FPT: How Vietnamese Engineering Culture Drives Growth

When Mark Scrivens, UK CEO, FPT, joined the Asian technology services company FPT 18 months ago, he encountered something unexpected: a workforce that fundamentally challenged his assumptions about offshore development. 

“I've travelled to India a lot, to China, to Malaysia, to the Philippines. What stands out in Vietnam at FPT is that there are quality people everywhere,” Scrivens says. 

“I think what we have is this unique blend of skill and culture and that curiosity, the willingness to ask a question to challenge in a very polite, almost deferential way.”

FPT, a Vietnamese technology services company, has built its reputation on tackling the complex legacy systems that many Western technology providers avoid.

While much of the UK market has already migrated straightforward workloads to major cloud platforms like Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services, Scrivens argues that the real frontier lies elsewhere.

“The untouched area is where the really hard work lies, the legacy platforms that no one wants to touch,” he explains.

“This is where the engineering heritage of our people comes in. We're not developers who are given a problem just to follow instructions to complete it. Our guys are much more about wanting projects that are interesting and meaningful, not something mundane.”

This engineering-first mindset has enabled FPT to differentiate itself in a crowded market. The company has developed particular expertise in mainframe modernisation, with engineers voluntarily learning COBOL – a programming language from the 1960s that still underpins many financial systems – to address market opportunities. 

“We've literally had people off their own back going, I'm now going to learn COBOL because we see an opportunity here,” Scrivens reveals.

The approach has attracted clients across multiple sectors, from Financial Conduct Authority-regulated lenders to major drinks companies managing hundreds of brands globally. 

Scrivens emphasises that FPT's engineers challenge clients constructively. 

“They'll push back if they think the direction that a customer's wanting to go down is the wrong one, they'll say, ‘I don't think you should do this because X, Y, Z, and if we did it this way, it is better,’” he explains. "And more often than not, our customers will say ‘this is what we want, this is what we're crying out for.’”

Building talent from the ground up

FPT's distinctive approach stems partly from its integrated education system. Nguyen Khai Hoan, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer cum Chief Operating Officer, FPT Software, oversees what he describes as a comprehensive talent pipeline. 

“We manage 150,000 learners from elementary school education, training and university,” Mr Hoan explains. “From the very beginning, we’ve been very much focused on all of our internal training and education.”

The company's university students spend their first year learning English before progressing to technical subjects, with martial arts incorporated into daily routines. 

“It's about discipline and concentration,” Mr Hoan says. The approach reflects what he calls the “FPT DNA” – a data-driven, engineering-focused culture established by the company's mathematician founders.

This educational foundation contributes to significantly lower staff turnover compared to other offshore locations. While, for example, Indian technology hubs typically experience churn rates of 20% to 30%, FPT maintains rates below 10%. 

“People want to stay and work for FPT. They're looked after. There's a real family culture,” Scrivens says.

The company's commitment extends beyond commercial education. Mr Hoan reveals that FPT manages schools for orphans, including what they call Hope Schools. 

“There are many people who lost family during the COVID crisis and we received those students, supporting them and giving them a new future and trajectory for their lives,” he explains.

Raising visibility through strategic partnerships

The company has pursued high-profile partnerships to elevate its brand in Western markets, including a technology partnership with Chelsea Football Club. 

“We knew we needed a vehicle to elevate our brand in the West,” Scrivens explains. "We did a bit of research, and it was very clear the Premier League was the number one product in elite sports - the return on investment is incredible.”

For Scrivens, the relationship with Chelsea Football Club extends beyond traditional sponsorship. “We wanted this to be two-way. It's not about sponsorship, it's about helping each other,” he says. 

As the football club's technology partner, FPT works on engineering challenges and digital innovation projects. The partnership serves as a showcase for the company's capabilities across sectors, with the Premier League's global reach providing visibility as FPT expands into Western markets from its London base.

The choice of London as FPT's UK headquarters reflects strategic thinking about market access. “To get customers to come and to get prospects to come and visit us in our office is much easier,” Scrivens explains. “London's where the first steps are probably easier for us.”

Embedding AI agents across operations

The company is rapidly integrating AI agent technology into its service delivery for clients across industries. 

The company sees particular potential in the insurance sector, where legacy data and compliance costs present ongoing challenges. “We start using these AI tools to cleanse data, to basically code legacy products of which there are thousands. This is going to put a whole new perspective on the insurance world,” Scrivens suggests.

For Scrivens, it’s clear the AI landscape requires workforce adaptability. “Whatever we're learning today, it's going to be something else tomorrow. And this is the continuous cycle,” he says. 

He believes FPT's engineering-focused talent pool positions the company well for this environment. "Because our people are at the top end, they're very adaptable and very flexible.”

Proving value through delivery

FPT's confidence in its capabilities extends to its commercial approach across sectors. The company has proposed outcomes-based arrangements to potential clients, including the National Health Service. 

“We'd love to partner with the NHS – to be able to come in and say, give us a problem, we'll fix it, and if we don't, we won't charge you,” Scrivens reveals. “I don't know any other provider that would do something like this.”

The company has developed what it calls “prefab pods” – pre-configured scrum teams of varying sizes designed to help customers engage quickly with FPT's Vietnamese engineering talent. These teams can be deployed rapidly to begin work on projects without the lengthy setup typically required for offshore partnerships.

While working with Vietnamese engineers offers cost savings compared to Western-based resources, Scrivens emphasises that the primary value lies elsewhere. 

“There is a financial benefit, but actually, the real value of FPT is the quality and cultural difference that comes through,” he concludes.