After just seven months, mesoneer was able to open its new facilities at the two Vietnamese locations in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang City in November 2023. The extraordinary growth over the past few years from five to around 60 employees in Vietnam resulted in the 355 square meters of space available in Ho Chi Min City in 2019 quickly becoming too small. The new, modern offices allow the mesoneers to continue working comfortably in a professional environment. For the software manufacturer, however, the newly designed locations are not just a matter of necessity: "For us, this investment is a confirmation of our strategy," explains Patrick Brazzale, CEO of mesoneer. Matthias Keller, Chairman of the Board of Directors of mesoneer, agrees. " For us as a Swiss-Vietnamese company, the new locations will significantly contribute to our success," says Keller. Brazzale adds: "Our exceptional offices will make us even more attractive to new talents in the future."
Headquarters with extras
A look inside the Vietnamese headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City shows what Brazzale is talking about. The nearly 1000 square meters do not just contain standard workstations. Rather, a modern mix of co-working feeling, creative zones, thinking zones and quiet retreats are waiting to be discovered. The centerpiece is the entrance area, which has its own coffee-house-style cafeteria and offers cozy seating as well as coffee specialties and snacks. "It was important to us to create a relaxed atmosphere," says Dzung Thai, Managing Director of mesoneer in Vietnam. The mesoneers should feel like they are at home and not in the office.
This idea is also reflected in another highlight of the location: the gaming room. This was a personal matter for Thai, as many of the developers stay in the office on Thursday or Friday evenings after work to play games together. "A company should definitely encourage this kind of natural team building," explains Thai. That's why he made sure that the office has the appropriate equipment. Despite the gaming room and cafeteria, the informal room concept offers enough quiet spaces for concentrated work - if one is not distracted by the spectacular view: Thanks to the full-length window fronts, almost the entire city can be seen out of the 25th floor.
Working overlooking the sea
The moving boxes were also packed at the mesoneer location in Da Nang City. After a year and a half in the co-working space, the staff has grown from three to almost 15 people and was therefore delighted to be able to move into the 350 square meters of office space on 1 November 2023. These also have an open, friendly atmosphere and a similar room concept to Ho Chi Minh City. The open kitchenette blends seamlessly into the collaboration zone, which also has a gaming corner in addition to comfortable seating. Another special highlight of the office in Da Nang City is the panoramic outlook from the 22nd floor with a direct view of the sea. For Thai, the move to mesoneer's own facilities is a huge step. "When we started with just three developers in a co-working space in Da Nang City in April 2022, we couldn't know how this location would eventually evolve." He is thus more than happy that mesoneer has also been able to position itself as an attractive employer in the coastal city.
Opening ceremony with Swiss guests
Such milestones are always a reason to celebrate. Accordingly, mesoneer hosted grand opening ceremonies in Ho Chi Minh City on November 13, 2023 and in Da Nang City on November 14, 2023. The grand opening of the headquarters was also attended by guests from Switzerland: Brazzale and Keller traveled to Vietnam especially for this occasion. Together with Thai, they cut the opening ribbon in a traditional ceremony to officially inaugurate the new office. And it was not just the mesoneers who were thrilled by this symbolic moment. Philippe Ramseier, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Autexis, and Albin Ebneter, member of the Board of Directors of Autexis and representative of the Rotzinger Group, were other Swiss guests in the audience. Due to the recent strategic cooperation between Autexis and mesoneer, Ramseier and Ebneter wanted to visit mesoneer's Vietnamese sites in person and get to know the people involved - and what could be better than a big party with an informal get-together?
Despite the great atmosphere, Thai is glad when things calm down again. The last few weeks have been particularly challenging for him as a manager of the overall project. "The schedule was tight," says Thai thinking back. Especially coordinating the redesign of both locations at the same time and the associated travel was quite challenging. He is therefore even happier that everything worked out so well in the end. "Once again, we have shown what mesoneer is capable of and that we can do pretty much anything," laughs Thai.
