Learning to trust: a study of interfirm trust dynamics in Vietnam

This study develops an integrative model of trust dynamics (i.e., how trust between firms evolves over time) and tests that model in Vietnam. A combination of different research methods was used to capture the complexity of trust dynamics in the under-studied context of Vietnam. A case study was conducted as a field research project in the summer of 2000. Based on the insights of the field research, a survey-based study was conducted with a sample of Vietnamese private companies to test the model. Results from the case and survey studies consistently support the theorized dimensions of trust and the argument that trust changes in both quantitative and qualitative terms over time. This study offers research implications as well as practical implications for managers and policy makers.