Partnering in construction: Investigation of problematic issues for implementation in Vietnam

Partnering in construction industry has been prosperous in recent years. This new approach has been proved applicable to construction projects in Vietnam and other developing countries; however, many problems have emerged during partnering implementation process. This paper has identified some prominent problematic issues of partnering in Vietnam construction projects through a questionnaire survey conduct. Partners’ attitudes governed by commercial pressure and dealing with large bureaucratic organization(s) are the most concerned problems with foreign organizations and local practitioners respectively. Factor analysis has pointed out seven underlying dimensions of problems existing in partnering process. These are: unsuitability of partnering application; lack of commitment to partnering; unfamiliarity with the partnering concept; poor communication between partners; lack of key stakeholders’ involvement; external constraint issues; and failure to compromise. This study could help practitioners in the Vietnamese market to comprehend issues in executing a partnering construction project. The understanding of these issues will increase the chance to succeed in partnering on construction projects.