & Forging (Vietnam) Co., Ltd.
Factory Director, UACJ Foundry & Forging (Vietnam) Co., Ltd.

Special Guest
Do Thi Hong Anh (Anh)
Managing Department General Manager, UACJ Foundry & Forging (Vietnam) Co., Ltd.
Managing Department General Manager, UACJ Foundry & Forging (Vietnam) Co., Ltd.

Interviewer
Shoko Watanuki, UACJ

Interviewer
Yu Kozaki, UACJ
What kind of sustainability efforts are taking place at UACJ sites around the world? In this new series, we explore initiatives from different regions to discover ideas and inspiration for a more sustainable future. Our very first report comes from Vietnam—UACJ Foundry & Forging (Vietnam) Co., Ltd. We’ll take a closer look at how a supportive work environment drives employee motivation and community engagement.


Located in Ho Chi Minh City, about 4,300 kilometers from Japan, UACJ Foundry & Forging (Vietnam) Co., Ltd. is connecting online today with UACJ headquarters’ Watanuki and Kozaki to share what’s happening on the ground!

First, can you tell us about UFFV?

Nuong
Xin chào! Hello, Ms. Watanuki and Ms. Kozaki—thank you for having us. At UFFV, we use high-precision plaster mold casting technology to produce high-quality aluminum cast products.

Anh
We currently have 375 employees. Of those, around 270 to 280 work on the production floor. The gender ratio is about 50–50, as of March 2025.

Watanuki
Even though UFFV is part of our group, we don’t often get a chance to interact—so there’s still a lot we don’t know. What’s the workplace atmosphere like?

Nuong
I feel that it’s a workplace that really respects diversity. The opinions of younger employees are valued, and communication is very active—you can talk to your supervisor right away if you have any issues.

Kozaki
You're currently the plant manager, right? Are there many women in managerial positions at UFFV?

Nuong
About 17% of all employees hold managerial roles, and around 40% of those are women.

Watanuki
That’s impressive!

Nuong
But we don’t think in terms of “because she’s a woman.” People are evaluated fairly based on their abilities, regardless of gender. Women with technical backgrounds can succeed in design and process improvement roles on the production floor—just like men.

Watanuki

Kozaki
I see!


“Failure is OK!” and “Challenges Welcome!”—What’s it like to work in an environment that encourages trying new things?

Nuong
At UFFV, we’ve built a culture where employees are encouraged to share improvement ideas from the production floor, and we take those suggestions seriously. What’s most important is psychological safety—people aren’t blamed for making mistakes. Even if something doesn’t go well, we support them and use the experience to do better next time.

Kozaki
Psychological safety really is key. It creates a mindset where people feel free to take on challenges.

Nuong
Exactly. If people are afraid of being criticized for failure, they’re unlikely to speak up with good ideas.

Anh
On top of that, we regularly hold study sessions and training programs. These are held internally, of course, but we also encourage employees to attend external seminars.

Watanuki
What kind of topics are covered at those external sessions?

Nuong
It varies—from production efficiency and process improvement to leadership and management training. Not everyone can attend, so the participants always come back and share what they learned with the rest of the team.

Watanuki
So you’ve created a system where people can share skills and bring in new knowledge—that’s great!

What’s the Vietnamese-style “gift” that encourages new ideas?

Nuong
At UFFV, we usually work in small teams of five or six. Each team sets its own goals and identifies areas for improvement within their daily tasks.

Watanuki
Do improvement ideas come up often?

Nuong
If you just ask people to “share their ideas,” it can be difficult. At UFFV, we’ve introduced something called a “thank-you gift” to encourage employees to speak up.

Kozaki
A thank-you gift?

Nuong
Just like it sounds—it’s a small gift to express appreciation. Whenever someone suggests an improvement, we give them a small token of thanks.

Watanuki
What kind of gifts do you give?

Anh
Things like chocolate or snacks. If the idea is really great, they might get a café gift voucher. The names are even announced during the morning meeting by the president, which helps boost motivation.

Kozaki
A workplace where “thank you” is heard every morning—sounds wonderful!


Nuong
UACJ already has an annual evaluation system for improvements, but I believe it’s important to give recognition and feedback more frequently and immediately.

Kozaki
Why do you think that’s so important?

Nuong
It’s not just about receiving gifts—it’s about closing the loop by showing appreciation and providing feedback on each person’s effort and ideas.

Kozaki
That’s such a great insight. I have to admit, I’m a little envious—even though we’re in the same group!
What other ideas or practices are in place to help create a comfortable workplace?

Anh
As part of our diversity efforts, we’ve introduced casual dress on Saturdays for office staff.

Kozaki
You mean they can wear their own clothes?

Anh
Yes, with some safety rules in place, but generally it’s up to them. Since we normally wear uniforms, it lifts everyone’s spirits to come to work in clothes they like.


