Sandra Dirks
From a small production hub to a strong location with 70 employees
Our journey in Vietnam began ten years ago – with a handful of employees and great ambitions. Today, our location in Ho Chi Minh City has around 70 colleagues in the areas of Media Production, IT Development, Administration and People & Culture. A milestone that we have now duly celebrated – with a visit from Germany, moving words, a lot of gratitude and a fingerprint that will remain.
How it started
The story of Laudert Vietnam began in 2012 with a partnership: a dedicated team of developers from Tanner Vietnam took on IT tasks for Laudert.
In 2015, we took the next step and founded our own location in Ho Chi Minh City. Initially with just a few employees in the area of media production – but with the clear goal of establishing the location in the long term. Shortly afterwards, the IT team also officially moved to Laudert Vietnam.
Growth with vision
The next few years were characterized by growth and further development:
In 2018, another important partnership was added – with the company Werk II. Another team of developers was specifically trained in dynamic publishing and has been working on projects for Werk II ever since.
As the team grew, it soon became too small: in 2020, IT moved into its own premises in the neighboring building, and in the summer of 2024, the big move to a new, modern office followed. Today, over 30 employees work here in the IT team and around 35 in Media Production. Since 2023, we have also been taking care of all administration and people & culture issues in-house.
Strong leadership from within our own ranks
Lisa Muddemann is a special chapter in our Vietnam story. She started her career at Laudert in 2016 with an apprenticeship as a media designer in Vreden, switched to IT project management in 2020 and took over the management of the IT department in Vietnam as Managing Director in 2022. Since April 1, 2025, she has had overall responsibility for our locations in Ho Chi Minh City as General Director – a great example of further development in action at Laudert.
However, Lisa is not the only example of the development culture practiced at Laudert. From the very beginning, we have given young talents from Germany the opportunity to take on responsibility early on and help shape the site in Vietnam. In the early years, Sebastian Abbing laid the foundation for the development and growth on site. He was followed by Esther and Mike Fabian, who took on management responsibility until 2018. From 2018 to 2022, Johannes Esseling managed the site – and left a lasting mark on it. Together, they have all contributed to Laudert Vietnam standing on a strong foundation today.
Best conditions for strong collaboration
The new office structure brings additional benefits: All IT colleagues are under one roof, regardless of whether they are working on projects for Laudert or from Werk II. This not only ensures fast communication for questions about the priint:suite, but also targeted training on site – in Vietnamese, in person, directly from the software manufacturer. This proximity increases our quality as an implementation partner of Werk II enormously.
A team that processes tasks has become a team with expertise
What makes our site special today? The strong further development at all levels:
- Media Production is no longer just a “production hub”. Today, we work on an equal footing, communicate directly, build up expertise – and also take on complex tasks. External service providers now do what used to be done in-house, while our colleagues focus on challenging topics.
- IT development has evolved from pure coding to conceptual work. Architecture issues, solution proposals, customer workshops – all of this is now part of everyday life.
- AI and innovation: Vietnam is actively involved in forward-looking topics, such as the use of artificial intelligence in image production.
- People & Culture ensures motivation, development opportunities and employee retention on a daily basis – with great success.
A working culture that inspires
The Vietnamese way of working differs from the German way in many ways. Whereas in Germany there is a lot of planning and deliberation, in Vietnam things are tried out, tested and improved. This courage to act leads to valuable experience – and spreads optimism within the team.
Particularly noteworthy is the high motivation of the younger generation, who see – and seize – new opportunities with Vietnam’s economic upturn.
Despite a generally high fluctuation rate on the Vietnamese labor market, many employees remain loyal to Laudert Vietnam for an above-average length of time. The reason: our respectful, human interaction with one another.
A culture of togetherness
A highlight of every year is the “Company Trip” – the Vietnamese equivalent of our summer festival. Team-building games, shared experiences and exuberant evenings with karaoke and dancing strengthen the sense of togetherness. It happened again at the beginning of July – with lots of fun, team spirit and unforgettable moments, as you can see in the following pictures.
And the office routine is also culturally colorful in other ways: a “Mahlzeit!” (bon appetit) at lunchtime or a “Kein Bier vor vier!” (No beer before four!) at the end of the working day regularly bring a smile to the face – and show how active collaboration can work across continents.
The anniversary: a celebration of thanks
To mark the company’s tenth anniversary, our Managing Directors Jörg Rewer and Sven Henckel traveled from Germany to Vietnam last week. Together with Lisa Muddemann, General Director Laudert Vietnam, they thanked the entire team for the great development in a festive speech and presented gifts to the staff in recognition of the great performance. They celebrated together on the premises – with real team spirit, culinary highlights and many anecdotes from the past 10 years.
As a special memento, the team was allowed to immortalize themselves with their fingerprints on a canvas. This work of art is given a place of honor in the office – and reminds the team every day of what they have achieved together.
10 years of Laudert Vietnam – that’s not just an anniversary. It is proof of how strongly teams can grow if you let them. If you encourage them, trust them and work together towards a common goal. We say thank you – and look forward to everything that is yet to come.
