Dear Phong and Mr. Tuan,

"He who accepts gifts loses his freedom" - quote from Daimler Code of Conduct.

The suggestion is doing in the other way " How to create business community without under table commission for relationship". Actually this is a mission for long-term development, not for immedate solution but to be the grassrot proposal to your question.

The sharing on this questions is the matter of attitude of tranparency and integrity in your business.
The concept relates to the two elements: Knowledge on Laws and Policies (related to your business) and the Code of Conduct you set up the rules and pricipal on social and ethic value in business towards all stakeholders, not only to shareholder in your business.

You can see these two points appeared in the successful experience of Mr. Tuan in his sharing reflecting the above concepts:

1- The issues to Mr. Tuan's client is not transparent in tax clarifictation. This issues make two ways of solution: clean way - to be punished and the grey way (possible and already become the habit now - bribery to the power officers/ then the otherside is do the corruption). So, firstly if you follow the Laws, there would be limit the case you have to do the under-table commission
- It would be the same, you are dealing with State and local VN Company, if you are clear to all Laws and Policies related to your procerual business at least you can easier react to harashment you would be faced (even you accept still you know how to accept in the optimized way, not a shocked undertable cash).
2- The way of conduct to all stakeholders:
You do business based on tranparency - In Mr. Tuan's case: he still provided the data to the in-charge police but also use the right of an Enterprise to discuss with the police, sharing and providing more status of the business.
You share information which is one of the attitude of tranparency. Only when you believe in what you are doing is right, you can only both provide the data to the police and discuss with him on difficulties of the client.

The Code of Conduct for ethic and clean business is the current trend now for Enterpriese's choice towards sustaibale development. This firstly limit your immediate profit but it shall creat a trust to your all business stakeholders for long-term benefit with high reputaion.

This would sucess only when all Enterprise community ask the same question like you "How to build up relation without undertable commission". When you or all others asked such qusame estion mean you and all others start the desire to turn the current habit of using "relationship" based on corruption/bribery into more integrity and transparency in business.

The anti corruption is now becoming the hot topic discussed by the Government and in multmedial now. So we hope for the change in attitude of building up clean business relationship without undertable commission in years to come (based on the Law compliance and the Code of Conduct).

Actually, there are a project of "Integrity and Transparency in Business Initiative for Vietnam" now related to your question. You can refer web: itbi.org.vn or www.towardstransparency.vn where all missions regard to sustainale improvement in integrity and tranparency by which business is conducted.