Nuong
We also take employee feedback into account when deciding what kinds of plants or fruit trees to grow around the office grounds.

Watanuki
It’s impressive how much employee input is valued in Vietnam.

Anh
Recently, we even put up posters of “Yumeno Alumi,” UACJ’s CM character. Japanese anime is hugely popular in Vietnam, so it really brightens up the workplace!

Nuong
Each change may be small, but creating an environment we shape ourselves has a big impact on motivation.


What kind of changes have you seen when people feel motivated at work?

Nuong
We’ve definitely seen an increase in employee suggestions. We regularly receive ideas for improvements—people often come to us with “What if we try this?” proposals.

Anh
It may not be a change per se, but one thing that really represents UFFV is the high participation in community service activities.

Kozaki
What kind of community service activities do you mean?

Anh
We’ve been involved in mangrove planting and beach cleanup activities. The tree-planting initiative started as a company-wide effort in 2023, and about 50 employees volunteered to take part.

Watanuki
Fifty people? That’s around 13% of your entire staff!

Anh
Yes, and it’s not just a one-off event—we keep ongoing records and continue the activity. It’s part of a 10-year plan aimed at contributing to the environment.

Nuong
The beach cleanup initiative began in 2024. That one was started based on suggestions from employees. Around 40 people joined, including staff from both the office and the factory.

Kozaki
That’s impressive! It really shows how engaged your employees are with the company on a daily basis.



Tell us what it’s really like to take part in volunteer activities in Vietnam!

Anh
The activity site is about two hours away from the UFFV office by car and ferry. We gather at the office in the morning and travel together in a chartered bus.

Watanuki
Sounds fun! Like a school field trip.

Anh
It kind of is! And the bus has karaoke, so the ride is full of singing and laughter.

Kozaki
Karaoke on the bus!?

Nuong
That’s actually common in Vietnam—many buses come equipped with karaoke machines.

Watanuki
I had no idea! That’s such a unique part of the culture.

Anh
We hit our goal of planting 500 mangrove trees, and during the beach cleanup, we collected around 100 bags of trash. After the activities, everyone enjoys lunch together. It’s a great opportunity for employees who don’t usually interact to connect—and they genuinely seem to have a great time.

Kozaki
It’s the perfect combination of giving back and strengthening workplace bonds. What a fantastic initiative!


What kind of management truly inspires self-motivated action?

Nuong
One key may be clearly communicating why we do what we do. It’s important to let people know that contributing to society isn’t just about increasing profits—it’s also about the value of participating in these kinds of activities.

Kozaki
So it’s about sharing the purpose and meaning behind each initiative.

Anh
Exactly. And building trust with employees on a daily basis is essential. When that trust is there, people are more willing to cooperate.

Watanuki
I see. That ties directly into the thank-you gifts and the encouragement to share improvement ideas.

Anh
For us as managers, keeping our frontline workers motivated is one of the most important parts of our job. Their feedback is essential to making the company better.

Nuong
I’ve been with UFFV for 23 years now. It’s more than just a workplace or a team—it feels like family. I want to keep creating an environment where our “family” can work comfortably and feel supported every day.

Watanuki
That’s a wonderful perspective. We’ll definitely take inspiration from your experience. Thank you so much for speaking with us today!

Kozaki
Thank you very much.

Anh

Nuong
Thank you! Cảm ơn!



AFTER INTERVIEW

Shoko Watanuki, UACJ
It was wonderful to see how the UFFV team works in such a cheerful and positive atmosphere. The open communication and culture of recognizing each other’s efforts clearly reflect the team’s ongoing commitment. I was especially impressed by the “thank you gift” initiative—it’s a simple yet powerful way to encourage people to keep moving forward. This approach seems to spark a positive cycle: identifying problems, improving operations, boosting motivation, and promoting individual growth. Witnessing the impact of one’s own ideas must be incredibly rewarding. It truly felt like a shining example of “UACJ Well WAVE” in action!
Profile
I work in the Investor Relations Department, Finance and Accounting Division, sharing UACJ’s appeal with the outside world. I can’t help but smile when I see a shelf full of aluminum cans while shopping.

Yu Kozaki, UACJ
I was amazed by how many employees take part in activities like mangrove planting and beach cleanups! These initiatives go beyond daily work—they allow people to come together to do something meaningful, which clearly contributes to high motivation across the team. I also realized the importance of clearly communicating the purpose and value behind what we do. That applies not only to social initiatives but also to everyday tasks. It’s something I hope to keep in mind when working across departments or launching new projects. For starters, I’ll try to express “thank you” more often in my day-to-day work.
Profile
I’m part of the Legal Department, working on compliance and human rights. Lately, I’ve been aiming to be like aluminum—resilient and slow to rust.
* The information in this article was current at the time of the interview.